The Wreck of Komsomolets - A Soviet Submarine, Lost to Icy Depths

From the Second World War and early Cold War, to the end of the Cold War. In today's video, we'll be looking at the wreck of the Soviet Submarine K-278. A sinking that is still a bit of a mystery, in exactly what caused it. And one that is infamous for how much of an accident it truly was.
The wreck is also infamous, because of potential radiation leakage. It was concerns about this that led to a joint Norwegian-Russian expedition in 2019. This not only checked up on radiation, but also gave us quite a spread of pictures to look at.
Which will be covered, in this video.
Picture Source:
www.hisutton.co...
• Komsomolets 30 år ette...
www.npr.org/20...
thebarentsobse...

[@nickthelick]

The idea of floating around a large submarine or ship, deep underwater and in utter darkness absolutely freaks me out! I just couldn't do any diving work like that

[@SlingBlade933]

Its pretty awesome to me, i mean especially now because the subs are way safer, the first subs? Hell no. Also they probably have perfect images of where they are in the ocean with radar, the technology is so good now i would go 😅

[@Klyis]

That probably isn't missing hull plating in the last photo, but rather anechoic tiles. They are basically rubber tiles that cover the exterior of submarines to dampen noise and reduce sonar signature. It's not uncommon for some of them to fall off during normal operation so those may well have been missing before the submarine was lost.

[@matthewcaughey8898]

According to the surviving crew the rear compartment fire got so hot it was melting the glue that held the tiles to the sub and they were coming off as the rear section bubbled from the heat

[@jeffblacky]

For us Cold War veterans I remember hearing that a Russian boat went missing during my Army service, we would be briefed on Soviet actions and accidents Because of readiness for possible attacks This boat was mentioned but no details was given

[@Tesserae]

Was there, at any time, a worry that a missing sub might be on it’s way to launch an attack?

[@kiryu2659]

@@Tesserae maybe they're being cautious of soviet submarine going rogue and when on it's own

[@IM-lr6vz]

My understanding is the undersea Cold War was anything but - ie.. hot

[@donaldlyons537]

Red October..😮

[@mottthehoople693]

@@donaldlyons537 the red october event actually occurred but it wasn't a sub

[@kl0wnkiller912]

Considering that the stern has minimal to no damage I would surmise that the boat switched on the way down and struck the bottom bow first, which would explain the damage to the bow section. That "Piping" you refer to looks like a compressed gas tank, probably knocked out of that peeled back area in the hull (It looks like there is another one inside that area). A very interesting wreck, thanks.

[@williamshanaman5098]

The “periscope “ you pointed out is actually the main entrance from the sail into the pressure hill for the crew.

[@rocklarsen228]

The

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

Uh-huh sure.

[@sasasasa-lx6cl]

Nope. Main entrance is below, on the same level as the door you can see in the rear. This is most probably snorkel tube

[@KJamesMellick]

I've been fascinated by Komsomolets since I saw the NatGeo article with its beautiful painting of the wreck in the early 90's, when I was like 6 years old.

[@williamerickson1238]

Sir, Not a bad video. K-278 sunk while I was on active duty. Pretty familiar with the 'MIKE' class. The 'torpedo' shaped opening in the deck was believed to be a storage nest for a deployable floating buoy communications device. This is similar to a buoy used by U.S. ballistic missile subs. As for the condition of the bow, which is the first I've of it, I would believe that compressed air bottle used as part of the main ballast tank blow system may have ruptured when the ship hit bottom. Possible a weapon detonated, though I think this much less likely.

[@burnttoast111]

"deployable floating buoy communications device" I suspected that is what it is. Glad to know I wasn't way off.

[@sasasasa-lx6cl]

The 'torpedo' shaped opening in the deck is one of the EPRON (Ekspeditsia Podvodnyx Rabot Osobogo Naznacheniya or Expedition of Special Submarine Works) hatches. It is marked in white for high-vis and probably was intended to supply drowned boat with compressed air. Floating comm devices should be further back in the sail. Officially the boat struck the bottom nose first, that explains the damage, then was another shock when it became flat. The second shock released the VSK (emergency capsule) which was stuck all the way to the bottom (diving nose first, remember?)

[@snap4921]

14:05 appears to be a a roller used to spool in and out cable from floating wire antenna I think.

