What happened in August 2000?
The Russian Oscar II class submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000. The generally accepted theory as to the cause is due to a hydrogen peroxide leak in the forward torpedo room, leading to the detonation of a torpedo warhead, which in turn triggered the explosion of half a dozen other warheads about two minutes later. This second explosion was equivalent to around six tons of TNT and was large enough to register on seismographs across Northern Europe. Despite numerous rescue attempts, all 118 sailors and officers aboard the Kursk died. Most of the submarine’s hull, except the bow, was raised from the ocean floor in late 2001 and towed back to the Russian Navy’s Roslyakovo Shipyard. With most of the wreckage sawn up and recycled only the deck cabin remained whole. The bodies of its dead crew were removed from the wreck and buried in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding the Order of Courage to all the crew and title Hero of the Russian Fede
