The $70 000 000 Salvage of Kursk

[@chriscarlcm]

What an incredible operation. It's unreal what we can accomplish when something just has to get done. Also, this entire story was put together very well in an interesting, easy-to-follow, and visually appealing format. Well done!

[@ricgal50]

😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@jerry-xi4gi]

agreed...I was captivated from start to finish...what a massive undertaking...and great docco, despite the sadness of all the lost sailors, R I P 🙏🙏🙏

[@benlaw2634]

I was working on the MSV regalia diving vessel that were the first teams to enter the Kursk, some of the footage in this video is from that phase. We raised 18 casualties and one of the Kursk bow planes which we transferred to a Russian military vessel. We also recovered a large volume of sensitive documentation that was handed to the Russian servicemen onboard. My father was on of the first divers in the kursk, the dive teams had British, Norwegian and 1 American diver in the team. Very interesting project, the Russian crew onboard the MSV Regalia were very dignified, friendly and incredibly appreciative of the work we did, although I saw some modern footage in the clips that showed the current company name Subsea 7, the project was executed by "Rockwater". RIP Gents.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks for sharing. 👌🏻

[@tomparatube6506]

"a large volume of sensitive documentation": encryption / decryption code book or safety instructions?

[@phonotical]

Liar

[@realgsdontdie5095]

@@phonoticallol

[@dannykicks603]

@@phonoticalnot everyone a loser like yourself. Go outside.. do something with your life. It’s not to late

[@donQpublic]

As an American, any serviceman who dies in peacetime has all of my condolences. May we never meet in anger.🙂

[@paulcarter2907]

We all rely on the quality of politicians!!! Fingers crossed then....

[@onebridge7231]

R.I.P. brothers of the Phin. We may have been adversaries in life but as a veteran submariner it always saddens me when a boat and her crew don’t come home.

[@RamenNoodlePackets]

All humans need to come together and stop needlessly hurting each other and our fellow earthlings as well. I understand that killing and death is a part of earth but unfortunately we tend to take it to the extreme. It's a detriment to us all.

[@boydownunder007]

@@RamenNoodlePackets correct we are all human regardless of where we live or born

[@melodymacken9788]

Nicely said.

[@Freebird67]

Well said from fellow submarine veteran

[@stanley1554]

Amen 🙏🏻

[@Pewnhound112]

Imagine being the project manager for this operation. Jesus Christ. So many literal and figurative moving parts. I’m getting a headache just thinking about it.

[@charliekezza]

And so many delays, not sure how they got it done

[@the_steamtrain1642]

Both Mammut and SMIT worked on it, SMIT made their own minidocumentary about the project

[@Mark-vf8op]

Dutch engineers

[@fincajabali6049]

Its a government job, not commercial...chill and bill.😆😆

[@SillyPuddy2012]

It wasn’t a big deal, because in Soviet Russia, even project manager has project manager.

[@Mtlmshr]

My opinion is that it’s your commentary that make all of your videos so good you definitely have that “voice” that makes what you do so special! Thanks

[@waterlinestories]

🤣 thanks. 👍🏻

[@boydownunder007]

sounds SA accent

[@waterlinestories]

@boydownunder007 yep. I’m a saffa

[@daniel-leejones8396]

I'm facinated by this incident, most video's are mainly about the incident, as a recreational diver this tells me fascinating information about the salvage, which is never covered, excellent description/ demonstration of the engineering issues and how they were solved, thoroughly interesting and well explained as usual.

[@waterlinestories]

👌🏻

[@JohnJohn-zn8ib]

Could have been avoided if Putin took the help that was offered by other countries to rescue the crew.

[@Feline_Frenzy53]

I really enjoy watching salvage operations. Thank you very much!

[@The_ZeroLine]

Marine salvage operations are the most insane things in the world IMO. I also consider saturation divers the craziest, ballsiest people on earth.

[@ВладимирГоляков-к2ю]

@@The_ZeroLine Интересно узнать кого тут спасали? Видимо поднять подводную лодку не обрезая нос было невозможно, не хватало мощности ........

[@johnlancaster119]

As a submariner of 32 years, I can honestly say that I shed a tear for our brave brothers on the Kursk. Irrespective of which side you were on, you have tremendous respect for their courage and fortitude. The documentary was excellent - thank you. It just leaves me to say RIP Fellow brothers, Fair Winds. WORSSM U.K. Submarine Service

[@0101-s7v]

the amount of technology and fabrication that went into this operation is more than my brain can absorb.

