Russia: 20 dead from poisoning in sub accident

The fire safety system on a new Russian nuclear-powered submarine malfunctioned on a test run in the Sea of Japan, spewing chemicals that killed at least 20 people and injured 21 others, officials said Sunday.

The majority of the students I taught were destined to serve aboard submarines, and several of the friends I had when I was in the navy were submariners; I have a lot of respect for the job they do. Years ago I spent a day on the Will Rogers, but any insight I have here is primarily from observation rather than direct experience.

Fire, and the repercussions of it, rate pretty highly on the list of things of which submariners are covertly or overtly scared. You have a limited oxygen supply, and cramped spaces making it tough to navigate. So you drill incessantly to make responses (to this and other potential problems) instinctive.

If you’ve ever wondered why folks in the military carry out orders without question, and why the people giving the orders expect you to, this is it. You do as your told because if you don’t people can die. There may not be the time or practicality to explain why or when lives might hang in the balance, or be able to discern it yourself, so it’s best if you operate under the assumption that it’s always the case.

The article raises the possibility that this was human error, and if it was, it shows the awful repercussions of not following procedure or some other kind of scewup.