1986 Collision
The Soviet Navy claims that on 3 October 1986, Augusta, commanded by James von Suskil, collided with the 667AU Nalim (Yankee-I) class ballistic missile submarine K-219, commanded by Igor Britanov, off the coast of Bermuda. The United States Navy states that K-219 was disabled by an internal explosion.
On 20 October 1986, shortly after K-219 sank and Augusta had returned to patrol, she collided with something, and was forced to return to Groton for about US$3 million in repairs to her bow and sonar sphere. What she collided with is officially unknown. If not the K-219, it is suggested that she had been trailing a Delta-I ballistic missile submarine, and, unknown to Augusta, being trailed in turn by a Victor class submarine. If abrupt maneuvers were made, Augusta could have collided with the Delta. Photographs exist of a Delta submarine with a large dent in its starboard bow, which the Soviet Navy identified as K-279. In Russian version of book the soviet submarine is identified as K-457.
Read more about this topic: USS Augusta (SSN-710)
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