I just don't really know where to start on
this page. Maybe I should just get the the
heart of it now.

In August, 2000, the Russian Submarine Kursk
was lost with all hands. A terrible tragedy.
As a former submarine sailor myself, I have
some feelings about this accident.
Many have asked me how I feel? What could it
have been like to be trapped in a damaged
submarine on the bottom? What goes
through your mind during all this?
Well, fortunately, for me, I have never had to
experience a casualty that serious while I was
on submarine duty. I can only imagine what
was going on in the crew's minds.
I can tell you that submarine crews are very
well trained for any problem that may arise.
During the initial stage of the accident on the
Kursk, I'm sure that everyone on board was
too busy trying to save their Boat to think
about what was going to happen to them.
I have personally been through  several
equipment failures while submerged. And I
can assure you that during the casualty
I thought of nothing except, "save the ship".
Myself and the others around me were too
busy to worry about other things. Only after
it is all over and the Boat has been saved
from the problem did I have any reaction
to what could have been. That's the time when
I would sit down and just get silent. Thinking
about the family I could have left behind.
That's when it gets a little scary.
I always thanked God for the training that
I had and my ability to put it to use.
I'm sure the crew of the Kursk did everything
humanly possible to save their Boat. I feel
very sad for them and the families they left.
It must have been terrible to sit on the
bottom knowing that you have run out of
options to save Boat. Just sit there and wait
for help to arrive. I'm also sure that even
then they were still trying to find ways to
save themselves and their Boat.
I know that during my 22+ years of service
in the US Navy, that crews will fight among
themselves, fight with other boats,
go to war with perceived enemies
and yet there is a special bond
between Submarine sailors.
None of us want to see a crew lost the way
the crew of the Kursk was.

I send my most sincere condolences to the
Families of the lost sailors on the Kursk.

cwodave© 8/27/2000

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