23.08.2008
In 1989 the Russian nuclear submarine vessel Komsomolets sank outside of Bjørnøya in the Barents Sea. Now Russian and Norwegian scientists are investigation the condition of the ship, which is situated 1700 meters below sea level.
It is especially radioactive leakage the Norwegian scientists are looking for in their investigations of the
Komsomolets wreckage. However, the
Komsomolets tests are only a part of the project performed by the Norwegian and Russian research team.
The main purpose is to get an overview of the current situation of the ecosystem in the ice-free parts of the Barents Sea, according to a press release from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. They are performing the tests together with the Russian marine research institute PINRO.
There are four Norwegian ships and one Russian ship participating in the research, and they will use to months to complete their project. They started their testing at the
Komsomolets wreckage, and has done water and bottom samples around the wreckage. This has been done every year since the submarine sunk in 1989. 42 Russian soldiers died in that accident, while 25 survived.
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