Explosion onboard
On August 12, 2000 an explosion rocked nearby ships in the Barents Sea, plummeting the gigantic Russian submarine, Kursk, from a depth of just 66 feet into the clay seabed at 354 feet. Two minutes and 15 seconds later, the initial fire detonated another 5-7 torpedo warheads, causing a second explosion, the equivalent of 3 tons of TNT. 95 sailors forward of the nuclear reactor were killed, while the remaining 23 managed to seek refuge in the tiny 9th compartment at the stern of the ship, with rising water and limited oxygen.
Cries for help
According to initial navy reports, knocking sounds saying “SOS, water” could be heard from within the sub for 3 days.
British and Norwegian fleets were nearby and offered to help immediately. They were refused. Russian rescue efforts were delayed and dismal. Their diving bells were in poor condition and were unable to attach to the sub’s hatch.
Nine days after the explosions, the Russians finally asked for help. As you can imagine, it was too late. On August 21, 2000 Norwegian and Russian divers found the bodies of 24 sailors in the 9th compartment.
When the body of Lieutenant Captain Dmitri Kolesnikov was removed, they discovered a note in his uniform pocket. The note contained the names of the 23 sailors who were still alive, a detailed explanation of what had happened, and a good-bye note to his wife, Olga. Kolesnikov had been the remaining living officer on board the Kursk. He was 26 years old.
By now, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with kindness. It’s a sad story. And possibly a preventable outcome. Most of those 23 sailors would be in their late 40’s today. They left 71 children behind.
After seeing the movie, The Command, which is the story of the tragedy of the Kursk, I just couldn’t get it out of my mind. The enormity of the tragedy. And the prevent-ableness…..I have no idea if that’s even a word, but that’s what I kept thinking about. The British and the Norwegian ships were nearby. They could hear the same sonar sounds….that pounding morse code cry for help…. that the Russians were hearing. They offered to help. They offered kindness, despite the political incorrectness. It was human to human kindness. And they were refused because the Russians didn’t want to lose face.
I guess I’ve always thought that kindness would be accepted. But on this occasion it wasn’t. It was a really good lesson for me to be grateful for kindness. In this case, it could have saved 23 lives.
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May your week be filled with kindness. 💜
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