ANSWERS - Sub Questions of the Week - 30 JUL 14

Background information and photo(s) provided when the Questions of the Week answered below were originally posted are here: 30 JUL 14.


Q.O.T.W. & ANSWERS
"Secret" arctic, Russian military base
1.  Name the Russian base that "does not appear on maps" and where is it located?  ANS: Zapadnaya Litsa is located on Russia's Litsa Fjord at (69°25′N 32°26′E ) in the westernmost point of the Kola Peninsula, about 45 kilometers from the Norwegian border.

2.  What purpose did the base serve for Typhoon subs?  ANS: "Homeport for the six Typhoon-class subs" during the Cold War.

3.  What special climate advantage does the base allegedly offer?  ANS: (propaganda) "It's a strategic spot that never freezes over in winter".  That answer from the film's narrator, however, is very doutful.   REAL ANS: (Wikipedia):  "Severe climate with changeable temperatures and strong winds, long Polar Night in winter (about 43 days) make it an inhospitable place." 

Crew safety and escape
4. The portable breathing devices carried by crew hold enough air for how many minutes?  ANS: "Fifteen minutes".

5. Two methods of crew escape are mentioned in the film. The first was via a torpedo tube wearing a special suit. From what maximum depth can this method be used?  ANS:  100 meters ( 328 ft)

6. The other method permits many crew to ascend from a disabled sub together --- how?  ANS: "At the baseof the  fo'c'sle in each of the [twin] hulls there's a rescue chamber. In case of emergency the two capsules can transport all the men and separate from the principal structure."

Miscellany
7. The film's  soundtrack, which we hear periodically, is based upon a classical piece. Name the title and composer of the classical piece.  ANS: Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

8.  Executive officer Bogachev is a central character, although other officers and conscripts speak briefly.  The film contrasts X.O. Bogachev's reception at his flat with that of another senior officer and implies what?  ANS: Matrimonial strife and likely dissolution of his domestic partnership.

9.  Apparently, a medical doctor serves aboard Russian missile subs to perform surgery, etc. For what malady was Bogachev treated?  Was it contagious?  ANS:  A very bad sore throat; not contagious. 

10. Which of the following crew luxuries were shown?    ANS: All of them listed blow:
a) caviar
b) vodka
c) sauna room
d) smoking room
e) female pin-up
f) rocking chairs

11. Russian officers and NCOs were shown dining with conscripts. Yes or No?  ANS: YES.

12. The ritual for becoming a certificated member of a Russian crew entails drinking a cup of seawater collected at what depth?  ANS: In this case, 60 meters  (197 feet).

Submarines are always silent and strange.