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Firefighters work to extinguish fire at the Roslyakovo shipyard in the northern Russian region of Murmansk.
Updated at 6:45 a.m. ET: Russia said on Friday it had doused a raging blaze aboard a nuclear submarine after nearly a full day and night, by partially submerging the vessel after battling the flames with water from helicopters and tug boats.
There was no radiation leak and crew inside the submarine were monitoring the stricken vessel's nuclear reactors which had been shut down, Russian officials said.
At least nine people were injured fighting the flames which witnesses quoted by local media said rose 30 feet above the Yekaterinburg submarine at the navy ship yard in the Murmansk region of northern Russia.
"The fire on the submarine has been totally extinguished," Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu told officials leading the firefighting effort, more than twenty hours after the blaze began Thursday afternoon at 7:20 a.m. ET.
His remarks were reported by Interfax news agency.
Updated 4:53 a.m. ET: An unspecified number of crew remain inside a burning nuclear submarine that caught fire on Thursday at an Arctic shipyard, Russia's military said Friday.
Seven other crew were sent to hospitals after inhaling toxic fumes, the country's defense ministry said.
State-owned news agency RIA reported military proescutor spokesman Alexander Grigoriev saying: "Some of [the crew] are still on the submarine. They consist of those servicemen who are ensuring the safety of of the nuclear submarine."
It said there has been no radiation leak from the fire on board the submarine Yekaterinburg, which was in drydock.
Fire brigades were still struggling to put out the blaze on Friday at 12 p.m. local time (4 a.m. ET).
The military said the fire had begun on wooden scaffolding and then engulfed the submarine's rubber-coated outer hull. It said the sub's nuclear reactor had been shut down and its 16 nuclear-tipped missiles had been unloaded before the repairs.
The ministry's statement left it unclear whether the crew members inside the vessel were trapped there or ordered to stay inside.
Emergency workers said efforts to partially sink the submarine at the dock had failed to fully extinguish the fire.
A defense ministry spokesman said on Thursday the nuclear reactor had been shut down and all weapons had been removed from the Yekaterinburg, which launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea at a firing range thousands of miles away in Kamchatka as recently as July.
The Yekaterinburg is a Delta-IV-class nuclear-powered submarine that normally carries 16 nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was built in 1984.
Most modern submarines' outer hulls are covered with rubber to make them less noisy and more difficult for an enemy to detect.
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The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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Those crazy Russian kids shouldn't be allowed to play with nuclear weapons if they can't keep their toys from sinking, crashing, or burning up.'
Bad Russians! Bad!
It says they removed all 16 nuclear missiles and shut down the reactor BEFORE the repairs.
My point is, how can a country be trusted with a huge nuclear stockpile when it is both incompetent and corrupt. The fact that Russia possesses the technological ability to produce modern military systems does not detract from the painfully obvious fact it is profoundly unable to manage these systems or to manage the people who are responsible for them.
I fear Russia more as a huge dishonest oaf than as a military threat.
Sailcat: Can you trust the US?
Indeed. We don't need to look very far to see incompetence, corruption and dishonest oafs. America is rampant with all three, as is every single other country out there.
There was no radiation leaked during Chernobyl either.
"Sailcat: Can you trust the US?"
I don't think American nukes are being protected by poorly paid...or even unpaid...officers who are notoriously undisciplined and prone to selling anything and everything they get their hands in exchange for vodka. The Russian military has decayed in morale and discipline to the point where there are genuine concerns among Western intelligence services that one or more small nukes are already unaccounted for in the Russian inventory and could conceivably show up in the hands of the Russian or Armenian mobs destined for sale to the highest bidder.
I fail to understand why there is a fire feeding rubber coating on the outside of a battle submarine, as if such a war vehicle would never come under fire and set the coating off in battle.
You would think there would be another way to waterproof the war-sub than to use fire feeding rubber.
j70141
Considering that submarines are by nature vehicles which transverse under WATER, I would venture to say that this is an extreme incident wouldn't you? I would agree that there must be a better material but hindsight is indeed 20/20 now considering.
Please people, the "rubber" coating is not for water proofing anything! It is for sound dampening. Submarines are most effective when no one knows they are around. If another vessel knows where they are, they are simply targets also.
let's hope the crew that is on-board makes it out safely.
Amen!
Andrei, you've lost ANOTHER submarine?
Although I didn't really care for the movie (the books will always be better), the look on [actor] Richard Jordan's face when he said that was perfect.
