Kursk remembers sailors who died 15 years ago in 'Kursk' nuclear submarine
KURSK. Aug 10 (Interfax) - A number of events in remembrance of the crew members of the 'Kursk' ballistic missile submarine are set to be held on August 12, the press service of the Kursk regional administration said.
The wreath-laying ceremony is to take place at 10:00 a.m. at the World War II Memorial where the Kursk residents who died in the submarine were buried along with their fellow sailors whose families moved to Kursk after their death in the accident. Flowers will be laid at a memorial dedicated to the submarine crew members and a meeting will be held there too.
The meeting will be attended by Navy veterans, chiefs of the administrations of the Kursk city and the Kursk Region, as well as the family members of the submariners who died during the accident in the Barents Sea. Cadets from the schools of the city will organize the 'Memory Watch' event beside the Memorial of the 'Kursk' crew and by the Eternal Flame.
On August 12, 2000 the ballistic missile submarine 'Kursk' went under the surface of the Barents Sea, 175 km from Severomorsk. The entire crew of 118 people died, including seven Kursk city residents. After shutting down the nuclear reactor due to an emergency situation, the submariners died while exercising their duty. All sailors on board the 'Kursk' were awarded posthumously with the Order of Courage. The captain of the ship was posthumously awarded with the title of 'Hero of the Russian Federation'.
There are two memorials in Kursk to commemorate the 'Kursk' crew members. One of them is made of two real fragments of the submarine's missile compartment, with a grand bell placed between them. The monument was installed in Memory Alley, near the residential area where 16 families of the dead Kursk sailors now live.