The Nerpa Incident Goes Hollywood

As a rule, I try to avoid giving instant analysis of major incidents like the Russian Akula II submarine Nerpa incident. When strange things happen, usually the action that caused the strange event is strange in itself. Sure enough, as the details emerge from the investigation of the Nerpa incident, it is beginning to read more and more like a Tom Clancy novel.

To review the details, the incident occurred while the submarine was submerged in the Pacific during builders trials. Media reports claim there was somewhere between 208 and 224 people on the submarine, about 3 times more than normal. During the early evening hours a fire suppression system in the first two compartments, which includes the forward torpedo room and the adjacent section, suddenly activated releasing freon into the compartments. Due to the large number of people on the submarine, many people were sleeping in both compartments as the submarine was operating in a hot bunk schedule for shift rotations. About one hundred people were in the two compartments, about half that number sleeping. Also in the second compartment just behind the torpedo room was the staff for the Russian Pacific Fleet.

Upon release of the Freon 20 people were killed and 21 people were seriously injured. Most of those who were killed were asleep, and inhaled the freon upon its release only to sufficate themselves. Four of the twenty one injured were immediately evacuated by helicopter, while the other seventeen were transferred off the submarine to nearby naval vessels after the submarine surfaced. From the design descriptions discussed regarding the Nerpa, there are seven sections to the nuclear submarine, and six have the Freon based fire suppression system. The only section that does not have the fire suppression system is the section that contains the nuclear reactor. Only the first two activated, and did so with no warning.

At first the incident was thought to be a malfunction of the fire safety equipment, but investigators have concluded there was no malfunction. Like any good novel where mystery and conspiracy play into the plot, RAI Novosti is reporting the Russians have a villain for the incident, indeed they have a confession.

A crew member activated without permission a fire safety system on board the Russian nuclear submarine Nerpa, causing the deaths of 20 people, investigators said on Thursday.

"Military investigators have determined the person who activated, without permission and any particular reason, a fire safety system on board the submarine. He is a sailor from the crew, and he has already confessed," Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigation at the Prosecutor General's Office said.

Criminal charges have already been brought against the crew member, and he faces up to seven years in jail.

This has created a stir among many analysts in Russia. The offending crew member is either a high ranking officer, or there is a conspiracy, there really isn't much middle ground here. The system is designed so it can be activated locally, in the next adjacent apartment, or from a bridge central control station. There are safeguards that prevent the system from being activated except by a high ranking officer, codes that would prevent just anyone from activating the fire suppression system.

The question of a conspiracy is being raised, although very quietly. The manufacturer has already told the media it is impossible for just any crewman to activate the fire suppression system, meaning if it is simply some member of the crew as the official investigators are claiming, then that person must have had some inside knowledge regarding how to activate the system from either an officer on board or some outside source from the shipyard.

If you caught this news early enough, you will notice that many official news agency articles discussing the news of a crew members involvement have been edited. This is almost certainly some form of censorship to stop the speculation that is contributing to quiet rumors of conspiracy. Was someone attempting to kill the Pacific Fleet Commander and his staff? Was someone attempting to kill members of the Amur Shipbuilding company personal that were on board? Was this just a random act of violence by a crew member? If so, how did the crew member know how to activate the fire suppression system? If this submarine is being leased to India, is Russia simply blaming a human to cover up a serious malfunction to insure the deal doesn't fall through? The Industrial espionage theory with a Russian twist has popped up a few places.

It is also odd that the crew member is reportedly facing a penalty of only 7 years for killing 21 people on the ship, particularly when by the account of a number of Russian Navy experts, there are several questioning how some junior crew member could even activate the fire suppression system in the first place. Since the announcement of the confession, news regarding the submarine appears to have dried up. It could be because of the weekend, or it could be the Russians are going to try to make the story disappear.

Regardless, as more details emerge, there are now more questions than answers, and once again a real life submarine incident in Russia trumps even the best Tom Clancy story for mystery and conspiracy. Who is ready to believe the new official story,that it was some junior crew member? Hmm...