I certainly hope the crew makes it out safely. I'd imagine the outside being on fire would make the inside fairly warm, like a brazen bull.
"Most things in here don't react well to bullets" Or fire.
Or a simular line from Broken Arrow, " Please do not shoot at the thermo-nuclear weapon."
It sounds like the crew that remain on the sub, was done so purposely. Probably so they can actuate/ensure some tech procedures to ensure the safety of the reactor. (I think they are safe). Rubber is a pain in the butt to extinguish once it starts burning.
Are you writing from prison?
Meh?
KEVIN; looks like you've nailed it as the story further unfolds.... good to hear all are well, and the reactor is still being looked after. Some will say 'you can't trust Russia, that stuff might be all over' and what not, but this isn't yesterday's Russia.
Although I feel safe in saying 'it' won't happen because we, they and others have such weaponry and weapons technology, once in a while it still is unsettling that we, they and others have this.
Does anybody BELIEVE the Russian's claim that there is no danger of radiation exposure from this sub on fire? I've seen enough of those movies where they hide the truth until it's almost too late...........remember Harrison Ford in 'Red October'?? UH, OH !!
But seriously folks - their record on transparency is NOT that good.
Chuck, the fire is of the rubber on the outer layer of the sub. The primary structure of the sub is titanium. The rubber fire cannot penetrate the titanium. Rubber fires produce massive amounts of smoke but not enouph heat to penetrate the titanium. They will put it out safely
I hope the CREW MEMBERS will be safe. Russia does not have a very good track-record when Nuclear Weapons malfuction.
Harrison Ford wasn't in Red October. Just sayin'
Thank you for that Harrison Ford correction. BTW, the RC on a nuc sub (russian or US) is fully sealed from the outside. The rubber is only on the outer hull, the the actual pressure hull, so the fire no matter how hot is somewhat insulated/isolated from the RC. No matter, any fire is a serious threat to any vessel in dry dock. This incident will have other yards (US included) looking at their scaffolding processes and materials too.
Chuck, it was Alec Baldwin in Red October. Ford was in Patriot Games. And are you *really* basing your information on a 20 year old action movie??
Kevin, the sub is a Delta IV missile boat so the hull is not Ti but steel. You're probably thinking of the Akula class attack sub.
My mistake - I had meant Sean Connery, NOT Ford........But Harrison Ford WAS in a movie as captain of a Russian sub having a potential nuclear meltdown, IF I'm not mistaken........again.
Glad to know the fire is now out. And I'm not basing "my information" on anything, Wiley. Just a comment - nothing intended.
"K-19" the Widow Maker" was that movie.
Wasn't Sammy Davis Jr. in The Wizard of OZ
and
Dustin Hoffman in Star Wars?????
Lynch, I would give you 2 points if I could for that Sienfeld reference.
let's hope they are telling the truth about the missiles! someone could get hurt.
They are telling the truth, we do the same thing here in the US all the time.
It is very unpractical to dry dock with any excess weight on board. In the US most if not all dangerous materials (munitions) are off loaded before dry docking and often before docking period, especially when not in a state of war. All the power, heat and water is supplied from ashore, all the engineering equipment is shut down. This is just common practice. No reason to lie about such things.
There is also void space between the pressure hull and the outer skin of a submarine. The rubberized hull has space to create open insulation between both hulls. These are not the same submarines that were used in WW2 or even anything like them, technically speaking.
Dry dock is certainly better than sea bottom.
Optimist, you are quite correct.
"We all live in a rubber submarine, a rubber submarine, a rubber submarine."
vg.no last night told first of the crew inside the nuclear submarine-whether voluntarily as firee fighter extinguiskers or trapped inside- remember the fire was (is)contained only on the outside. What keeps burning on the 167 m (=1440 ft)18,200 ton sub- is the rubber-like coating on the sub's surface (outside) this from is.fi The dry dock is in Rosyalkova ,Murmansk near Norwegian border.
167m = 544ft not 1440. That's bigger than two Typoon missile subs end to end.
Gotta wonder if this started while everyone was attending the Vodka Day Parade ? LoL
this stuff is always happening to them. Man, its good that we canceled our space program and pay them BILLIONS a year to have them fly our astronauts up and around. I would get on one of their ships. No way.
