SUBS' COLLISION NEARLY HIT REACTOR BUT CHANCES OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSION ARE SAID

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 2, 1993                   TAG: 9304020022
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MOSCOW                                LENGTH: Medium
SUBS' COLLISION NEARLY HIT REACTOR BUT CHANCES OF NUCLEAR EXPLOSION ARE SAID
A U.S. attack submarine that banged into a Russian missile sub last month nearly hit the Russian boat's nuclear reactors, which could have spewed radioactivity into the sea, a Russian naval officer said.
But a British military analyst said Thursday it was unlikely the reactors would have exploded or split open if the compartment had been rent open and flooded in the March 20 collision in the Barents Sea off Russia's northern coast.
Pentagon spokesmen said U.S. military leaders had no comment.
Both countries reported minor damage to the submarines.
Rear Adm. Alexei Ovcharenko, who investigated the incident, said the nuclear-powered USS Grayling struck the hull of the Russian submarine about 65 feet from the reactor compartment.
In an interview published Thursday by the newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, he said that flooding in the compartment would have prevented the crew from shutting down its two nuclear reactors. The reactors then would overheat and eventually explode, releasing radiation into the ocean, he said.
"The calculation of the routes, speed and masses of the two vessels show that mere luck saved the subs from destruction," he said. "Equally disastrous would have been a hit at the area housing our submarine's ballistic missile launchers."
Bob Hall, editor of the military publication Jane's Intelligence Review in London, said he believed "the chance of a reactor explosion would be very low."
While noting he is not a nuclear engineer, Hall also said in a telephone interview that there was only "a remote possibility" of a reactor overheating in such circumstances.
The Russian submarine, identified only as a Delta III class vessel, was carrying 16 multiple-warhead nuclear missiles, Ovcharenko said.
A Russian navy spokesman said last week the submarine had only a "small dent" on its hull. The U.S. vessel sustained little damage, a Pentagon statement said.
Rear Adm. Valery Alexin, who also investigated the collision, told Rossiiskaya Gazeta that "the entire blame . . . rests with the commander of the Grayling."
Alexin said that instead of offering help after the collision, the U.S. commander ran away, "like a boy who was caught stealing apples from a neighbor's garden."
In Washington, a Navy spokesman said there was "very minor" damage to the Grayling and the ship stayed in the area for more than an hour to make sure the Russian submarine was safe. The spokesman commented on condition of anonymity.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB