The world’s largest nuclear submarine sails along Norway’s coast
The giant nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoj and the nuclear-powered battle ship Pjotr Veliky sailed Tuesday southwards along the Norwegian coast on their way to the Baltic Sea.
The atomic submarine and the cruiser are the largest nuclear-powered vessels in the Russian navy.
They left Severomorsk on Monday and will spend a couple of days on the route along the Norwegian coast before they enter the Baltic Sea, writes The Independent Barents Observer.
“We are following the vessels, as we do with all vessels. We have no reason to worry about the nuclear reactors on board, “says spokeswoman at the Armed Forces operating headquarters, Major Elisabeth Eikeland.
She said to NTB that the Russian navy has also brought along a third vessel, a support vessel. The aim of the journey is the celebration of the Russian Navy Day in the city of Kronstadt on the island of Kotlin outside St. Petersburg.
“They have now passed Mosjøen far out at sea. It is the case that since they are going to St. Petersburg, they also have to pass the Norwegian coast, says Eikeland.
This is the first time the giant Typhon-class submarine sails into the Baltic Sea. The submarine is one of six built in this class, and was originally constructed as a pillar of the Soviet Union’s nuclear deterrent. The submarines can carry 200 nuclear warheads, ready to respond to any US attack.
Bellona worried
The environmentalist organization Bellona are not at ease. The Atom physicist Nils Bøhmer points out, among other things, that Russian submarines have been affected by fires and other accidents.
“I am deeply concerned about the safety on board this Doomsday machine,” says nuclear physicist Bøhmer to The Independent Barents Observer, adding that the reactors were designed in 1970 and the two in Dmitrij Donskoj were commissioned in 1981.
“This is the first time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, that the submarine is undertaking a long-distance tour,” he says. Because of the prestige, he fears that the crew on board will push the reactors at the expense of safety.
© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today
