Russian authorities plan to recover sonar material and part of a torpedo tube that stayed on the seabed after the raising of the stricken nuclear submarine Kursk last year, naval officials said Monday.
“Seven bow fragments are still on the seabed. We are planning to raise the acoustic antenna and part of the torpedo launch system,” an official said, as quoted by the Interfax-AVN news agency specialising in military affairs.
The raised fragments are expected to throw more light on the causes of the sinking of the Kursk in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000, with the loss of all 118 men on board.
A salvage vessel is to leave the Arctic naval base of Severomorsk on May 15 and the raising operation will begin five days later, the official said.
The submarine’s badly damaged bow was cut off from the main section prior to the raising of the Kursk last October.
A preliminary report in February said the disaster was caused by a torpedo explosion resulting from the use of volatile fuel. A definitive report is expected later this year.
