Underwater empathy

THE END OF THE COLD WAR was clearly visible over the weekend about 60 miles off the Kamchatka peninsula in the Bering Sea. In a sign of how far the Russian navy has come since the 1980s -- and of how far it has left to go -- it asked for help in rescuing a small submarine and its seven-man crew trapped 600 feet below the surface. Not that long ago, the Kremlin would never have made such a request for fear of exposing technological secrets.

But the effort involved three former enemies of Moscow. A British underwater craft, with assistance from U.S. and Japanese officials and equipment, cut cables and fishing nets to let the mini-sub break free and surface. The remarkable rescue also demonstrated that the ranks of the world’s bravest -- or most foolhardy -- men these days must include volunteers for the Russian submarine service.

The list of Russian sub disasters is lengthy. The most recent major tragedy was the sinking of the Kursk after onboard explosions five years ago. Moscow delayed for days before seeking help, though several of the 118 crew members survived for hours and were heard rapping on the hull.

This time Russia was quick to request assistance. The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Gary Roughead, praised the close teamwork and coordination between navies. Submariners have always empathized with colleagues from other, even unfriendly, nations, understanding that they shared a bond. World War II submariner Clay Blair recalled hundreds of Allied naval officers protesting the Nuremberg conviction of German Adm. Karl Donitz for ordering U-boats not to rescue survivors because the protesters felt the judges did not understand the ferocity of submarine warfare.

When a Soviet nuclear-powered submarine sank in the Pacific in March 1968 and the CIA-commissioned Glomar Explorer raised part of it years later, the recovered bodies of six sailors were reburied at sea. Then-CIA Director Robert M. Gates later visited Moscow and told Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin of the ceremony.

The dangers aboard a submarine are many. Explosions can kill a crew member, or open a hole that lets water flood in. The Russian mini-sub ran the risk of letting a fatal dose of carbon dioxide accumulate as the crew ran out of oxygen. The rescuers who flew to Russia’s Pacific coast understood the dangers and the requirement for speed and expertise. And Russia, after the Kursk disaster, understood the need to seek help. It now needs to obtain rescue vehicles on which its sailors can rely.