Salvaging a Russian submarine -- in the Providence River

To the staff of the Russian Sub Museum, the sinking of their Soviet-era submarine in Providence Harbor following an April northeaster was a crushing catastrophe.

To the divers of the Army and Navy, it was a dream come true.

The military has announced that it intends to raise the sunken Juliett 484, the Cold War ballistic missile submarine that has been converted to a museum in the Providence River, in order to train its salvage and dive teams in how to get a submarine afloat. . .

But the military's help extends only to raising the submarine -- the sub is filled with water, and the internal damage may be extensive. There's no guarantee that it can be restored as a museum.

The Russian submarine, designated Juliett 484 by NATO, sank in 30 feet of water two days after an April 17 storm. As museum officials have tried to scrape together support to raise the boat, the strange tale of the sunken submarine has drawn international attention -- including a special by a Russian television network -- and become the darling of the salvage community, luring the Army and Navy divers and soon, a British dive team as well.

From the Providence Journal. Pictures here. I regret to admit that I never did get around to visiting the sub before it sank. Who woulda thunk it?

For more, see the Russian Sub Museum website.

Posted by David on August 25, 2007 9:30 PM