George, we help them considerably to ensure the safety of their nukes (the CIA is probably going to kill me tonight)
we are broke remember can't keep spending like girls at the mall when you owe china $10 trillion, wake up people, more cuts are coming that you won't like either, and more taxes, lot more so the top 1%won't have to pay
Yeah 10 trillion to China and growing -----30 trillion and counting =total as of now,whew but your right the 1% shouldn;t have to pay nothing---LOL what a rackett!! yeah just tax the dwindling middle class some more!!!!
hey, give the trickle down theory time to work. once the 1% have all the money then we can be slaves to them and they will provide everything we need and take care of us provided we do everything asked of us. we are already beyond the class seperation that was in the middle ages of lords and serfs. makes one feel warm and fuzzy inside.
This what happens when you use Henry's wet patch roofing compund too close to the shipyard welders.
It is funny that we have not developed a fire retardant type of rubber yet. (after all, we have developed effective condoms)
Fire retardant condoms...? Hmm....they should get right on that one...!
If this is the way that Russia builds Nuclear Facilities that the next one to catch fire and blow up is the one they built in Iran
Why do your posts remind me of what comes out of the south end of a north bound mule?
From the mouth of a Liberal Socialsit and Obama supporter that is about the limit of your intelligence.
The Tea party will speak loud and clear in November 2012 and get this country headed in the right doirection.
Bye Bye Obama good bye
Thanks for the laugh Carl...The right doirection....
Obama will win once more...The fix is in and the Republicans have driven the clown car full of legit candidates over to the edge of insanity....They cannot be serious with the selection they offer...I wonder what Obama has on them to get this second term uncontested?
As to our comrades in Mother Russia...They should stick to the Vodka...Its cheap, and it makes you feel like a super power...Even when you lose it all to some Imperialist dog.... ;)
The fact that the Russian media is releasing this information is a clue that it is not a threat
Where's the outer rubber layer on that Iranian sub??? I guess they forgot to consult with Russia and China before they built that 1939 replica of a submarine. Iran is SUCH a threat!! Why don't we just stop harrassing them and make friends with them?
Russia should hug a tree... and change wooden scaffolding to metal scaffolding.
Welding and wooden scaffolding. Not a great combination.
It must really suck being a submariner in Russia, for many years there has been accidents, radiation leaks, sinkings, etc . Its the kiss of death to be on one of their subs!
Jim, try living in an American sub. I hope you can feel comfortable living in a coffin.
Did any radiation contaminate the water or was the fire entirely inside the submarine? The environmental issue here needs to be addressed.
Will, the fire was on the outside of the sub. The outer layer made of rubber
will, did you read the story? The fire was on the outside and "There was no radiation leak and crew inside the submarine were monitoring the stricken vessel's nuclear reactors which had been shut down, Russian officials said."
There are always dummies like you "WILL" people who open their mouth before even reading what has already been established. And to think you will probably breed and vote, what a terrible thought.
The true problem is power. With the reactor shut down and fire on the skin of the sub there is no shore power connection. The sub interior has to be running on batteries only. Hopefully they had a full charge and weren't part of the maintenance. Oxygen could be an issue but a small number of men on a ballistic missle sub will take awhile to use it all.
poor bastards are up for neon christmas lights next year
Oh well, the fire is out now safely, now we can focus on more important news (like who is dating Justin Beiber)
I like my subs toasted (meatball ones especially), but this is going too far.
I hear the Russians have a new submarine rescue device. Its a giant vacuum generating machine that clamps onto the hatch and sucks out all the seamen!
Ok ... No danger ... a medal tube with a nuclear reactor inside is on fire .... doesn't matter if the thing is turned off or on ... the Nuclear part is still there .... kind of like saying your barn is on fire with gas tanker inside ... not like the fact the engine is turned off makes that big a difference if you cant get the fire out.
Like you said, a METAL tube covered with RUBBER is on fire, not a wooden structure which itself can burn. It's not like saying a barn is on fire with a tanker inside because the barn can burn, the metal cannot.
Texas A&I,
You go to college??? How did you qualify to even sweep the streets of the Campus?
All submarines have a double hull with a space in between. The sound deadening rubber on the outside hull is what is on fire, nothing that is of major concern to the engineering or weapons spaces alone.
And there is little doubt that at least one shore power for electric power is in working order so seperate systems can be operated, like the pumps, and air compressors to empty, or fill the ballast tanks. My 8 year old grandchildren know stuff like this.
Huh, Our record on "Transparency" here, wasn't so good, during the Bush years ................
What saddens me is that you probably are serious. Wrong, massively wrong, but serious.