The only aircraft carrier in Russia is damaged while its dry dock


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The one and only aircraft carrier of Russia, the Admiral Kuznetsov, is in the middle of a long-term rehabilitation operation in Murmansk. But its repair may take a little longer now that the floating dry dock that was carrying it to Murmansk Shipyard 82 suddenly sank, causing the crash of a giant crane. Kuznetsov and drill a 16-foot hole in its hull. One shipyard employee went missing and four others were hospitalized, two of them in critical condition.

The floating dry dock, the PD-50, one of the largest in the world, apparently sank as a result of a power failure following a surge at the shipyard, probably related to damage to the electric lines by the ice.

According to Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center press officer Evgeny Gladyshev, the accident occurred during the Kuznetsov was floating out of the dock. "When the 82nd shipyard launched the Admiral Kuznetsov, an emergency situation has occurred, "Gladyshev told Interfax. Due to interruptions in the power supply of the PD-50, the floating dock dipped into un-designed mode. "

Without power to control the pumps or control the filling of ballast tanks, the dry dock is completely submerged. During the process, a crane weighing 70 metric tons (77 US tons) crashed against the ship as it was coming out of the quay sinking. Another crane has also fallen.

the Kuznetsov– officially designated as "heavy cruiser carrying planes" – was the only aircraft carrier completed by the Soviets. Originally launched in 1985, but commissioned before 1990, the Kuznetsov had a jagged history. His sister ship, originally called the Riga by the Soviet Union and then later renamed the Varyag, was still under construction in Ukraine at the end of the Soviet era and was eventually sold to a Chinese company that claimed it would be used for a floating hotel. This company turned the VaryagThe hull is connected to the Navy of the People's Liberation Army and she became PLAN's first aircraft carrier.

Powered by notoriously unreliable turbo-pressurized steam boilers and steam turbines – the Kuznetsov There were so many propulsion failures that it was necessary to accompany him with a tugboat at sea in case: it would have been ridiculous while he was crossing the Channel while spitting. black smoke on the way to Syria in 2016 and then to the north in 2017. The then British Minister of Defense, Michael Fallon, called him Kuznetsov the "ship of shame".

Fires, oil spills, and accidents on the landing decks, including a broken arresting cable that drove a Sukhoi Su-33 fighter on landing, have only served to improve the safety of the aircraft. situation. KuznetsovThe reputation of "ship of bad luck". the KuznetsovFortunes have clearly followed in the shipyard. The replacement of defective components of the ship's propulsion system and other critical systems, including the ship's piping, which lacks weather protection and is closed in cold weather to prevent freezing, has already been planned to absorb most of the $ 400 million budgeted for the KuznetsovAccording to Interfax, the Ministry of Defense has halved the modernization budget of the Russian navy.

And then the dry dock sank. It is unclear whether the PD-50 itself can be salvaged, as it was heavily damaged during its sudden sinking. "Even if technically possible, the operation will not be easy and very likely very expensive," said a spokeswoman for the shipyard. And the PD-50 was the only floating dry dock in the western region of Russia able to float the Kuznetsov; another large floating dry dock, the PD-190, is located in Novorossiysk on the Black Sea.

In the meantime, the Russian news agency TASS reports that the Kuznetsov was towed to another shipyard in Kola Bay, the 35th shipyard, also in Murmansk. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said the accident would not affect the schedule of repairs and that the vessel should still be returned to service in 2021. "At the At present, a detailed review of the physical part of the vessel has been launched to identify possible damage, "said one official quoted by Interfax. "According to first estimates, the ship has not suffered any significant damage that could affect the schedule of repairs."

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