[@SierraThunder]

A good reason for the lack of a catastrophic implosion is the simple fact that the sub flooded from the water pouring in from the screw. And the deeper it went, the faster that water flooded throughout the pressure hull. It wouldn't have mattered whether the bulkheads were secured, the water would have made it's way through the interior due to it's pressure alone. I would surmise that all the spaces within the sub completely flooded long ago, which would have negated a possible implosion.

[@Oleg.S.]

Советский подводник Виктор Слюсаренко всплыл и выжил в спасательной капсуле с глубины 1 километр. После всплытия от перепада давления вырвало люк капсулы и 4 человека погибло, Виктор Слюсаренко сумел выбраться из тонущей капсулы и плавал в ледяной воде +2 градуса около 40 минут, потом его спасли. Капсула затонула и лежит недалеко от лодки.

[@oldmech619]

Thank you very much for the input. I was curious why the safety equipment failed to save them. I km is really deep. Wow.

[@wirelessone2986]

That is terrible

[@Oleg.S.]

@@oldmech619 в поиск наберите "Виктор Слюсаренко", есть его рассказ как они тонули и всплывали в капсуле.

[@S_C_C_R]

Bro your pfp 💀💀💀

[@richardkudrna7503]

Why did they wait so long to depart? I can guess they wanted to make sure the boat was not possible to float but why ride it down a full 1 km?

[@CrookedEyeSniper]

I have a rather strange phobia. It's called Submechanophobia. It's the fear of large submerged man made objects. This video makes me uneasy.

[@user-nx3bi7to4c]

Я думал я один такой

[@noobepro_7146]

Glad you bring up ship wreck topic from cold war era

[@longinogiorda34]

Sir, I may read based on your observations , you are a pro...👍

[@SammyNeedsAnAlibi]

at 13:32, the thing that looks like a bomb port in the center of the picture is actually a floating antenna for communications. They drag it behind themselves like flying a kite and it goes close to the ocean to receive/transmit messages.

[@robinwells8879]

Looks like some penetration of the hull outer plates was made post sinking to expose and remove some of the high pressure air or hydraulic system storage vessels beneath to gain access to systems beneath. The venting looks like warm water escaping passively by thermo-syphon from the reactor cooling system as intended. This as a result of its lower density, looks smokey. There will be little hull implosion as the vessel flooded progressively as a result of fire compromising the electrical hull penetration gland packing. It would be intumescent but only to a point. So strange to me that so little effort was made to eliminate sources of combustible material from construction. Even a minor hp steam leak can set fire to paper and the like. They used to use cigarette papers to locate steam leaks because they would instantly catch light on contact with invisible steam jets. HP steam is invisible water vapour and nothing like the stuff coming out of your kettle at home.

[@MisterKatz]

The Bridge is not in the sail. Its just for navigation and monitoring when emerged if its to cold to stay outside for too long

[@WeaselKonig]

He did miss speak but it was clear he was more of describing its purpose rather than labeling it. He is not an expert, more an enthusiast. We like that for him. It's how generations pass down information.

[@herbward5240]

A five kopeck insulator was used in place of the required 20 kopeck insulator. Those darn bean counters !

[@stevidente]

Damage forward of the sail is probably due to implosion damage on air filled compartments. Lack of damage to the stern is due to flooding prior to sinking.

[@backpages1]

A thought on the bow damage where the ‘tear’ in the plating is, consider a flat bottom, maybe better illustrated as a ruler standing on edge making a ‘flat bottom’, two thoughts: take a pencil and lay the flat ruler edge on the perpendicular pencil, located beneath the damage section, second, pencil in the same location but buried in the mud. As the sub impacted the ocean bottom, the section above the pencil might have ripped open as the weight of the bow, forward the pencil location, impacted the bottom. Perhaps a rock or rocky outcropping would replace the ‘pencil’ in the illustration. In the second scenario, the submarine main section impacting the bottom first, then striking the ‘pencil’ (or rock) would have forced the bow section up wrinkling the area above the pencil first, then the weight of the bow would then impact the bottom with the same result as scenario one, where the ‘wrinkled’ section already weakened, would then be torn open. I found it difficult to find the right words to express both scenarios so I did the best I could. My apologies if the description is difficult to understand because of my inability to find the words to best describe the damage as the submarine struck the bottom.

[@davidholmgren659]

Excellent presentation and research.

[@cvbabc]

I really liked this video a lot! I've never heard of this wreck. I feel like I should mention that it's okay to relax and be more conversational with your narration. As long as the words and information are clear, nobody expects a professional delivery.

