ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the study of submarine disasters. A total of 16 submarine accidents have occurred after the Second World War, on diesel and nuclear submarines; six submarines sank with the loss of all hands, and another ten experienced large-scale accidents that involved multiple deaths. The submarine accidents that occurred not so long ago but appeared to have been largely forgotten or sidelined, are now much more likely to be commemorated prominently in light of the recent tragedies in the Russian submarine fleet. Another of the lessons learned in the previous two submarine accidents was the need for a high-profile political presence on the scene of the accident that was seen to be taking active charge of the situation. The mass media play a critical role in the process, as noted by the Swedish Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) handbook: The image that various interested parties have of a crisis is created, to a very large extent, by the media.
