No signs of life on sunken Russian sub; Britain helping in rescue

Officials prepare to transport the British LR5 submarine rescue craft to the port of Trondheim in Norway

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MURMANSK, Russia -- A specialist rescue craft is flying from the UK to join efforts to rescue the Russian sailors trapped aboard the nuclear submarine Kursk on the bed of the Barents Sea north of the Arctic Circle.

Russian officials -- who now say 118 sailors are on the Kursk rather than 116 -- have also said they believe there is enough oxygen aboard the submarine to last until August 25, far longer than previously thought.

A UK plane carrying a British LR5 submarine rescue craft flew from Scotland to the port of Trondheim in Norway as efforts to reach the stricken Kursk continued amid severe weather conditions.

VIDEO See a computer animation of how a rescue attempt might look Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Mike Hanna takes a look at the rescue operation Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Interview Tuesday morning with a former director of U.S. Navy nuclear propulsion (August 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) The families of the stranded submariners say it's a horror. CNN's Mike Hanna reports Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Mike Hanna takes a look at British efforts for the Russian submarine Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     MESSAGE BOARD Submarine rescue     RESOURCES Diagram of rescue scenario Comparative size of stranded sub. Submarine position underwater CNN Cold War Special: The frightening world of nuclear accidents     ALSO LR5: The world's most advanced submarine rescue craft Deep secrets of the Russian sub missiles Damaged nuclear sub 'poses threat to environment' Agonizing wait for sailors' families U.S. survivors of 1939 sunken sub fear for trapped Russians

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said there were no signs of life detected on the submarine.

The Interfax news agency quotes Klebanov as saying this does not necessarily mean that the 116 sailors were dead. Rescue crews are currently attempting to link up a submersible vehicle -- called a "Bester" -- to the submarine.

The comments come as a fresh attempt to rescue the sailors Wednesday was failing amid severe weather conditions, the Russian defense ministry tells CNN.

Rescue crews are attempting to link up a submersible vehicle -- called a "Bester" -- to the submarine.

But strong currents and poor visibility are preventing the vessel -- which can hold up to 20 people and work for four hours under water -- from reaching the Kursk.

The latest effort to reach the Kursk follows two failed attempts on Tuesday.

High winds and stormy seas on the surface, combined with strong currents, virtually zero visibility and the angle at which the submarine is resting on the seabed are thwarting the rescue efforts.

And worsening weather conditions in the Barents Sea are expected before Friday -- the deadline for when the trapped crew's oxygen is expected to run out.

CNN-International Weather said a frontal system moving through the area in the next 24 hours will bring storms, with stronger winds and higher waves.

More than a dozen Russian warships are keeping a vigil on the waters above the submarine's position.

The main rescue plan involves getting the unmanned submersible to the submarine which, if successful, would take six to eight hours to remove an initial group of sailors.

A back-up plan being considered is to try to raise the submarine by strapping 400-ton pontoons to its sides, inflating them gradually to lift the Kursk to the surface.

There is concern, however, that the submarine could break apart if that were tried.

The Kursk, an Oscar-class submarine, is now known to have sunk on Saturday. After first claiming it had been involved in a collision, Russian naval officials now say it may have suffered an explosion in a torpedo compartment in its nose.

The 14,000-tonnes submarine, which was taking part in naval exercises, is stranded about 136 kilometres (85 miles) from the Russian naval base at Severomorsk. It is also thought to be listing at an angle of 60-degrees.

The scale of injuries among the submarine's crew is unknown. When the submarine foundered, its two nuclear reactors were shut down, cutting off electrical power.

Russian officials said the Kursk carried no nuclear weapons, while no radiation leaks from the submarine's reactors have been detected.

But environmentalists are warning of the possible dangers to local fishing grounds because of the relatively shallow depth the Kursk is at (about 350ft).

Five other nuclear submarines have sunk since 1963 according to the Norwegian environmental Bellona Foundation, settling on the ocean floor at depths of up to 16,000 feet, far below where most marine life lives.

The head of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, has described the Kursk's situation as "extremely grave."

Images of the submarine filmed by a remote-controlled camera and shown on Russian television, show a torpedo hatch on the Kursk's starboard side wide open, although the command tower was undamaged. On the port side, parts of the vessel were scattered on the sea floor.

Kuroyedov was quoted as saying that the navigation room and bow were wrecked. The periscope was also up.

Meanwhile, the international community remains on standby should the Russian government accept offers of assistance in the rescue operation.

Russian officials took part in a video conference at NATO headquarters on Tuesday with submariners based in the UK, a NATO spokesman said.

Britain has prepared an LR5 rescue submarine to be airlifted from an airfield in Scotland to the accident site.

The LR5 is operated by a three-person crew and is capable of holding 16 passengers with enough life support for four and a half days.

The mini-submarine may be able to connect to the Kursk's hatch via a ring on the underside of the LR5's casing, but it was not known whether the rescue vehicle -- designed to assist NATO vessels -- would be compatible with the Russian vessel.

The U.S. has offered a submarine rescue chamber and associated equipment currently on standby in San Diego, along with a deep submersible vessel.

France, Germany and the Netherlands have offered medical staff and decompression facilities.

A NATO spokesman said Moscow has expressed interest in NATO's offer of assistance, but has not yet requested NATO action.

Paul Beaver, spokesman for Jane's Defence Information Group, said the Royal Navy also has a 20-man submarine recovery team on the UK south coast ready to be flown to the Barents Sea.

He said Britain could parachute divers straight into the water already in their diving gear, if necessary.

Russians brave rough winds, frigid waters in attempt to rescue sub crew
August 16, 2000
Bad weather hampers Russian submarine rescue
August 14, 2000
Sinking theories surround Russian sub
August 15, 2000
Submarine disaster deals setback to Putin
August 15, 2000
Russian navy begins attempt to evacuate sailors from sunken sub
August 15, 2000
Kursk crew face cold, dark, scary wait
August 15, 2000

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