A team of divers today began working on the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk, marking sections of the hull where holes will be drilled to attach cables to lift the vessel, according to a Russian navy spokesman.
The divers descended into the water in a special bell from the Norwegian diving support ship Mayo, which is serving as a base for the salvage operation, navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told the Interfax news agency.
The Kursk sank on August 12 2000, during a training exercise in the Barents Sea off northern Russia, killing all 118 crew members.
The international operation for salvaging the submarine began this week, as engineers used an unmanned, remote-controlled vessel to measure radiation levels.
The divers, working in shifts, were marking places on sections of the hull where holes will be cut for steel cables to be attached, Dygalo said. The cables will be attached to 26 hydraulic lifting units anchored to a giant pontoon, which will be towed to the northern port city of Murmansk.
The submarine's first compartment, which was mangled in the explosion that sank the Kursk and could contain unexploded torpedoes, is to be cut off and left at the bottom of the Barents Sea when the submarine is raised in September.
Dygalo said Thursday that cameras examining the first compartment this week did not discover any unexploded ammunition.
Russia has maintained that no radiation has leaked from the wreck but says it is raising it to ensure the Kursk's two reactors pose no future danger.
AP
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