Nine

nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...

s have sunk, either by accident or scuttling. The Soviet Navy has lost five (one of which sank twice), the Russian Navy two, and the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(USN) two. Three were lost with all hands - the two from the United States Navy (129 and 99 lives lost) and one from the Russian Navy (118 lives lost), and are amongst the largest losses of life in a submarine (along with the non-nuclear with 102 lives lost and with 130 lives lost). All sank as a result of accident except for , which was scuttled in the

Kara Sea The Kara Sea (russian: Ка́рское мо́ре, ''Karskoye more'') is a marginal sea, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, and from the Laptev Sea to the east by the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago. ...

when proper decommissioning was considered too expensive. The Soviet submarine carried nuclear ballistic missiles when it was lost with all hands, but as it was a diesel-electric submarine, it is not included in the list. (''K-129'' was partly recovered by the U.S.

Project Azorian Project Azorian (also called "Jennifer" by the press after its Top Secret Security Compartment) was a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) project to recover the sunken Soviet submarine ''K-129'' from the Pacific Ocean floor in 1974, using th ...

.) The two USN submarines belonged to Submarine Force Atlantic, in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. All five of the Soviet/Russian nuclear submarines that remain sunken belonged to the

Northern Fleet Severnyy flot , image = Great emblem of the Northern Fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Northern Fleet's great emblem , start_date = June 1, 1733; Sov ...

, while the refloated was in the Pacific Fleet. Of the nine sinkings, two were caused by fires, two by weapon explosions, two by flooding, one by bad weather, and one by scuttling due to a damaged nuclear reactor. Only 's reason for sinking is unknown. Eight of the submarines are underwater wrecks in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

, five in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and three in the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

. The ninth submarine, ''K-429'', was raised and returned to active duty after both of her sinkings.

United States

*, the first submarine in her class, sank April 10, 1963 during deep-diving trials after flooding, loss of propulsion, and a failed attempt to blow the emergency ballast tanks, causing it to exceed

crush depth Depth ratings are primary design parameters and measures of a submarine's ability to operate underwater. The depths to which submarines can dive are limited by the strengths of their submarine hull, hulls. Ratings The hull of a submarine must b ...

. All 129 on board died, including shipyard personnel supporting the deep-diving tests. Location: east of

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

. *, a , sank May 22, 1968, evidently due to implosion upon reaching

. The results of the U.S. Navy's various investigations into the loss of ''Scorpion'' are inconclusive. There are various theories about the loss. All 99 men on board died. Location: southwest of the

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. *: sank May 15, 1969 while pier-side in shipyard due to improper ballasting. The submarine was eventually completed and commissioned.

Soviet Union

*: The only Project 645 submarine (a variant of the Project 627 , with liquid metal cooled reactors), ''K-27'' was decommissioned in 1979 after many years of difficulty with its reactor. On September 6, 1982, the Soviet Navy scuttled it in shallow water () in the

after sealing the reactor compartment.Podvodnye Lodki Rossii (in Russian), Sankt Peterburg, 1996 (Published jointly by Ministry of Defense Central Scientific-Research Institute No. 1 and the Rubin Central Marine Equipment Design Bureau) This sinking in shallow water was contrary to the recommendation of the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

(IAEA). *: A Project 627 November-class submarine was lost on April 11, 1970 while being towed in rough seas after a fire on board. The submarine's crew was initially evacuated to a surface vessel, but 52 re-boarded the surfaced submarine for the towing operation. All 52 sailors died when the submarine flooded and sank, for total losses of 60 crew when counting the eight who perished on April 8 in the initial fire. Location:

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

, northwest of Spain in the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. *: A Project 667A Yankee I-class submarine was damaged by a fire in a missile tube and explosion on October 3, 1986. It then sank suddenly while being towed after all surviving crewmen had transferred off. Six crew members were killed. Location: east of

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in the North Atlantic Ocean. * K-278 ''Komsomolets'': The only Mike-class sub built sank due to a raging fire April 7, 1989. All but five crewmen evacuated before it sank. A total of 42 crew died, many from smoke inhalation and exposure to the cold waters of the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

, while 27 crew members survived. *: A Project 670A Charlie I-class sub sank twice, once at sea from flooding during a test dive (23 June 1983), then two years later (13 September 1985), from flooding at her moorings. Sixteen crew died in the first incident. ''K-429'' was raised after both sinkings, and was decommissioned two years after the second.Project 670 Skat / Charlie I Project 670M Skat-M / Charlie II
15 August 2000 ''fas.org'', accessed 27 August 2019

Russia

*: The Oscar II-class sub sank in the

on August 12, 2000 after an explosion in the torpedo compartment. See

Kursk submarine disaster The nuclear-powered Project 949A ''Antey'' (''Oscar II'' class) submarine '' APL Kursk'' (Russian: ) sank in an accident on 12 August 2000 in the Barents Sea, during the first major Russian naval exercise in more than 10 years, and all 118 pe ...

. All 118 men on board were killed. All except the bow section was salvaged. *: Left to rust for 14 years after being decommissioned, this Soviet-era November-class submarine sank in the Barents Sea on August 28, 2003, when a storm ripped away the pontoons necessary to keep it afloat under tow. Nine of the 10 salvage men on board were killed.

References

General

*C. Tingle, "Submarine Accidents: A 60-Year Statistical Assessment", Journal of Professional Safety, American Society of Safety Engineers, September, 2009, pages 31–39. Ordering full article
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External links

{{Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents

Nuclear submarines A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines. Nuclear propulsion, ...