The Sinking of the Kursk
Could an unsinkable submarine turn into a tomb?
4.7 (30)
47 mins
Discover how a faulty torpedo propellant ignited massive explosions aboard the massive Russian nuclear submarine Kursk during naval exercises in 2000. Explore the harrowing saga of twenty-three sailors who initially survived the blast and gathered in a flooded compartment waiting for help. Learn about the tragic delay in international rescue operations that ultimately led to the loss of all crew members on board.
Ep 1:
Pride of the Northern Fleet Sinks
Meet the K-141 Kursk, Russia's monstrous nuclear pride, before two catastrophic explosions during a triumphant naval exercise send it plunging to the Arctic seabed while command dithers.
Ep 2:
Lies, Sedatives, and the Silent Depths
As families are fed lies and a grieving mother is sedated on camera, Russian rescuers fail again and again—until divers finally open a hatch onto Compartment 9's haunting final notes.
Ep 3:
The Dutch Gamble to Raise the Dead
A 133-volume probe exposes a rotten torpedo and a disabled rescue buoy, prompting Putin to hire Dutch heavy-lift outsiders for an unprecedented $65 million gamble to raise a nuclear wreck.
Ep 4:
Fifteen Hours to Bring Them Home
Through savage Arctic storms, engineers battle broken cables and shifting mud to hoist the Kursk home—then Putin faces reckoning, firings, and wild conspiracy theories over what truly sank it.
Discussions (5)
Ivy
Level 10 · 1 week agoThe podcast says HTP fuel was banned by the Royal Navy decades before Kursk. Confirmed. Britain abandoned it in the 1950s after the HMS Sidon sank in 1955 from the exact same cause.
Walker
Level 3 · 1 week agoThe Dutch engineers deserve credit but saying Russia refused ALL help right away is a stretch. There were legit concerns about classified systems, not just pure ego.
Austin
Level 10 · 1 week agorussia couldve saved them
