To return to the main
Northern Fleet entry, see the
Northern Fleet
file.
For recent developments, please see the
Northern Fleet Developments file.
Near the closed city of Ostrovnoy (Murmansk-140),
nearly 300km east of Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast
Gremikha Naval Base, also known as Yokanga, operates as a base and a refueling
facility. However, as of April 1997, active submarines are not stationed
at the base.[1] Gremikha has served as the base for Alfa-class SSNs (nuclear-powered submarines equipped with LMRs) and Oscar-class SSGNs. Gremikha is only accessible by sea, as there are no road or
rail connections to this base. Recent decreases in the Navy's budget
for Gremikha facilities have caused some of the local population to abandon
the area.[2] As of May 2000, 17 fueled decommissioned
nuclear submarines were stationed at the base: four Kit [NATO name 'November']
class submarines, 10 Kefal I [NATO name 'Victor I'] class submarines, and three
Kefal II [NATO name 'Victor II'] class submarines.[3]
The base also stores both solid and liquid nuclear waste from refueling.
Reportedly, spent fuel from liquid metal reactors (LMR) is stored at this
site.[2] Solid radioactive waste is stored in one facility, as well
as in containers placed in the open adjacent to the facility. Much
of the solid radioactive waste is too large to transport using the available
transportation equipment and has not been properly secured. Approximately
2,000 cubic meters of liquid radioactive waste with a radioactivity of
370 kBq/l are stored in underground tanks that do not meet international
requirements. Liquid waste is also stored on a Project 1783A Vala-class
service ship.[4]
(As of January 2004, this section is no longer being updated. For more
recent developments, see the
Northern Fleet Developments file):
9/8/2003: NUCLEAR SUBMARINE K-370
ARRIVES AT POLYARNYY
On 4 September 2003,
the Project 627A nuclear attack submarine K-370 arrived at
Polyarninskiy Shipyard, also known as
Shipyard No. 10, where it will be dismantled. The submarine was towed from Gremikha
Naval Base without the use of pontoons.
8/30/2003: SSN SINKS IN BARENTS SEA
On 30 August 2003, the Project 627A nuclear attack submarine K-159 sank in the Barents Sea,
three miles northwest of Kildin Island, at a
depth of 238m. The decommissioned nuclear submarine, in service from 1963 to
1988, was being towed from the Gremikha Naval Base to
Nerpa
Shipyard, in Snezhnogorsk.
The K-159
was the thirteenth submarine to be
dispatched for dismantling from Gremikha this year. The
newer submarines were transported without the assistance
of pontoons, while older submarines like the K-159 were towed with the support of four pontoons
due to problems with buoyancy.[1]
When pontoons are used, a small crew remains on board the submarine to monitor the compartments and
towing equipment.[2]
According to a later statement by
Captain 2nd Rank Sergey Zhemchuzhnov, in charge of the towing vessel and deputy commander
of the submarine division of Ostrovnoy Garrison (home of Gremikha Naval Base),
the pontoons assisting K-159 were designed to maintain a vessel afloat, but not
for towing. He also noted that these particular pontoons were built in the
1940s, and that the crew had to add air to the pontoons at least every five
hours.[1]
Another
method used to transport submarines is the use of a dry dock. This is the
safest, but most expensive method and is rarely used. All previous Gremikha submarines successfully reached their destinations,
although in September 2002 the two rear pontoons attached to the K-21 submarine
suddenly tore off during transport, despite good weather. There was no
investigation of that incident.[1]
However,
the K-370, which was towed together with the K-159 but without pontoons, successfully reached
Polyarnyy on 4
September.[2]
According to news reports, at approximately 2:20am the left rear pontoon
supporting K-159 was torn off, causing the submarine to list to one side while
water leaked into the open hatch. Class 627A submarines like the K-159 can
list 12 degrees before they sink.
The last report from the K-159, which
indicated
that it was listing 10 degrees, was received at 2:45am. A rescue boat left the tug and
headed for the
submarine, but was unable to find survivors quickly in the dark, with heavy seas. However, before the list reached
a 10-degree angle, regulations required the crew to abandon the boat as fast as possible.
An
investigation will seek to ascertain why this did not occur.
Unnamed naval sources told journalists
that helicopters had immediately flown out to the scene of the disaster but had
spotted the other vessel (the K-370) and returned to shore. However, other sources
indicated that Russian helicopters would not have been allowed to fly at night, especially during a
storm.
Several reasons have been given for the
sinking of the K-159.[2,3] The press service of the Russian Defense Ministry
stated that the K-159 sank because the pontoons keeping
it afloat were torn off by a storm.[2] As a result, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov has temporarily banned
the transfer of decommissioned nuclear submarines to scrap yards using pontoons.[3]
Investigators from the
Main Military Prosecutor's Office have also cited the pontoons as the cause of the
disaster; they determined that one of the pontoons on the left side of the
submarine was poorly fastened and that the K-159 sank after taking on water through
the main hatch. However,
according to AFP, the main cause of the tragedy was a leak in the ninth
(rear) and, later, eighth compartments. When both compartments filled with water,
the extra pressure on the pontoons caused the mountings to break.[4]
Commander-in-Chief of the Navy
Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov emphasized that the transportation speed was higher than the allowable limit. [CNS note: High speeds can result in leaks
in the rear of the submarine.]
When the submarine was near Kildin Island, at about 2:00am on 30 August,
Captain 2nd rank Sergey Lappa, the K-159 escort team commander, radioed the tug and
reported that the submarine was taking on water in the stern compartment. The
pontoons were then in place. According to Lappa, water was seeping into the
stern compartment through the graphite compressors. The crew first detected a
list with a mechanical device. They then inspected the ninth compartment and
discovered water in it. According to AFP the sailors tried to close the
hatch between compartments nine and eight. However, water started overflowing
into the eighth compartment.
The crew then tried to
form an air cushion in the eighth compartment through the use of high pressure. Unfortunately,
the K-159
didn't have enough air for the operation. When it became clear that the crew
could not stop water from coming in, some sources report that Lappa called the tug and asked to have the
submarine grounded off Kildin Island.[5]
Zhemchuzhnov has stated that he
remembers no such conversation, and that towing the vessel and grounding it
during a storm would have been highly risky and would not have made saving the
submariners easier (though subsequently recovering the submarine itself would
have been facilitated). In any event, the K-159 was not grounded. Zhemchuzhnov, who
earlier had ordered the crew to fight to keep the
submarine afloat, says that at 1:50am he ordered them to put on warm clothing
and expect a rescue team.[1] Maintaining the submarine afloat was
a very difficult task: its condition was such that when the two stern
compartments were flooded, the bow would have risen above the surface and the
submarine probably would have sunk in a matter of minutes.
There were 10 crewmembers aboard. Just
one of them was rescued; the bodies of two others later were retrieved from the
water. As a result of the accident, Northern Fleet Commander Admiral Gennadiy
Suchkov was temporarily dismissed from his post by President Vladimir Putin. The
Main Military Prosecutor's office charged Zhemchuzhnov with violating navigation
rules in accordance with Russian Federation Penal Code article 352 [5].
Two
fueled nuclear reactors are still onboard the submarine. The
Malakhit Design Bureau
(the designer of Project 627A) was designated to lead the lifting operation
by a joint decision of the
Russian Shipbuilding Agency,
Ministry of Atomic Energy and
Ministry of Defense. Admiral Kuroyedov
did not exclude the participation of the foreign specialists in the lifting
operation, which is planned for July-August 2003.[6]
1/8/2003: RECONSTRUCTION OF DOCK
TO UNLOAD IRRADIATED FUEL COMPLETED
On 8 January 2003, Interfax
reported that the reconstruction of dry dock CD-10 at Gremikha has been completed. The dock is
designed to unload spent nuclear fuel from liquid-metal-cooled reactors.
Gremikha
is the second largest onshore storage site for Northern Fleet spent nuclear fuel and the largest site for storing decommissioned
submarines, most of which are first-generation boats. Around 800 spent-fuel
assemblies are stored at Gremikha
(100 in a drained pool and 700 in containers on open platforms). These
assemblies contain 1.4 tons of radioactive compounds. There are also six nuclear
reactors with liquid metal coolant from project 705 (Alfa-class submarines). In addition, there are 19 nuclear submarines and 38 reactors with
unloaded irradiated nuclear fuel, which are stored at base piers.[1,2]
12/21/2002: STATUS OF OSTROVNOY DISCUSSED
On 21 December 2002, Murmansk Oblast Governor Yuriy Yevdokimov and Assistant
to the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Mikhail Barskov agreed to maintain the
closed city (ZATO) status of Ostrovnoy, the former naval base located in Gremikha. ZATO Ostrovnoy was founded in
Gremikha in 1994 after the submarine squadron of the Yokanga naval base was
disbanded.
4/24/2002: OLD DECOMMISSIONED
NUCLEAR SUBMARINES TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM GREMIKHA TO ARA GUBA
On 24 April 2002, Trud reported that the Northern Fleet would
transfer in the near future 17 old decommissioned nuclear submarines [four Kit-class
[NATO name 'November'] SSNs, 10 Kefal I-class [NATO name 'Victor I'] SSNs, and three Kefal
II-class [NATO name 'Victor II'] SSNs] from Gremikha
Naval Base to
Ara Bay Naval Base in
Vidyayevo for further dismantlement. The submarines will have to be
transported inside floating docks. The operation will have to take place in
calm weather to ensure the safety of the endeavor.