[@waterlinestories]

🤣

[@paulkroon4931]

But not too much of the Dutch brains of the 2 companies 😅

[@toddwheeler1526]

Outstanding engineering, planning and heroic work. RIP to those sailors.

[@deano2160]

They could have been saved. Those few that were alive anyway but russia refused to let the uk rescue sub above them attach . They let those men die. Remember that woman whose son was killed at that public hearing accusing the navy of the incompetence and she got injected with a sedative. In russia you are worth nothing.

[@hanskuiper9901]

I was involved in the outfitting of the Giant 4 in drydock in Amsterdam with the connection of the hydraulic powerpacks to the strandjacks and connecting the containers filled with nitrogen cylinders to the heave compensators. This is still by far the most impressive project i have been involved in. I still have vivid memories of walking underneath the Giant 4 and seeing the huge hole for the command tower cut out of the bottom of the ship, all the holes for the lifting cables all the way through from top to bottom and the huge saddles in the shape of the Kursk's hull welded underneath. IMPRESSIVE!

[@waterlinestories]

Amazing. Must be incredible to be involved in a project like that.

[@hanskuiper9901]

@waterlinestories yes it was and altough i only played a very small part in it all it's still something i am proud of, watching a documentary like yours still gives me goose bumps all over and a real sense of pride.

[@waterlinestories]

@hanskuiper9901 hearing you say that gives me the same tingly feeling. Glad I could play a small part in it, even if it’s just a random reporting type role.

[@Gotchalaboom]

Dat moet fantastisch zijn geweest! Impressive

[@ducttapetech9885]

Great video, I was thoroughly entertained. Take a look at Project Azorian in which the US raised the Russian sub K-129 in 16,000' of water. In 1974. It had it all; a sunken sub, nuclear missiles, a CIA secret mission, a custom built mystery ship with a moon pool, Howard Hughes, a secret burial at sea - everything but the kitchen sink. Another fun one from Smit is the oil recovery from the sunken tanker Prestige from a depth of 13,000 feet. BTW, some 32,000 ships were sunk in WWII and most are still there with fuel still onboard. Something to think about.

[@jordanrussell345]

Would love to see WS cover all of these!

[@giggiddy]

Never heard of it but sounds unbelievable. Thanks for the suggestion. Hope I can find a documentary on it

[@mikesphat]

@@giggiddy there is video on youtube of the burial. the sub broke apart during lifting and the part they pulled up had submariners inside... they tried to replicate the soviet burial at sea ritual as best they could... awesome stuff

[@giggiddy]

@@mikesphat I appreciate the reply. This stuff fascinates me. Cheers!

[@donwall9632]

Actually the Chinese are doing illegal salvage of these war graves.

[@CatsAreTheBestPeople-mm1fo]

Very informative, thank you. 👍 I've heard plenty about the Kursk disaster itself, but very little about the salvage operation.

[@waterlinestories]

👌🏻

[@tmdrtn]

Same for me, don't remember it, probably due to 9/11

[@boydownunder007]

Very good thanks for taking the time and big effort to do this - I remember very well in 2000 the Kursk tradegy and the loss of all the crew after a valiant rescue attempt too late for the 23 crew trapped in the rear of the submarine they literally ran out of air before the Norwegan divers could reach them

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@davidrose2382]

Considering illegal salvages have cut up ww2 wrecks for decades,war graves and still are

[@KleineLette]

A salute to all submariners who are very special people to be able to do that job! My uncle was a U-boat commander in WW2 and woke up screaming every night until he died in his 90’s. A very heavy price you brave sailors pay for having brass cojones!

[@wekker090]

I was on the large team making all the lifting parts for the hydraulic cylinders. very impressive project with long working days, to bad they could not be saved.

[@mehashi]

Imagine the feeling of pulling a craft towards your underbelly that contains live explosives, knowing that the reason the craft sunk was those explosives misbehaving already... You'd need a stiff drink after that day at work.

[@waterlinestories]

For sure. 👌🏻

[@charliekezza]

Imagine being the divers who had to take the explosives out

[@spicywolf6718]

After?

[@HughieMunro]

Yeah I’d of said a stiff drink before

[@colonthree]

@@HughieMunro are you having a stroke?