[@user-rl8kr1uj6c]

Great video thanks. I agree it looks like the torpedo room at the bow was probably sealed when the sub sank- that would make sense under the circumstances and explain why the bow imploded while the rest of the sub remained largely intact because it was flooded at that point. The heavy piping on the deck does not look like part of the original sub- more likely part of an original Soviet plan to encase the hull or maybe even raise it??

[@LoganSpaziante]

Great video like always. Glad you make regular uploads. Keep it up man you’ll make it big. High quality videos

[@dddevildogg]

Excellent presentation.Sad,tragic.

[@docshelley1969]

I remember this incident. I was in same general area of world

[@kruiskop1]

Looking at the bow damage and the intact stern I would guess that she impacted the bottom bow first, even if on the surface she started sinking by the stern.

[@ricksadler797]

Are they counter rotating screws ???? Like on an airplane ???

[@johansoderberg9579]

Interestingly, the two props were booth left handed so not counter rotating.

[@AnimalsVehiclesAndMore]

The pictures of the front of the submarine's sail, especially that first one, are certainly eerie looking. It also made me want to ask a question: What do you think would be more terrifying or horrifying? A shark coming at you from the darkness, a giant squid or octopus coming at you from the darkness, a whale coming at you from the darkness, or a submarine coming at you from the darkness?

[@gregking7926]

Counter rotating screws?

[@SammyNeedsAnAlibi]

Yeah.... it made them fast, but very, very noisey. We could hear them coming from miles away.

[@ferencmolnar6474]

@@SammyNeedsAnAlibi on the contrary: it is more efficient, because the flow is smoother through it, so there is less noise Russian submarines were louder due to the less developed screw shape and higher shaft rpm

[@andrewstackpool4911]

Minute 14, that square shape is more likely an anechoic tile, not a plate

[@mbkomfort]

A Norwegian surveillance P-3 Orion filmed the rest of the perishing crew on on an open liferaft, not beeing able to help. This is if my memory serves me right. Probably absolutely not something for viewing here.. RIP

[@stevepirie8130]

The tragedy was the medical officer was in charge of the men on the deck sat in life boats had hours to order donning of survival suits. By time they realised the men had been exposed too long and couldn’t put suits on as too cold. Crazy how deep diving the sub was. Designed to shoot at convoys then escape by deep diving below what our torpedoes could submerge to. This and the Papa (built to outrun our torps) were just too expensive to build so were lone examples.

[@Ron-u1z]

@stevepirrie. I. ex Royal Navy and in a situation like that, you don't wait to be ordered to don life suits/ aids. It's YOUR responsibility to get yourself and another person ,using the buddy, buddy system, dressed into life saving mode. We took photos of this boat and lots of other ships also, from the Russian fleet during the cold war. They took plenty of us also. We had to learn planes like the badger, the bear ect as I was a seacat aimer. It was a surface to air missile but was crap.

[@cheiatianbriem2078]

did the soviets build anything good?

[@jarigustafsson7620]

Aaron from @SubBrief probably can help on those questions you have on the parts. i think the tube is a radio buyi maybe.

[@nebka44]

It could be impact damage.

[@johno9507]

8:22 Looks like one of the high pressure air bottles that are located inside the forward ballast tank.

[@stevebriggs9399]

The "piping on the deck" you note at 8:04 looks like a high pressure air flask used used for emergency main ballast tank blow system. Damage to the bow likely caused by impact with the sea bed. Those flasks are mounted outside of the pressure hull, so they probably broke loose during said impact.

[@mdsx01]

The objects you point out at 8:05 look similar to the high pressure air flasks we use on our subs. We store 4500 psi air in ours, wonder what pressure the Russians used?

[@Strykenine]

One of the USSR's 'Golden Fish'. The USSR built the fastest, deepest-diving, and largest submarines in the world. They just could not afford a single one of them.

[@dennisvandermarkt8263]

2025 is not that far away. Lol

[@primetiger5458]

This channel is cool af

[@chrislong3938]

7:50 - That picture clearly shows that the outer hull had almost completely separated from the pressure hull on the starboard side in front of the sail! That damage, along with the cylindrical thing is clearly visible in the sonar image beginning at 6:17. It is obvious to me, that while the boat may have, as you stated, initially gone down stern first, it hit the bottom bow first which caused all of the buckling observed there.

