Kursk Down! : The Shocking True Story of the Sinking of a Russian Nuclear Submarine

by Clyde Burleson

Release Date: 01 March, 2002

Edition: Mass Market Paperback

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The sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk.

This is a good overview of the sinking the Russian submarine Kursk and the general state of the Russian Navy. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, the defense establishment has received far less attention and resources than before. This contributed to the sinking of the sub.
I was particularly interested in what motivated the claims of the Russian Navy that another submarine collided with the Kursk resulting in her loss. The facts are otherwise, but the political motivation to blame an external power was there. Incompetence by either personnel on the Peter the Great in shooting off a missle or in the torpedo technicians on the Kursk (not Navy personnel) led to this disaster. Old habits die hard in Russia, so someone else to blame was necessary. Burleson does a good job of writing about this in the book.

simply weak

Aside from being almost 100% ... from the russian book by N.Cherkashin, this made-for-american-house-wives booklet reads almost like a Disney version of "Das Boot".

The chronology is good BUT it is available on about 100 websites now, anyway.

The writing style is that of a village daily reporter. The usual american stereotypes about Russia are omnipresent and do not fit well at all with the hero-submariner image.

Finaly: if Burleson wanted to write a good book, he should have gone to Russia to do research! Instead he browses the internet and reads a Russian author. Voila, "Kursk Down" is born.