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A TIME TO DIE - The Kursk Disaster.
Robert Moore
Doubleday, London, Sydney etc. 2002. (Cover, left)
Also Bantam Books Ltd, 2003, paperback
Softcover, 272 pages, colour photograph. It was a tragedy,
not only for Russia but for the world, as it is alwys difficult to image
a more terrible death trapped in a submariune beneath the cold waters of
the Barents Sea. But after two massive explosision hammered their way through
th submrine, the men died and their families, and their country, grieved.
It happened on 12 August 2000, but at the time the vessel was simply overdue,
then lost. What could have happened. Was another submarine involved? Was
the Cold War rearing its head once again. But the world united in attempting
to rescue the men, and when that was realised as being in vain, to bring
their bodies home. This excellent essay on the tragedy delves deeper into
the human emotion of a town that lost 118 of its favourite sons, and a
country that was trying desperatly to show the world that the days of secrecey
and communism were well over.
Further: At 10.30am on Saturday August 12, 2000, two
massive explosions in rapid succession shook the icy Arctic waters of the
Barents Sea. The Kursk, one of the largest and most technologically advanced
nuclear subs in the world, carrying a crew of 118 Russian sailors, had
suffered a major, unexplained accident, and rapidly crashed to the ocean
floor. Most of us can still remember how news of this terrible accident
was reported around the world, and the agonising tension of the days when
the doomed crew waited for rescue, the Russians seemed to turn away all
international offers to help, until it was too late.Robert Moore, the former
Moscow Correspondent of ITN, and now their Foreign Affairs editor, has
written a thrilling and authoritative investigative book on this tragedy.
He has talked to everyone from the families of the crew, the Russian officials,
the international rescue teams and the US submarine crews who were monitoring
the Kursk's movements. A Time to Die not only recreates the tragic and
terrifying final moments of the submarine and its crew, but also explores
the events leading up to it and the political, social and environmental
issued raised by the catastrophe.But above all, this is a human story,
how the Kursk's crew was doomed, how their surviving families fought to
learn the truth about their fate, about the British civilian North Sea
divers who tried to assist in the rescue mission; told in a narrative with
all the excitement, immediacy and emotional intensity, of bestsellers such
as A Perfect Storm and Black Hawk Down. (ps) |
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KURSK - RUSSIA'S LOST
PRIDE
Peter Truscott.
Simon & Schuster, London 2002.
Hard cover, dust wrapper; 201pages, mono plates.
From the fly blurb: Kursk-Russia's Lost Pride not only
vividly re-creates the terrifying final hours of the submariners as they
waited in vain for salvation at the bottom of the Barents Sea; it also
throws sharp light on the nature of the 'democracy' this billion-dollar
vessel was designed to protect. Peter Truscott, an expert in modern Russian
and defence matters, has had unique access to intelligence officers in
Britain, Russia, Norway and the United States as well as relatives of the
victims. His masterly analysis of this terrible event assesses and dismisses
a number of wild claims that have been made and advances his own compelling
explanation of what really happened. In the process he demonstrates the
fragility of post-Soviet Russia and provides a gripping illustration not
just of human courage, but of human failing at the highest levels of government.
Also:
Pocket Books, London, 2003.
Fine sm. 8vo.xx + 267pp., b/w pls., diags., maps, index. |
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RAISING THE KURSK
Hans Offringa
Published by: Lipstick Publishing, UK; 2004.
Illustrated hard cover, 184 printed pages.
Dimensions: 24.5 cms tall by 26.5 cms wide
This is a really fascinating and interesting book which
looks into the sad story of the history, loss and subsequent events of
the salvage and aftermath of the Russian Submarine Kursk. The book
is written in four parts, the fourth being an interesting DVD. In
turn, each part is sub-divided into further chapters. Part 2 looks
at individuals involved with the salvage and writes their story and involvement
with the salvage, people right from the senior management down to the divers
that worked on the project:
Part 1 - The Story: "Rise and Fall", "The Assignment",
"The Preparations", "The Salvage Operation", "The Homecoming". The
final chapter in this part contains small photos of the Soviet submariners
lost in this tragedy. Part 2 - Personal Impressions: Frans Van Seumeran
(President and CEO Mammoet), Jan Van Seumeran (Technical Advisor, Mammoet),
Leo Versluis (Director Tendering), Jan Kleijn (Director Operations / Engineering),
Piet Sinke (Marine Operations Manager), Wessel Helmens (Engineering Manager),
Klaas Lamphen (Director Product Development), Arjan Braspenning (Technical
Assistant), Arie de Zwart (Structural Engineer - Strength Calculations),
Paul Glerum (Salvage Inspector), Gonnie Van Seumeren (Wife, Support and
Anchor of Frans Van Seumeren) Igor Spassky (President of the Rubin Company),
Igor Ovdienko (Engineer and Designer at Rubin), Anna Skorokhodova (Interpretor
& Translator), Slava Zakharov (DirectorMammoet Russia), Wally Wallace(Diving
Superintendant) and Jimmy Irvine (Diver). Part 3 - The Technical Specifications:
"Planning" "Sketches and Drawings". The sketches and drawings show
how the actual salvage was planned. Part 4 - DVD. This graphically
shows the extent of the problem and underwater film of the Kursk.
It goes on to show animations of the proposed salvage and much actual footage
of the desing and equipment used as well as the salvage operation itself.
A really interesting book, graphically illustrated with countless colour
photographs and drawings and finally there is a DVD to watch with the salvage
and many interviews with people highlighted in part 2. If buying
seconD hand copies, be sure to make sure that the DVD is still in place
in the back of the book inside the back cover and it still works OK. [pt] |
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THE TRUTH ABOUT THE KURSK
Valdimir Ustinov.
Howse Pty Ltd, Australia, 2005.
Card covers, 182 pages, mono plates.
The reasons and circumstances behind the loss of submarine
cruiser Kursk. A compelling insight into the story behind the tragedy,
as told by the Russian Prosecutor General. |