[@ewaldvonkleist2438]

That's exactly what I thought

[@user-nm5xb7ob2p]

looks good down there

[@stevebriggs9399]

7 Apr 89 was the day I reported aboard USS Dallas, SSN 700.

[@burnttoast111]

First off, I'm not an expert on subs. But the piece that broke loose on the deck next to the emergency buoy might be the end of a cabled antenna used for communication while the sub is still submerged. It's reeled out for communication, and then reeled back in when not needed. I don't know if Mike (the NATO name for this boat) had this or not, so I could be wrong.

[@workonesabs]

that thing missing is probably the ELF (extra low frequency antenna) / buoy, either ripped off but must've been deployed sometime.

[@RoberinoSERE]

I was on USS Florida SSBN 728 launched in the early 80s. The US had only lost two nuclear powered Subs ever from 1955 to 1968. The new Thresher in 1964 off of NE on sea trials from faulty Valves with all hands lost. This instituted the Sub Safe program. The Scorpion was lost in 1968 of the Azors after a prolonged deployment to the Med and a final assignment to check out a rapid Soviet flotilla that turned out to be a downed sub they kept secret. Soviet communist never officially fail at anything and never admit it when they do. They have lost so many modern Subs since WW2 the oceans are littered with them. Kursk was the most recent in the 2000s. There will be more. Safety is not a big priority.

[@ColeCarter-je1up]

I work where we build the boilers for the subs and aircraft carriers and got to hear the audio from the thresher of the bulk heads collapsing and brief screams just after fallowed by rushing water before the audio cut out

[@johnusa3150]

@Roberino Under Communism, human life has no value, and people are just expendable. 😔

[@donaldlyons537]

Wow ! That must have been creepy ! RIP all Submariners lost at Sea...​@@ColeCarter-je1up

[@colonelkurtz2269]

The Russians are basically a nuclear armed Texas trying to push their weight and stumbling everywhere.

[@robertreads21]

Not a periscope. That’s a snorkel mast.

[@theproudsoutherner587]

So theres two free nuclear torpedoes in the north Atlantic, you do say 🤔

[@zapfanzapfan]

Interesting propeller, first I thought it was a counter rotating one but it looks like all of it would rotate in the same direction. An attempt to reduce noise maybe?

[@christhomas9842]

Excellent video

[@davidmurphy8190]

This was a great presentation and showed the excellence of Soviet/Russian submarine designs and engineering.

[@davidmurphy8190]

This was a great presentation and showed the excellence of Soviet/Russian submarine designs and engineering.

[@longinogiorda34]

No survival suits for the crew, huh??😮

[@Taketimeout3]

It was because they used a 5 kopek part instead of a 10 kopek part. Probably.

[@cthomaspeasant3059]

Soviet/Russian engineering...ah the more things change, the more they stay the same

[@serialkillerx666]

Yeah loser whatewer

[@Toe_Merchant]

Questionable safety record but hey, they put the first person in space and the first drone on Venus, that has to count for something.

[@vssjim4311]

Utter bollox talk pal.... Right out your sphincter

[@blok_pitaniya_460_watt]

@@Toe_Merchant нет нечего надежного и безаварийного в этом мире!!

[@richardkudrna7503]

Analysis I have read found that certain Soviet models may have been the best in the world at the time. When you only look at the reactor designs both USA and Soviet designs are frightening in terms of severe outcomes of very rare malfunction. There are numerous reactors the Soviet Union dumped at sea. At a point in time, these will burst due to sodium metal contacting water.

[@timokuusela5794]

The screw arrangement is strange: Those are not contra-rotaing props, they turn the same direction. What was the purpose of that? Limiting sound by turning them slowly at different rotating speeds? Increasing acceleration thrust while having fixed pitch for max speed? I have never seen solution like that before, because it must create a huge torsional problem that varies constantly. If they are just a "biplane" arrangement, that they are fixed together, that will create huge prop surface area and thrust, but I can not imagine the acoustic effect it creates at speed. It sure allows the prop to turn slower, but again, creates huge force that tries to list the sub. And, compared to "normal" props, they look like they are on backwards.

[@wirelessone2986]

Spookiest thumbnail I have ever seen...Ive been a navy sailer and a diver..so to me...wow

[@donaldlyons537]

Loved the book Blind Man's Bluff. I loaned it to someone and never got it back.... Ugh... I'd like to read it again

[@Supersean0001]

Excellent video, very informative. I vaguely remember the sinking from that time . . . never heard what had happened until now. Given the loss of K-219 three years before, in a somewhat similar incident (fire on board while submerged), it makes clear the lack of any emphasis in the Soviet Navy on safety and learning from past incidents. At least the US Navy tried to learn lessons from their accidents, to prevent future losses from similar incidents

[@TheVigilantEye77]

That is some COLD water

[@user-gj8oi3gx7s]

This submarine plunged to a depth of 1027 meters during deep-sea tests, not a single US submarine is capable of such a dive.with love from Russia

[@norseman5041]

The ''piping on the casing is most likely hydraulic accumulators or HP air tanks.

