Molten Eagle: Submarine Mystery Questions 28 July 2015

Submarine Mystery Questions of the Week
The first sub of its class, the SOM, was delivered to Vladivostok for the "Baltic Sea Fleet".
SOM sank during WW1 in a 1916 collision with a Swedish vessel. All 18 of its crew perished. A vintage submarine recently found in Swedish waters is thought to be the SOM.

SUBMARINE QUESTIONS of the Week
1. On what former commissioned U.S. submarine class was the SOM's design?
2. Did SOM's crew die before, after, or during the Russian revolution?
3. Name the two primary reasons speculated to have caused SOM's fatal collision.
4. With what kind of Swedish vessel did SOM collide (ship's name and type).
5. Why is national state diplomacy involved in this discovery?
6. What possible contradiction may be deduced from the following statements?

From the Ocean X Team, which made the discovery, website: "It is unclear how old the submarine is and for how long it has been at the bottom of the sea. The submarine is completely intact, has no visible damage to the hull, and the hatches are closed. Therefore, we do fear that the crew would not have been able to save themselves when the sub went down."

From historical record: The captain of the Swedish ship had claimed to have seen "a periscope sticking out of the water" 150m in front of him before it turned towards the ship and collided, the newspaper reported.