European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 3, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday March 3, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 9 somehow two submarines collided details of october Accident revealed by Norman Black a military writer Washington one of Floc Navy s nuclear powered attack submarines was damaged More extensively last tall than originally thought in what Pentagon sources say was most Likely a collision with a soviet submarine. The sources who agreed to discuss the matter on condition of anonymity said the Navy s internal investigation of what happened to the submarine Augusta last october has been classified secret. The officials added however thai the Navy had ruled out the possibility the submarine could have struck an unmapped underwater obstruction and said at least one and possibly More soviet submarines were nearby Al the Lime of the collision. There has already been a very Thor Ough investigation in a lot of ways an official said. The Only plausible explanation and the most Likely one is that somehow two submarines collided. Aslo How ii could happen we Don t meanwhile the Navy has now Dis closed that the damage sustained by the Augusta Cost almost twice As much to repair As originally estimated. The serv ice acknowledged East november thai the Accident had occurred and confirmed that the submarine had returned to Gro ton. Conn., Tor repairs Al the general dynamics corp s electric Boal Divi Sion. It estimated the damage at about $1.5 million. At the time the Navy said he Augusta struck a submerged object which resulted in minor damage id the underside of the ship while operating in the North pm Atlantic last week the Navy issued a statement saying that the Cost of repairs totalled $2.7 the repairs were completed on dec 13, and the submarine has returned to service the Navy added that repairs had been required to the sub s external ballast tank plates and to ill sonar dome covering and sonar equipment. The Auguila ii one of the Navy s newer attack submarines one of a Long line of so called 688-cla.u subs. Such ves Sels have been designed primarily to locate and in the event of War destroy enemy submarine. Navy officials in the Wake of the Walker spy ring scandal have acknowledged in the past year that the soviet Union has made tremendous strides in quieting its submarines reducing the american advantage in such technology. Last november after the Navy con firmed that the collision had occurred Abc news quoted unidentified sources As saying chances Are Good that the Augusta collided with a soviet submarine during a deep sea game of the network said some Navy officials thought the Augusta might have been Blind sided by a soviet sub that had gone undetected while the Augustama neutered to evade another soviet sub Marine. Sources contacted by the associated press declined to say precisely How Many submarines the Navy now believes were operating in the area. But they agreed the Auguila had been working a Contact with a soviet vessel. Such cat and mouse games have be come routine for the Navy s submariners and provide real lire training the sources said. Efforts to determine whether the Augusia might have suffered some Type of failure with its acoustic listening gear were unsuccessful. The Navy would say Only that the sub s Captain cmdr. James Vonsuskil was not relieved Al the time of the Colli Sion the Augusta which carries the designation ssn-710, is powered by a single nuclear reactor and displaces 6,900 tons when submerged. It carries a Crew of about 125 men. Afghanistan denies it bombed Pakistan areas Islamabad Pakistan a the government of Afghanistan on saturday denied charges that its War planes bombed refugee Camps and villages inside Paki Stan. Pakistani officials said the death toll from one attack had risen to 33. The pakistanis said afghan planes bombed two Vil Lages near the Border thursday and Friday bombed afghan refugee Camps at mat Asanga and Kha Dana near Par Chinar about i pkg Miles West of Islamabad. The government administrator of Par Chinar Masoo Dur Rehman. Said saturday that two More victims had died raising the toll there to 33 dead and 56 injured pakistani officials said that in thursday s raids afghan planes bombed the villages of Ghulam Mohammad and Saidai near Mira Shah 190 Miles Southwest of Islamabad killing 35 people and wound ing about 200. Stale run radio Kabul on saturday denied the Paki Stani charges thai Afghanistan was behind inc Border bombings. These allegations arc a bundle of propaganda lev eled Al a t Ime when he Geneva talks Are going on the station in the afghan capital of Kabul said in a news cast monitored in Islamabad. The. Pakistani promo Ganda also Aims at pleasing Islamabad s master in the United wednesday peace talks by in can Pakistan and Afghanistan resumed in Geneva. The talks Are aimed Al ending the eight year old civil War Between Afghanistan s soviet hacked marxist government and anti communist guerrillas. The Ovici and afghan governments accuse Paki Stan the United states China and other nations of aiding inc guerrillas an estimated 115,000 soviet troops remain in Afghanistan helping the government fight the insurgency. The soviets began their military intervention in december 1979. More than three million afghan refugees have fled to Pakistan and about two million have moved into Iran. Meanwhile the associated press of Pakistan reported saturday from mat Asanga and Khar Dand that the bomb Custer tags and shells litter the ground at he pakistani Border Village of Chilani Mohammad. Refugee Camps were a ghastly scene of it quoted Rehman As saying the aircraft intruded 15 Miles into pakistani airspace Friday and dropped 14 bombs at Khar Dand and is Al mat Asanga. He said the attack on mat Asanga came while 200 refugee were receiving food rations and kerosene for cooking with the bombs setting 7,800 Gallons of kerosene on fire. Scientist admits then denies Pakistan has the bomb London up Pakistan has the atom bomb the country s leading nuclear scientist said in an interview published sunday thai he subsequently denied. America knows it or. Ahdel Qader Khan Lold the observer one of London s most respected sunday Palm. What i he Cia has been saying about our pos Sessing the bomb is Correct and so is the speculation of some foreign new spa Khan a 51-Vrar-old scientist cd Fulcd in the Netherlands Germany and he Gium Heads the top were uranium laboratories Al Khugia. Near Nisja Nabad. Lie said these Are Niew producing i Azniu Grade uranium. To made tic claim in an in Lem a in Islamabad with Kuldip Nayar an Indian journalist affirming that his country has gained entry to the world nuclear club that includes the major Powers India and prob ably Israel and South Africa. Khan said they told us hat Pakistan could never produce the bomb and they doubled my capabilities but they now know be have done Bui in a letter delivered to news Agen cies by the Pakistan Liin Boisy in Wash injun Khun spoke of Cun Coclet statements unit dented the comments. As i have so often publicly slated. Pakistan s enrichment research is solely aimed Al the development of fuel Grade uranium for our future Potter reactors. The government of Pakistan has made it abundantly Clear Ihal it Lias no desire to produce nuclear weapons Khan said in his letter. The United states has sought to per Suade Pakistan not to Lake up the nuclear Uca Pons option and a so. Billion Aid proposal before Congress depends an Pakistan not possessing the Homb. In the observer interview. Khan boasted that Pakistan had taken Only in suits to assemble the bomb Whei Vas a team in India which carried out a nuclear leu in l 7-l tuck a Jears. Nobody can undo Pakistan or take us Morkri Misli d. We Are Here in and let it be Clear Lylial it i Holt use Llie bomb if our existence is ii Vainiu he in d. Asked if Pakistan had tested the bomb. Khan replied is it necessary America has threatened to Cut Fovall its Aid. The testing does not have to be on the ground. It can he done in a Laboratory through a the Oli sith r reported he said the bomb had been built with the help of rih funding dealing $5 billion Anil in the face of a Western embargo on nuclear technology. Indeed in was Khan said. Parl Kundik when America and of Lect Western in Ihrk s had snipped Selling anything which a null be used in manufacturing the bumb. Hui a r whatever we walled before Western countries got wind of