[@haughie61]

hats off to the engineers the divers and everybody involved amazing. thank you

[@krs3612]

Fine ill take a 20 minute break at work to watch a Waterline story

[@waterlinestories]

🤣

[@MATTbwnbw]

Same 😂😭

[@solomongainey838]

Me too, watching during my lunch break.

[@ssdj23513]

Can't wait for your story here!

[@dlfrestoration]

I listen wile I work

[@richard8417]

As a Dutch ex submariner, this story makes me sad and proud…

[@JohnJohn-zn8ib]

Nothing proud about the Russian military, the didn't want any help offered when the sub went down, instead they let their fellow members die in the sub.

[@TheGreyGhost_of43rd]

🤨

[@brianmcallister114]

Thank you for this video. It is a comprehensive analysis of the problems and procedures involved in the raising of the Kursk. However, even though I applaud the technical expertise involved, I cannot overlook the tragic loss of life, the despair of the sailors' families and the mistrust that exists between humans that was the base cause of this disaster.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@brunonikodemski2420]

Our company was part of "Project Azorian" which was able to raise part of the Russian sub K129, after they somehow (accidentally or on purpose) blew out one of their missile tubes. Possibly from an internal fire during a launching practice, or an attempt to actually launch a missile. There is much dispute about these circumstances, including a "rogue commander". The lifting mechanism of the Glomar Explorer was one of the first computer controlled lifters, and that technology was later adapted to many other oil-drilling and gas-drilling rigs. Our original servo-systems were actually designed on an analog-digital hybrid computer, along with a lot of slide-rule work. I helped program those computers for other purposes. Later, all of this was transferred to more modern digital setups using CDC machines. Our system simulations worked great, and are still in use today. Stefanger Norway became a hub of this expertise.

[@waterlinestories]

Azorian is on our list to make. Thanks for the little insight

[@jeffalvich9434]

My Uncle David also worked on the (real) Glomar Explorer after that mission..... for many years, they did much incredible work!

[@jerzyszmal2722]

The name of the K-129 captain of the soviet submarine was VLADIMIR KOBZAR, and he was not a part of "rouge crew". The entire USA should build the gratitude monuments for this captain and American people should be grateful for not allowing to launch nuclear warhead on Honolulu, HI. Vladimir KOBZAR did not provide his own code to launch the warhead, instead of he provided "self destruction" code to STOP launching it. It caused huge explosion of missile which should carry the nuclear warhead to Honolulu ( approximately 1,400 miles distance to Hawaii). Captain Vladimir KOBZAR should be hero for American for not starting the nuclear exchange between USSR and USA. And as a correction the city in Norway is called: STAVANGER....and NOT Stefanger....PS. Are you Polish? (Bruno Nikodemski)

[@brunonikodemski2420]

@@jeffalvich9434 Yes, us too.

[@brunonikodemski2420]

@@jerzyszmal2722 This is one of the theories, which unfortunately, is impossible to prove or disprove. The CIA and the military did much analysis of the debris, and tried to match the damaged sites to various explosion scenarios. The best match, we were told, was the one where the missile caught on fire while still in the tube (either fully or partially), and then the warhead exploded conventionally due to overheating. Analysis of Russian warheads of that same era, indicates that if the codes were not correctly installed, the fusing would simply "dud", and the round became inert. This was also true of many US explosives. I worked on some fusing, including the safing, and I can attest that this is typically the case. Asymmetric explosions are usually caused by non-fuse initiated events, such as mechanical disruption (somebody cutting it up with a grinder), impacts (dropped from plane), fire, or similar. Even so-called safe explosives will have this happen, if the material is in a contained box, which is usually true. For a nuclear device, the triggering has to be done "en-masse", and any of the initiators do not have "selective fire" to the trigatrons. Same with the optical initiation devices. It is possible that one or more of the trigatrons, initiator SCRs, squibs, or optical paths can fail, but that usually causes a sub-nuclear explosion to occur. That did NOT occur on the K129.

