MOD salvage team complete successful survey of sunken Russian sub
20 Jul 07
A Ministry of Defence salvage team who have been surveying the wreck of a sunken Russian submarine have returned to the UK after sucessfully completing what turned out to be a challenging mission.
![The 'lost' Russian ROV being recovered by salvage team [Photo: MOD]](GenerateThumbnail.aspx?imageURL=/NR/rdonlyres/A31A6403-2319-4446-A81B-C5DB98A46A64/0/Salvage1.jpg&maxSize=210)
The 'lost' Russian ROV being recovered by the salvage team at the site of the sunken B-159
[Picture: MOD]
The Defence Equipment and Support's Salvage and Marine Operations Team (SALMO) deployed at the request of the Russian Federation to survey the wreck of the decommissioned nuclear submarine B-159, which sank while she was being towed to a breakers yard in 2003, with the loss of nine crew.
The MOD team were deployed aboard the NATO research vessel the MV Alliance and, using a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV), they conducted a detailed survey of the submarine with a view to possibly salvaging it in the future.
The ROV used in the survey was NATO's submarine rescue system Intervention Remotely Operated Vehicle (IROV) that is owned jointly by the UK, France and Norway. This is the first time that the system has been deployed and was operated by Rolls Royce with some MOD operators involved.
![Alec Kerr displays the recovered flag from the Russian submarine B-159 [Picture: MOD]](GenerateThumbnail.aspx?imageURL=/NR/rdonlyres/6B587B04-E19B-4528-817F-E8F3720B460A/0/Salvage2.jpg&maxSize=210)
A member of the salvage team displays a recovered flag from the Russian submarine B-159
[Picture: MOD]
As well as undertaking a sonar sweep of the wreck, the team carried out a considerable amount of work on the seabed that involved cutting and clearing debris.
Russian radiation monitoring equipment was also deployed to confirm that there was no radiation leakage from the vessel.
During the operation the team recovered a small ROV that had become entangled in the wreck previously and this was returned to Vice Admiral Maksimov, Deputy Commander in Chief of the Northern Fleet, along with a Russian Federation naval flag which had been flying on B-159 when she sank.
The team then took part in a wreath laying ceremony with the Russian destroyer Admiral Levchenko before returning to the UK.
![The Admiral Levchenco at the wreath laying ceremony [Picture: MOD]](GenerateThumbnail.aspx?imageURL=/NR/rdonlyres/52D03E44-7172-451D-A271-CB2D0DE5C2FF/0/Salvage3.jpg&maxSize=210)
The Admiral Levchenko takes part in the wreath laying ceremony.
[Picture: MOD]
SALMO team Director, Morgyn Davies, said:
"The submarine has been on the sea bed for five years with hatches open and its two nuclear reactors still fuelled - but there has been no radioactive leak from the vessel.
"This is the first time we have been able to carry out a detailed survey to study the effects of an incident like this so we have an informed understanding, rather than speculating.
"The data we have gathered will be invaluable and will be used globally to develop the submarines of the future."
The formal results of the survey are due to be handed to the Russian Federation over the next few weeks.