THE condition of a prized Russian nuclear submarine base in the Pacific remains a mystery after it was struck by the monster earthquake.
The 8.8 magnitude monster hit off the coast of Kamchatka just before 1am BST on Tuesday and is the sixth biggest on record.
GettyThe port of Severo-Kurilsk flooded due to tsunami triggered by the 8.8 magnitude earthquake[/caption]
fas.orgA map of the Naval base in Kamchatka[/caption]
ckb-rubinA Borei class submarine which can fire nuclear weapons[/caption]
It hit just 75miles southeast of Russia’s key naval base in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky that houses its Pacific Fleet.
Part the complex is the Rybachiy submarine base – which builds and houses the flagship nuclear-armed Borei-class subs.
The base is hidden inside Avacha Bay and its condition remains unknown following the mega quake.
The huge earthquake and tsunami could have caused any submarines or boats in port to smash into the dock and also hammered the piers and wharves.
Other clips caught from the peninsula showed rocks falling down cliffs following the shaking.
Information from the base is limited as the nearby town of Vilyuchinsk is closed to the public.
Vilyuchinsk builds the submarines and anyone who wants to enter needs an official permit.
But patriotic Russians have denied there will be damage as the base is made to withstand a nuclear explosion.
One former Russian Navy officer posted on X saying: “I have no information that critical damage to the Russian Navy’s naval bases in Kamchatka. I think everything is within the normal range.”
Satellites have also been prevented from snapping the bases recently by thick cloud cover.
It is unclear what ships were in port at the time of the quake.
The Russian Pacific Fleet has some 600 warships and is thought to have five of the Borei class submarines.
The bulk of the fleet is homeported in Vladivostok, 1,400miles to the southwest.
Putin will be particularly nervous about its condition given how much of his Black Sea fleet he has lost to Ukraine’s bombs.
fas.orgThe nuclear submarine base can house the Russian Pacific Fleet[/caption]
ckb-rubinThe Borei II-class can be nuclear-armed[/caption]
Locals in the village of Severo-Kurilsk in Kamchatka caught video of the resulting tsunami flooding a fish processing factory on the coast.
The local port was also inundated which buildings even being moved by the force of the water.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy a kindergarten collapsed and several people were injured.
Footage caught surgeons in the city managing to continue operating while the horror quake unfolded.
The brave doctors were captured looking at one another as the apparatus around them begins to shake.
The Kremlin announced that no one in Russia had died from the monster earthquake.
In nearby Japan, some 2million people were ordered to evacuate from the costs with fears the tsunami could lead to a second Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Evacuations were also ordered in Hawaii with waves hitting the islands 1.5m high.
With the threat to the US, President Donald Trump posted: “Due to a massive earthquake that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii.
“A Tsunami Watch is in effect for Alaska and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Japan is also in the way. Please visit tsunami.gov/ for the latest information. STAY STRONG AND STAY SAFE!”
Google EarthRybachiy submarine base[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