[@tz7813]

I worked on the salvage op onboard DSND Mayo in 2001. We thought we’d be all over the news, but ended up a footnote! We started the lift in deteriorating weather and we were bouncing around very close to that barge so it was balls to the wall. I clearly remember the heave comps on those winches across on the Giant 4 maxing out, and the big rams going up and down like the valves on a trumpet! There wasn’t time to lift the sub all the way into position beneath the barge so it was lifted well clear of the seabed then moved to shelter almost immediately. After the lift we did a final survey of the abandoned bow section then the divers put the granite epitaph on the seabed. The final day was a race against time, and in the end the lift coincided with the US invasion of Afghanistan and the beginning of ‘The War On Terror’, so it hardly made the news. We’d all arrived on a knackered Russian military helicopter called a Helix from Murmansk, and they gave us the option of de-mobbing our gear and flying off the same day. The flight offshore was so traumatising we elected to stay onboard and de-mob in Norway instead!😂

[@fhwolthuis]

Dutch salvagers are the best 👍

[@stoerenungeheuer543]

The Dutch even salvage land from the sea!

[@desertfish74]

@@stoerenungeheuer543you’re not wrong

[@pdog547]

Wow - that's some operation, amazing job by the salvage team.

[@drats1279]

Excellent video and narration. So many young sailors were lost. RIP thank you.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@JamesMcGillis]

I have never heard this whole story. Thank you for your technical knowledge and great storytelling.

[@Brock_Landers]

Wow, what a feat of engineering! Way to go Mammoet, Smit, and all other crews that coordinated to achieve this goal!

[@bobwilson758]

Key point : other “ expert crews “ …….😮. ? Ya reckon who ? 3 guesses & 1st 2 don’t count !

[@JohnJohn-zn8ib]

They should have sent Putin down there.

[@johnandersen-p7q]

@@bobwilson758 Please clarify what your talking about, not in gibberish , so people can understand your post and point of view

[@charlesfinas3826]

The photo of the wreck on dry deck are one of a kind Strangely, I always though the elliptic shape of the Kursk was due to it having a dual tube side by side, lika having Two Submarine in one But no, there is one great sub tube + missile laucher on the side ! Super video, as always !

[@kdrapertrucker]

Yeah, the Oscar class is bs mounted anti ship missiles launch tubes on either side of the pressure hull which makes the outer hull much wider.

[@johanrepsold3562]

😮l 4:44

[@gaveintothedarkness]

I would like more of this type of video. As much as I enjoy the other videos, I always feel sad about learning about the last moments of peoples lives before tragedy.

[@waterlinestories]

I do want to make some broader maritime stories.

[@beverlyreiner-baillargeon6205]

What a pleasant surprise. Enjoyed seeing a positive story rather then death & destruction. Great job 😉👍😉👍

[@snydedon9636]

Well, it really is a video about death and destruction. You have the death of the entire crew and the destruction of the submarine.

[@beverlyreiner-baillargeon6205]

@snydedon9636 That is true, but I'm talking about the salvage of the Kursk. Not the sinking.

[@chillidogkev]

Not specifically about this video but I stumbled across this channel recently and am absolutely hooked. Fantastic, measured and detailed presentation, the kind of speaking voice you just want to listen and very interesting subject matter. Very impressed. I watched many of the earlier videos and you can see how it's all evolved and improved to where it is now. The black outfit you now wear and the set you work from are top notch and totally professional looking. Excellent right across the board 👍👍👍

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks I appreciate that. 👍🏻

[@WowIndescribable]

Excellent story and presentation. Thank you.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@loobielou6965]

Housework? What housework? Time for cuppa and a 20 min break to watch Waterline.

[@waterlinestories]

🤣

[@mnightfamalam1510]

I'm speechless, this was an amazing example of marine engineering

[@simonwiltshire7089]

Unbelievable! The people who do this stuff are amazing. I was sad to hear the Kursk sank and glad it was brought back up.

[@OmegaPaladin144]

I think your experience really shows in these salvage videos. Excellent work!

[@waterlinestories]

😀Thanks, I really appreciate that 👍🏻

[@declannocher2049]

That 'raising the Kursk' video is really great, rewatched it again last week. Obviously it's very hard to re-cover something like this but you did a really good job (as usual) in not just restating other content and sources, but adding content and detail from your own expertise. This particular incident also has a very close relation to the events following collapse of the soviet union and Putin's rise to power, politically, in terms of the degradation of the Russian Naval Forces (the late Politkovskaya did a very excellent story about this), as well as the way Putin handled the crisis (surprise sedative injection, anyone??)