6/2001: MILITARY COURT SENTENCES OFFICERS FOR
THEFT OF PALLADIUM AIR FILTER CARTRIDGES
In June 2001, the Severomorsk garrison court
convicted three Ostrovnoy Garrison officers for stealing and selling FK-P
air filter cartridges,
which contain about 130g-140g of palladium each. The group included
garrison commander Captain Aleksandr Kupchenko, UFSB senior
representative Captain Aleksandr Okladnikov, and seaman Vladimir Nani.
Between spring 1999 and March 2000 the group stole 135
canisters worth about 10.8 million rubles (over $370,000 as of 29 June
2001). The canisters were sold in Murmansk for $400 each. The thieves
received prison sentences of three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years. For
more information, see the 4/17/2000 entry in this
section.
12/1/2000: UNITED KINGDOM CONFIRMS ITS FINANCIAL
SUPPORT FOR NUCLEAR SAFETY IN MURMANSK OBLAST, DISCUSSES DISMANTLEMENT AT
GREMIKHA
For more information, please see the
12/1/2000
entry in the
Foreign
Assistance Developments file.
4/17/2000: FORMER OSTROVNOY
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE HEAD CHARGED WITH THEFT OF AIR FILTER CARTRIDGES
On 17 April 2000, the Vologda news agency SeverInform
reported that the Northern Fleet military prosecutor had arrested Captain
Aleksandr Okladnikov, former head of the Ostrovnoy Garrison Military Counterintelligence
Department, and Captain Aleksandr Kupchenko, head of the Ostrovnoy Garrison.
The men have been indicted in connection with the disappearance of 135
air filter cartridges, which were stored in the Ostrovnoy Garrison Military
Counterintelligence Department. The palladium contained in each cartridge
can reportedly fetch up to $1,000 on the black market. The air filters,
from decommissioned submarines, disappeared when Okladnikov was in charge
of the department.
3/20/2000: SPENT FUEL STORAGE
FACILITY MAY BE BUILT AT GREMIKHA
Minatom
has suggested building a temporary spent nuclear fuel storage facility
at Gremikha Naval Base. Gremikha is the only Northern Fleet naval
base with no operational submarines; Minatom reportedly believes this will
make it easier to get access to the facility. Murmansk Oblast Governor
Yuriy Yevdokimov supports the project. If Gremikha is chosen as a storage site,
a storage platform with a service life of up to 50 years will be constructed
to hold the spent fuel casks. Most likely, 80MT casks would be
used at Gremikha. Minatom is also considering
Nerpa Shipyard
and
Polyarninskiy Shipyard as nuclear
fuel storage sites; it is unlikely that storage platforms will be established at
all three locations.
8/6/99: TWO SAILORS GO ON SHOOTING
SPREE AT GREMIKHA
At 0400 local time on 6 August 1999, two sailors,
20 year-old Ivan Fomushkin and 19 year-old Vladimir Tarasov, went on a
shooting spree at the Gremikha Naval Base with no apparent motive.
Armed with an axe, the two sailors attacked a sentry guarding a radioactive
waste storage facility at Gremikha and stole his assault rifle. Though
wounded, the sentry managed to sound the alarm, and four guards responded.
In the ensuing fire fight, two of the guards and their chief, Senior Lieutenant
Yezhov, were killed.[1,2] The sailors then entered the guardhouse,
which was occupied by three seamen, and fired shots into the ceiling.
A ricocheting bullet wounded one of the three, the assistant duty officer.
The two sailors held the three occupants hostage in the guardhouse, made
no demands, refused to negotiate with police and command units, and finally
released the wounded assistant duty officer. When Northern Fleet
senior officers and associates of the military prosecutor arrived by helicopter
at 0900, the two sailors, fearing an assault, used one of their hostages
as a shield to escape from the guardhouse to a nearby truck. While
the two sailors attempted, without success, to start the truck and to find
a new hiding place, the hostages managed to escape. The police and
command units surrounded the sailors and opened fire, killing Fomushkin
and wounding Tarasov. Tarasov ultimately committed suicide by shooting
himself in the stomach with the assault rifle. Both sailors were
senior servicemen with only two months left until their discharge.[1]
According to Nezavisimaya gazeta, the incident could have had "absolutely
unpredictable" consequences if the two sailors had succeeded in evading
the guards and gaining access to the radioactive waste storage facility
or any of the several decommissioned nuclear submarines stored at Gremikha.[2]
The article does not make clear what objectives, if any, the two sailors
had in mind when they attacked the sentry.
Last updated 29 January 2004
For more recent developments, please see the
Northern Fleet Developments file.
Comments or questions? Contact Cristina
Chuen at MIIS CNS: cristina.chuen@miis.edu
This material is produced independently for NTI
by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has
not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers,
employees, agents. Copyright © 2002 by MIIS.
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