Kursk crew families remember their dead

Weeping families tossed roses and carnations into the black water off an Arctic pier today in memory of the 118 men who perished…

Weeping families tossed roses and carnations into the black water off an Arctic pier today in memory of the 118 men who perished one year ago in the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk.

As morning drizzle gave way to clear skies, the families observed a moment of silence in the small Arctic port of Vidyayevo before placing bouquets at a monument.

A new stone in honour of the 118 victims of the Kursk disaster was added to the simple hilltop monument which honours all Russian submariners lost at sea.

The families later walked down to the Kursk's former home, pier number eight, and tossed flowers into the still water beside the hulk of another docked sub.

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A white motor launch sailed slowly nearby, carrying sailors in dress uniforms who tossed wreaths into the glassy sea as the names of the dead sailors were read out.

At 11:32 a.m., the moment when the Kursk sank, a siren rang out and ships of the Northern Fleet lowered flags to half mast.

A separate ceremony was held in the Serafimovskoye cemetery in St Petersburg, Russia's second city, where two of 12 bodies recovered by divers last year are buried.

Remembrance events took place at churches and naval bases across Russia and in Ukraine's port of Sevastopol where Russia's Black Sea fleet is stationed.

The relatives later moved to a church in St Petersburg, where they held candles for a memorial service, surrounded by hundreds of sailors and officers in dress uniforms.

An international team of divers is working on the floor of the Barents Sea, bolting cables to the submarine so that it can be hoisted to the surface next month.