[@SteelyPaw]

I really appreciate your comments as for measurements, you use both imperial and metric systems for us USA people. Your shipping stories are also nicely told with a friendly attitude.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks for saying so. I appreciate that. 👍🏻

[@DaveSCameron]

Another fine piece of work from my brother from down under and best wishes from the City of Liverpool.📚☘️

[@waterlinestories]

😂

[@Bill_772]

Simply astonishing how this was done

[@I.M.A.Panther3619]

Salvaging of an extra large Submarine with Torpedoes, Ballistic Missiles, two Nuclear Reactors ….. that’s just incredible and much much more more Respect for everyone involved. May the crew rest in peace. May we find some way so no one, nation needs to make submarines like these things anymore.

[@ps4makkers107]

Goed bezig mannen heerlijk om te zien 👍🏻👊🏻

[@Shortie0428]

Hey, I'm in the top 20...yes!!! Love your videos, only a few mins new!! This story is so sad though, haunting almost. These poor sailors, what a horrible way to go.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@hayatomoe1]

The amount of engineering that went into this is crazy, I have so much respect for the people behind it

[@LegendaryPatMan]

Smit Boskalis have a KZbin channel and while theres not much on rhe channel sadly, theres an amazing documentary, that they made, about raising the Kursk

[@bbb8182]

Thanks for a professional and well narrated documentary. I didn't know any of this had been done. Incredible they have developed these marine heavy lift systems

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks. Yes incredible technology and engineering for a tough environment

[@Me-zo8yc]

Fascinating and i really like your narration style.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@martinbisschoff988]

I cannot imagine the final hours of those trapped crewmen. May they rest in peace.

[@OFCbigduke613]

Your videos are so well done. Awesome graphics, video, narration, and fascinating. Thx man

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks, I really appreciate that 👍🏻

[@306champion]

I never realized how resent the sinking was. Thankyou for a great presentation.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@pinkysgarage4517]

Simply amazing. What a well done video explaining everything!

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@scottmcnaughton4143]

Great presentation. It was good to see a well executed plan come to fruition and that some families had closure.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@kirishima638]

Can you imagine the sights and smells of that wreckage once it was recovering she drained? Must have been nightmare fuel.

[@maegenyoungs2591]

The cutting process was actually the first thing the did. It didn’t come loose. They did compensate for it getting loose because it’s the longest going up and over. They didn’t factor a slack adjustment as it cut. So they actually had to pull one of the pylons up to slack it up. It caused the cutting cable to break. There are a few documentaries about the lift process alone. And they were worried it didn’t fully cut. And they were right. It still had a 6” thick by 16 foot long section. But it took divers 4 days to confirm. So they kept cutting until it slacked again. Confirming it was fully cut

[@The_ZeroLine]

Putin didn’t want to do anything and how he treated the families of survivors was abysmal. That’s why a fundraiser was needed to fund raising it. I think you need to do a bit more research on what Putin’s response was to offers from other countries to help launch an emergency rescue operation of the crew. Or how he had an angry wife of a crew member injected with sedatives when she started asking sensitive questions in public. They also knew from the very start from there was no collision.

[@xmeoff]

Putin showed his true colours back then. He refused help until it was too late to help those poor submariners. He should rot in hell for that, let alone for what he’s done since.

[@stevecoscia]

Fascinating video. Thank you. So much coordination among various experts delivers hope for future collaborations.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@danielh4032]

Putin’s reaction when asked what happened to the Kursk sums him up: “It sank.”

[@rajeevshagun7409]

watched it again like first time and imprsessed the way you explained in so details , i love technical details on the subject. thanks

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@commandbrawler9348]

we can thank the netherlands for raising the kursk!!!!

[@bobwilson758]

Huh ? Who ? 😅

[@paulgrimm]

The US Navy offered to rescue the crew ,but Russia said no

[@michaelwhitmore7160]

if Russia offer America help America would say 'no'! Bo need to pick sides

[@paulgrimm]

@@michaelwhitmore7160 military secret’s

[@Notrocketscience101]

​@@michaelwhitmore7160sounds like you're picking sides by theorizing.

[@jamesgastovski3184]

@@michaelwhitmore7160 The difference being, the US can do it by itself, Russia can't. :)

[@michaelwhitmore7160]

@@jamesgastovski3184 lol

[@paulgrimm]

The Dutch are experts of ocean salvage.This amazes me

[@thisisme003]

I can imagine there were a lot of difficulties for the Dutch company to get the information they needed due to being "classified" or "top secret"

[@charlesfinas3826]

By looking at the cross section of the Kursk on the dry Deck, There NO WAY it has been sank by a simple collision. This sub is a beast, it has a sort of antichamber ( where the missile silo are) If this area isn't full a water, there is no way a kinetic colision breach both the outer layer and the inner one.

