K-8 crew to be commemorated in Sestroretsk

13.04.2010 Memorial service in honor of crewmembers of K-8 submarine sank 40 years ago in Bay of Biscay will be held in St. Paul's and St. Peter's Church in Sestroretsk. The meeting and wreath laying ceremony will be conducted at the Wall of Fame after the church service. Members of Submariners' Club (St. Petersburg) and relatives of submariners died in K-8 will attend formal and memorial ceremonies.

Having sunk on Apr 12, 1970 somewhat 300 miles off Spanish northwest coast, nuclear-powered submarine ?-8 became the first victim in Soviet/Russian nuclear fleet. Through 4 days the crew heroically tried to salvage the sub from fire occurred in two compartments. 73 men were evacuated.

On April 12, 1970 red flare was launched from towed K-8 and then the sub disappeared from radar screens. After a while, escort ships registered two powerful hydraulic shocks in consequence of hull destruction at the critical depth. Commander of K-8 Bessonov was posthumously rewarded with a title of Hero of the Soviet Union; died crewmembers were awarded with Order of Red Banner.

St. Paul's and St. Peter's Church was established in honor of submariners and consecrated on Oct 11, 2009 by Cyril, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. At the temple's territory there are the Wall of Fame naming all Soviet and Russian sunken submarines; Chapel of Nicholas the Thaumaturge; and the model of "clandestine ship" [prototype of submarine] tested in Lake of Razliv in 1721.