Sinking of the Kursk: The Disaster That Shook the World in 2000 (An Arin Episode)

In this special episode of Catastrophe Chronicles, Arin takes the helm to recount the harrowing tale of the Kursk submarine disaster—a story so grim it’ll have you reconsidering that dream of underwater exploration.

On August 12, 2000, the Russian Navy’s pride and joy, the Kursk nuclear submarine, suffered a catastrophic explosion during a training exercise in the Barents Sea. Over the next few days, a tragic sequence of incompetence, miscommunication, and bureaucratic dithering unfolded, as 118 crew members awaited a rescue that would never come.

Arin dives deep (pun intended) into the series of events that led to this maritime calamity, from the initial explosion caused by a failed torpedo test to the tragically delayed rescue efforts. He also dissects the political fallout, with Russian officials initially denying the scale of the disaster. Turns out, in 2000, denial was the real lifeboat.

With his signature dry humor and knack for storytelling, Arin sheds light on the lives of the crew, the controversial response by Russian leadership, and the international scrutiny that followed. And yes, there’s a thematic cocktail to accompany your existential dread—a cold, bracing drink to honor the icy depths of the Barents Sea.

Join us for a sobering, infuriating, and deeply human exploration of the Kursk. Because sometimes, the greatest depths aren’t in the ocean—they’re in the failures that keep us from saving one another.

Stream the episode now, and maybe toast to those who serve under the sea… because they definitely deserve it.