Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets

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K-278 Komsomolets was the Project-685 Plavnik (Russian: проект-685 плавник, meaning "fin", also known by her NATO reporting name of "Mike"-class), nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Soviet Navy; the only submarine of her design class. In the inventory of the Soviet military, K-278 was unique for her submarine depth rating, having reached a depth of 1,020 metres (3,350 feet) in the Norwegian Sea on 4 August 1984. Although K-278 was commissioned in the Soviet Navy to evaluate the technology for the fourth generation of Russian nuclear submarines, she was capable of combat maneuvering and deployment. During her third operational patrol in the Arctic Ocean in 1989, a serious fire in the aft compartments led to her sinking in the Norwegian Sea. Despite the fire in the engineering compartment, K-278 surfaced and remained afloat for approximately five hours before sinking. Many of the crew perished before rescue, leading to 42 total dead (and 27 survivors). The wrecked submarine sits on the...

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