[@theaviationarchaeologist8519]

The damage to the bow is possibly from impacting the ocean floor. After 1600 meters, she would have been going at a good clip.

[@Cupra317hp]

7:45 i felt like its looking at me. Scary

[@firefox3187]

12:22 they will likely be pressurised canisters from the past attempt to seal the torpedo / weapons handling spaces. There on top of the outer casing so would not have gotten there. Unless there from the escape capsule.

[@billdewahl7007]

13:00 Probably from the battery explosion that forced loose the escape pod and damaged it.

[@jacobturner1490]

That window isn't actually the bridge, it's an enclosed lookout area like a "crows nest" that can be used when the sub has surfaced to survey the area. Water fills it when submerged, so no crew can be in it unless surfaced. American subs have it as well, but they aren't enclosed like the Russians since Russia operates more in arctic conditions.

[@craftpaint1644]

She was a beautiful submarine and the setting for the most Metal submarine escape story ever told. RIP to the poor crewmen that perished 💐 🇺🇸/👁️\🇷🇺

[@keananpaul8494]

The bow damage could be from the boat slamming into to the ocean floor

[@montanausa329]

Were there any carbon fiber parts on it?

[@NINE93THREE]

For Al Gore's Rhythm! 🕺

[@mcpig3240]

Did this sub have nuke tipped torpedoes? Were they recovered by the Soviets or are they still in the boat?

[@ronsandefur9788]

did any of the crew survive ???

[@CriticalEye75]

the pipe is either air inlet or out

[@YourGodStalin]

I wouldn't get near a sunken Soviet submarine knowing their reactor issues.

[@AndToTheRepublic4WhichItStands]

I imagine it wouldn't be to hard for a rich drug lord or someone of the sort to retrieve a nuclear weapon from a sunken sub such as this...

[@Redgolf2]

Contra-rotating propellers...

[@stephensanchez3982]

Not contra-rotating. You can see the blade angles are similar so they would rotate in the same direction. The Soviets employed a similar setup on the Victor III subs.

[@becomematrix]

Soviet submarines are such a clusterfuck

[@deralbtraumritter8573]

Looks like a TK-208 or Typhoon class to me. More so the Typhoon. Especially with that escape hatch. Speaking of which: What happened to the crew and the escape hatch? If it jettisoned then where’d they go and what happened?

[@user-uj5bc1qv3d]

It was a one off sub designed for being the deepest diving naval submarine which is a record it still holds to this day,so they took out the escape hatches less holes less chance of water getting in the only way out was through the sail. Check out Sub Brief with Aaron he's far in-depth

[@mk-jf1ux]

is this the same narrator as “Histoey for Granite” channel? they have same cadence and vocabulary like “not my area of expertise”

[@edbrown6985]

Soviet submarines are notorious for shoddy workmanship and cutting lots of corners as far as crew safety and quality control.theres a lot more of Soviet nuclear reactors, submarines intentionally sunk with nuclear torpedos aboard in addition to the reactors then the world will ever know about.

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

Are you sure the window frames are painted, and they're not a different metal not as apt to grow sea life or corrode, such as titanium?

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

They are painted.

[@allensmith6430]

"You can see into the bridge"

[@rodan2852]

Hey is it true that the new Russian navy has glass bottoms on their boats so they can see the old Russian navy?

[@user-sx9dj4oi7t]

Creepy

[@Aron-79]

⚓️🫡🇷🇺🪖

[@wintersbattleofbands1144]

A little narration tip for you. Read words the same way you'd speak them in normal conversation. Such as "a" and "the." The you really pronounce "the" as "thee" and "a" as a long "ay" in everyday conversation?

[@michaelantoine4838]

Is this a Charlie or Oscar?

[@rickbase833]

Mike

[@maximenormandeau6285]

china salvager dammage?

[@9TDF]

can she be raised ?

[@manveerparmar6570]

First!

[@keithmcwilliams7424]

Sail it's a coneing tower.

[@user-uj5bc1qv3d]

On submarines it's called a sail not for wind related purposes but named from a naval tradition