Defense

Nuclear Submarine averts disaster

The Russian magazine Vlast says the Russia Navy came close to nuclear disaster in late December when a fire engulfed a nuclear-powered submarine carrying atomic...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

February 15, 2012 1:13 pm

< a min read

The Russian magazine Vlast says the Russia Navy came close to nuclear disaster in late December when a fire engulfed a nuclear-powered submarine carrying atomic weapons. Russian officials said at the time that all nuclear weapons aboard the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine had been unloaded well before a fire engulfed the 167-metre (550 feet) vessel and there had been no risk of a radiation leak. But the respected Vlast weekly magazine quoted several sources in the Russian navy as saying that throughout the fire on Dec. 29 the submarine was carrying 16 R-29 intercontinental ballistic missiles, each armed with four nuclear warheads.