[@DominickWalenczak]

I never understood the Russian copium. "We didn't blow ourselves up with our own incompetence! Our shitty sub was decimated in a collision with a superior built NATO sub that didn't even sink!" As of that somehow makes it better.

[@FreshlySnipes]

Sad how crappy the Russian government is and didn’t accept help to rescue the surviving crew. What a shame.

[@worldwideflyby]

What a top quality doc, thanks!

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks

[@bradnail99]

I know it was 23 years ago, but it amazes me that this salvage only cost $70,000,000.00. It seems like a bargain.

[@JohnJohn-zn8ib]

That could have been avoided if they took the help that was offered by the USA but oh no, Putin didn't want to appear weak asking another country for help, Putin the killer.

[@robbie9030]

I know a guy who was a saturation diver on the Kursk salvage and I was astonished at how little he was paid to do the job considering the risks involved not to mention the gruesome task of recovering the remains of the crew. The tragedy of this event is that the crew could most likely have been saved had the Russian authorities given the British Navy permission to use the rescue vessel that was available at the time.

[@grantross3600]

​@@robbie9030 let another navy into your most modern submarine.. You must be mad.. Under NO circumstances will that be permitted

[@robbie9030]

@@grantross3600 And yet it cost 120 men their lives. Life is cheap in Russia.

[@687ABC]

@@robbie9030 Do you think the U.S. or the U.K. would except any help from an adversary? If your answer is yes, you are delusional.

[@karlesmcquade2863]

"What do you do for a living?" "I'm a fabricator." "I don't believe you."

[@donQpublic]

As a fabricator, we don’t require people to believe us. Results always speak louder. 😉

[@The_ZeroLine]

My brain was moving in slow motion when I read this and it took a long beat for the joke to sink in. 😂

[@johnstanley7874]

Frans van Seumeren, the then CEO of Mammoet was my neighbour and we use to walk our dogs together - I remember him once telling me that Putin's chief of defence told him at the signing of the contract behind closed doors 'it was a cheque of 50 Million Euros in one hand and a revolver in the other', failure was not an option. It changed a lot of people's lives.

[@RogierYou]

Please note that the Dutch salvage company Smith Tak (Smith Salvage) was the company doing the actual job.

[@tonep3168]

The submarine should be addressed as The Kursk, not just simply Kursk, as that is also a city. Kursk was destroyed by a torpedo… The Kursk was destroyed by a torpedo. But this is nothing compared to the fantastic documentary you have made!

[@richardkudrna7503]

Using plain sandblast which can eat granite quickly a thin rubber sheet utterly defeats the sand. Cutting depends on tiny stiff collisions and the rubber absorbs the energy.

[@lemmingsfly]

This isn't plain sand blasting lol. Look more into it to understand the water jet cutting

[@richardkudrna7503]

The same mechanisms defeat water jet and abrasive filled water jet. Both are methods I studied in the early 1990’s, when they were introduced to help recycle the solid boosters from shuttle then to strip coatings from gas turbine combustion liners. Elastomers defeat abrasives by absorbing and spreading the collisions. Water only is used when cutting softer materials (like the sonar absorption coating on Kursk), but elastomers resist water jet by straining away from the beam. Thick layers greatly slow cutting as the beam diffuses after roughly 5 mm, due to the bulk modulus elastic expansion. To cut the thick rubbery layer off the Kursk a mechanical method would be faster as the water jet needs a very strong structure to hold back reaction forces and it would be difficult to design a system able to make multiple passes at increasing depth into the material.

[@dreamok732]

I was recently chatting to a diver who was involved with this salvage so your video was particularly interesting

[@waterlinestories]

Cool. I’m sure that was an interesting conversation

[@mainnmann]

Totaly love your channel ... hook line and sinker ... the video of the boat really belies it's actual size incredible

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks. 👍🏻 yes it’s an incredible size to ‘live in’ under water.

[@fm7319]

Excellent job on this video….answering every question. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻😃

[@CoinsAZ]

Incredible story and amazing quality video documentary 👏 👏 👏

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@DavidWood-j2e]

Great video, thanks for all your hard work putting it together and bringing it to us.

