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zones had been established for each of the 30-odd vessels that were to play various roles in the games. In addition, flyways, as well as airrestricted areas, had been established to keep helicopters and planes out of each other’s paths.
    In short, every precaution in keeping with a hazardous military exercise had been taken. If all participants played exactly by the rules, and, as always the case in these matters, there was a little luck, there would be no casualties.
    The
Kursk
had been assigned a 15-by-20-mile patrol area. This 300-square-mile strip of open ocean had a fairly constant depth of about 350 feet. Relative to the sub’s length of just over 500 feet, this meant great care had to be taken in terms of violent dives or quick vertical movements. With that understood, lack of deeper water presented no real handicap to the boat’s freedom of operations.
    In addition to other tasks, the
Kursk
had two main responsibilities. The next day, on Friday, August 11, her crew was to launch one of her Granit-type cruise missiles at a naval target. A direct hit would gain the boat high marks. Their second and much more difficult challenge would come on Saturday, August 12. Working inside specific time limits, the
Kursk
, along with other submarines involved in the training program, would carry out a torpedo attack on a fleet of combat ships acting as the “aggressor” or “opponent.” The cruiser,
Peter the Great
, would assume the role of an aircraft carrier and be the primary target. Reports indicate two or more of the Shkval units had been modified for practice firings by removing their warheads. Other sources maintain that the Shkvals had improved propulsion systems that were still experimental.
    As the
Kursk
arrived on station, detailed accounts note that Captain Lyachin made the necessary radio calls to verify he was in his assigned patrol zone. His officers would have continued repetitive training sessions to improve missile-launching skills, and each system on the boat would have been checked for readiness. All considered, it was a long night for the crew. And the next day had every promise of being even more hectic.
    11 August 2000 —1155 Hours
    Submariners in every Navy face a dilemma. They practice endlessly for battle. Yet the only instance in history of a nuclear-powered submarine actually attacking an enemy vessel occurred in 1982. A British boat, the HMS
Conqueror
, followed the Argentine cruiser,
General Belgrano
, for 48 hours during the brief Falkland Islands dispute between those two nations. The
Conqueror
fired a shot and sank the
Belgrano
.
    So if history was a reliable indicator of the future, training to fight was probably as close as the crew of the
Kursk
would get to using their vessel for combat. God willing, they would never have to go to war. If matters came to that, however, they were known as the ones most likely to do it right.
    Hitting a moving target several hundred miles away with a missile fired from a submarine running underwater is a challenge. To accomplish this precision feat, two requirements are mandatory. The weapons officer on the sub must know his exact geographic position, speed, and direction of travel at the moment the missile leaves its launch tube. And second, that same information is required for the target. Missiles can and do use radar and other devices to “home” on their intended victims. These systems, however, are defeated if the missile is not in reasonable proximity of its target.
    For decades, American subs could fire when submerged, while Soviet boats had to surface before shooting. It was necessary for the Russians to bring the launch tubes out of the water and take a final electronic fix to pinpoint positions. This deficiency was corrected some years ago. So the
Kursk
was fully capable of loosing a full salvo of its 24 Shipwreck cruise missiles while remaining hidden in the depths.
    Prior to scheduled launch time, Captain Lyachin, following exercise orders,