- Soviet submarine M-256
"M-256" was a Project 615 (also known by the
NATO reporting name of "Quebec"-class) short-range attackdiesel submarine of theSoviet Navy . She was commissioned into theBaltic Fleet .Quebec-class submarines were fitted with two regular diesel engines and a third, closed-cycle diesel engine, which used
liquid oxygen (LOX) to provideair-independent propulsion while the submarine was submerged. This system produced remarkable submerged speed and range, and greatly increased the hazard of afire . Quebecs were referred to by their crews as "cigarette lighters."On
26 September 1957 , while operating in gale conditions in theTallinn Gulf of theBaltic Sea , one of "M-256"’sdiesel engines exploded. Fire immediately engulfed the diesel compartment, and soon spread to the next compartment. The boat surfaced and because of the likelihood of further explosions her crew evacuated onto her weather deck. None of the four ships keeping station nearby were able to take her under tow or evacuate her crew because of the gale conditions. About four hours after the beginning of the fire the boat suddenly lost longitudinal stability, took on a steep down-bubble, and sank. Of the 35 men on the boat's deck, only seven were rescued.References
* [http://submarine.id.ru/memory/M256.htm Книга памяти - M-256]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.