[@waterlinestories]

😀👍🏻 thanks

[@rajeevshagun7409]

very sad for people those lost their lifes, very well explained the the entire complex operation

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@Jim-ok9zi]

Just a suggestion. You may want to do a story of a collision that happened in 1964 of the coast of Australia involving the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HNAS voyager. From my memory the Destroyer was cut in half with a loss of around 80 lives. The aircraft carrier limped back to shore. Just a thought. 😀

[@dylandettorre]

Hi Jim, I’m actually mates with a Vietnam vet that served on the Melbourne for a time. I think she sank the Frankie Evans too

[@Jim-ok9zi]

@@dylandettorre Your right. I should have included that as well. Hopefully he will find out that information when he does his research. 👍

[@dylandettorre]

@@Jim-ok9zi if he does it I’ll be very interested to see his take on it

[@alaxn542yyggghbhbbbbbbbnnj]

When I see the crew if kursk I wonder the suffering they felt. Hiw do I feel about ? I think God works in mysterious ways, God wants this so I think it is kool man..

[@alaxn542yyggghbhbbbbbbbnnj]

Russia is so smart, they don't want USA to learn how to make the kursk bow area. USA was desperately trying to make a sub with kursk design, USA wants a sub that blows it self up. That is Russia's sub, no kills on record only record is self kill.....lolol hahaha, mugahaha

[@BillyBoy-r1g]

What a GREAT VIDEO....... CONGRATULATIONS PERFECT JOB

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks, I really appreciate that 👌🏻

[@jono3697]

Great video Poor men, bless them souls 🙏

[@neilburns8869]

I really like listening to this guy, his attention to detail is very good and what he describes makes a lot of sense.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks, I’ll take that

[@McSynth]

fascinating video. You explained the operation so well.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@motorv8N]

Commendable effort and a truly fascinating story. I had no idea other nations had to come together to help Russia clean up this disaster.

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@ronaldbilar7503]

I know a Russian electrical engineer that worked for a company in Tampa Fl. He had did all of the design work on the Kursk I asked him about the Kursk and Did the FBI or the CSI interview on the sub he laugh and said they knew more than he did!

[@TrueManShw]

Great content from a great channel. Thanks man

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻

[@markt7291]

Incredible. Jobs that most folks can’t or won’t do.

[@jamesberlo4298]

The Germans & Duch are the only ones capable of doing these impossible lifting and salvage Jobs, their Technology and Engineering are unbelievable, Van Sumaran (Mammoet) have done the impossible so many times along with Smit Tak ,

[@andymouse]

4:19 I didn't know Alice Cooper was involved.

[@ct1762]

Suggestion: In the ship's statistics/measurements, it would be really great to list the displacement. This is really what matters in relation to its overall length and beam.

[@edgarwanjala7788]

Nice, articulate explanations boss. Keep it coming.

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks

[@nicosmit8087]

Love your stories my boet. Keep up the great work!!! Cant wait for you next one!

[@waterlinestories]

How's it. Thanks bru. Good to see fellow saffas here.

[@arc001]

@@waterlinestories Here's another one.. fantastic channel, whereabouts in SA are you?

[@waterlinestories]

@arc001 actually I live in Germany now. Thinking about moving to CT though. Just have to convince my German wife.

[@arc001]

@@waterlinestories Germans love SA, yes convince her 😀

[@ChrisMartin-ry6yj]

Awesome video as usual!! I was interested in the removal of the bodies of the crew. Did they find them all?

[@garrysekelli6776]

I was wondering if some got sawn in half during the cutting process.

[@brucealmighty9877]

Fantastic journalism 👏

[@waterlinestories]

👍🏻Thanks, I really appreciate that

[@General5USA]

Ok thanks. I appreciate your efforts on this.

[@waterlinestories]

👌🏻

[@rpf23543]

Very interesting and very well made documentation - Thank you!

[@waterlinestories]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@davepowell7168]

Irrelevantly there were no female submariners until 2014 Condolences to the bereaved and disaffected by the loss of the Kursk

[@Dan_the_afol]

My boss says I work too hard fine I’ll take waterline video break

[@waterlinestories]

As it should be

[@rogerwilliams2902]

Mind blowing how they lifted the Kursk and kudos to the divers. Cant mankind stop making things to kill each other and just live in peace. All those poor submariners, complete waste of life and totally pointless.