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British Team Races to Aid Russian Crew Trapped in Sub Fears Over Oxygen Supply

Posted on: Saturday, 6 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

RUSSIAN sailors were racing against time last night to rescue seven crew members of a minisubmarine trapped on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

As oxygen supplies dwindled and confusion reigned about the progress of the attempt to save them, a British-led team left from Prestwick airport to join an international rescue effort.

As well as Britain, the US and Japan are also sending resources to assist nine Russian ships at the rescue site in the Kamchatka Peninsula, off the eastern coast of Russia. The Priz submersible sank to 620ft after becoming entangled in a fishing net on Thursday.

Russian naval officials said the vessel, which became disabled after it was launched from a ship in a combat training exercise, was too deep to allow the sailors to swim to the surface or for divers to reach it.

Last night, there was confusion over the progress of the rescue attempt. Admiral Viktor Fyodorov, Russia's Pacific Fleet commander, told state television that rescuers had hooked the mini-submarine and were trying to tow it to safety.

However, another high-ranking naval officer said the admiral's announcement was premature.

The amount of oxygen the crew had left was also unclear.

Admiral Fyodorov said at different times that it could last until Monday, or that it may only last another 24 hours.

The contradictory information brought back memories of the sinking of the Kursk, the Russian nuclear submarine, almost five years ago.

That disaster, which claimed the lives of all 118 crew, shocked and embarrassed Russians by demonstrating how its once mighty navy had deteriorated as funding dried up after the 1991 Soviet collapse.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, was criticised at the time for his slow response to the crisis and reluctance to accept foreign assistance until it was too late. In contrast, Russian officials asked for outside assistance yesterday within hours of news breaking about the Priz's dilemma.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed last night that the Russian authorities had given their agreement for the deployment of a Royal Navy vehicle and crew to assist in the rescue.

A 29-strong team, which included engineers and four military policemen, left from Prestwick last night, along with a Scorpio 45 Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) - used in situations deemed too dangerous or too deep for divers.

The unmanned vehicle carries cameras and metal cutting equipment which could help free the submarine.

The team and the rescue equipment were being f lown on board a C17 Globemaster military transport plane to Petropavlovsk airfield, close to the Kamchatka Peninsula, where a Russian vessel was being prepared to pick them up. The C17 had earlier f lown to Scotland from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Commander Ian Riches, head of the MoD's Submarine Escape and Rescue team, who will lead the British rescue attempt should it be needed, said last night: "The Remotely Operated Vehicle is a worldclass capability being offered by Britain as part of the international response to this on-going incident.

"We all hope that by the time we get to the scene that the Russian sailors will have been rescued. But we are deploying so that the ROV can be in place as a contingency."

Source: Herald, The; Glasgow (UK)

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