WASHINGTON Oct. 6: Reuter: A nuclear powered Soviet submarine hit by a powerful explosion and fire that killed three crewmen on Friday sank today in the Atlantic in heavy seas, the Defence Department reported.
Spokesman Bob Sims, travelling Secretary of Defence Caspar Weinberger in Hong Kong, said the crew was transferred to another ship before the Yankee class submarine sank although he said he had no word on the Captain.
“Most of the crew was off,” Sims said, “But we are not sure about the Captain pending word from Moscow.”
The Defence Department said the submarine sank at 4a.m. EDT (0800 GMT) in 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) of water.
“The cause was unknown but the submarine was believed to have flooded,” the Pentagon announcement said.
It said a Navy PS patrol plane reported at 12:20 a.m. EDT (0420 GMT) that the Soviet ship towing the submarine had disconnected and “the submarine had sunk lower in the water”.
“At 4 a.m. the submarine was reported as having sunk,” it said,
Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger said yesterday that photograph taken over the weekend by the U.S. P-3 patrol planes showed hatches blown away, the submarine skin peeled back and a hole in the side.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 10, 1986
