Rescue Mission Steers Craft Operator Into Uncharted Waters

If by some miracle the sailors aboard the disabled Russian submarine Kursk can be rescued, they may well thank a young phone company and its Beverly Hills executives--including one of the wealthiest men in Southern California.

The LR5, the manned rescue mini-submarine now being rushed to the Barents Sea from its base in Britain, is operated by Global Crossing Ltd., an ambitious and unprofitable 3-year-old telecommunications company.

Global Crossing operates the LR5, along with a fleet of specialty ships, to install and maintain transoceanic fiber-optic communication lines. These are the lines that allow people around the globe to surf the Internet, call loved ones or transmit information.

Until now, the vessel has been used to assist in rescue operations involving ships. But it has never been used to rescue a submarine--until the British government called Global Crossing officials this week seeking use of the craft, originally designed for military rescue operations for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Gary Winnick, the Beverly Hills-based chairman and founder of Global Crossing, pledged that the Bermudan-based company “will spare no effort in trying to save the lives of these individuals.”

“We went on alert fairly quickly,” said Lodwrick Cook, chairman of the Global Crossing subsidiary that operates the craft.

Russian officials say 118 seamen are aboard the nuclear submarine, which sank last Saturday during military exercises above the Arctic Circle.

The effort is not an unusual one for Winnick, a billionaire who ranks among Los Angeles’ wealthiest men and is an active philanthropist and humanitarian.

Winnick donated a fully supplied hospital-on-wheels to help serve refugees in Kosovo. He has also been active in supporting Jewish causes. In May, his Winnick Family Foundation donated $40 million for a peace and tolerance institute being built in Jerusalem by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He also serves on the board of the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

Global Crossing was founded by Winnick, who owns or controls company stock worth more than an estimated $2.5 billion, based on Friday’s share price and Winnick’s stated holdings as of July 21.

The company has regularly made headlines despite its newcomer status, often as potential takeover target in the rapidly consolidating communications business.

The company’s stock is worth more than $29 billion, and it has raised billions to buy a series of companies to expand its operations.

Winnick said he is not trying to capitalize personally on publicity about his firm’s role in the rescue.

Global Crossing’s vessel is scheduled to arrive at the accident scene sometime today, but it remains unclear if any of the submariners have survived their weeklong ordeal.

Russian and British officials have determined that the LR5’s equipment is compatible with the hatches on the damaged submarine, which lies about 350 feet below the surface. However, Russian officials have said that both escape hatches on the sub are damaged.

A lesser-known part of Global Crossing’s business includes contracts with the British Defense Ministry to operate and maintain the LR5, keeping it on call for oceanic emergencies and rescue operations.

At Britain’s request, Global Crossing flew the LR5 from London to Norway, where it was loaded onto the Normand Pioneer, a chartered vessel that is carrying the submersible, along with a remotely piloted underwater vehicle and crews and support staff, to the scene.