Submarines are perhaps the most complicated equipment of any navy fleet. But underwater, even the smallest of errors can be a disaster. Here are five of the worst submarine disasters in recent times, each a tragic reminder of the courage of the crew and of the heartlessness of the sea.
5. Russia, Nerpa (K-152): A Fatal Error
The Russian submarine Nerpa was in its last sea trials in 2008 with civilian technicians and sailors aboard, conducting system tests. The accident became a disaster when the automatic fire extinguishing system malfunctioned and released a toxic chemical within the forward compartments.
The accident killed 20, hurt another dozen. The authorities termed it a tragic accident, attributing the speed with which a mere mistake could prove fatal in the cramped interior of a submarine. The accident might have occurred, but the Nerpa was still operating with another flight; the accident brings to mind strict safety precautions.
4. Argentina, ARA San Juan (S-42): Lost at Sea
ARA San Juan disappeared in 2017 on a routine trip with 44 men aboard. The disappearance prompted a gargantuan international search and rescue operation, with families and the nation kept in anxious suspense for nearly a year.
Once the submarine was located at the bottom of the sea, the cause of its sinking remained to be ascertained. The disaster showed the difficulty in recovering deep-sea sunken submarines and the human destruction such losses inflict on relatives.
3. Indonesia, KRI Nanggala-402: Sinks During Bali Exercise, April 2021
The KRI Nanggala-402 was lost during a deep dive training and had performed an international search and rescue operation. It was subsequently found that the submarine had been broken into three pieces and had killed all the people on board, 53 persons.
This was under the conditions of a live-fire exercise, simulated and representative of the dangers of even routine practice. It was a reminder by itself of the extremely thin margin for error underwater.
2. Russia, Kursk (K-141): Blasts That Shook the World
In a Barents Sea exercise, the Kursk was hit by a torpedo explosion in the bow compartment, and a second explosion, even greater. Twenty-three sailors survived the first blast in the rear compartment, but rescuers delayed, and foreign assistance was initially refused.
All 118 aboard died ultimately. Kursk revealed the technological danger of submariners’ work and the severe importance of effective, timely salvage operations.
1. USS Thresher: Deadliest U.S. Submarine (1963)
USS Thresher was involved in an uncontrollable flooding during a test dive and went below its crush depth, resulting in 129 crew members. The incident was directly caused by the introduction of the SUBSAFE program, a rigorous safety program carried out to prevent such a catastrophe.
Since SUBSAFE, American submarines have maintained a model record of safety. Thresher teaches us to remain vigilant, be technologically correct, and heed the warnings of past tragedies to save thousands of lives in the years to come.