Story perspectives

Torpedo Sinks Russian Ship Carrying Nuclear Parts to North Korea

5/12/2026

Summary

Ursa Major Sinks

The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank 60 mi off Spain on 23 December 2024 after explosions from a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, killing two crew members and rescuing fourteen.
Reports state the ship carried components for submarine nuclear reactors bound for Rason, North Korea, and that a 50 cm by 50 cm hull breach consistent with a torpedo was found.
Four explosion signatures were logged while U.S. WC-135R aircraft overflew the wreck on 28 August and 6 February.

Summary

Ursa Major Loss

The Ursa Major, on sanctions as a “shadow fleet” vessel, sank with two VM-4SG reactor casings.
Contrary to its manifest listing “port cranes” for Vladivostok, investigators found the cargo was the reactor casings.
Russian state-owned Oboronlogistics called the loss a terrorist attack and said the cargo was civilian.
Western agencies say the loss proves intensified anti-arms-trafficking actions with new sonar and that the multimillion-dollar casings could delay North Korea’s submarine program.

History

Historical Context

In March 1968 the Soviet ballistic-missile submarine K-129 sank in the Pacific at roughly 16,500 feet, and U.S. SOSUS stations pinpointed the wreck. President Nixon then ordered the CIA’s covert Project Azorian; in 1974 the Hughes Glomar Explorer raised the forward section, retrieving two nuclear-torpedoes but losing most of the hull. The operation set a Cold-War precedent for U.S. intelligence to chase hidden Soviet nuclear assets.

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Ursa Major Sinks

The Russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank 60 mi off Spain on 23 December 2024 after explosions from a Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, killing two crew members and rescuing fourteen.
Reports state the ship carried components for submarine nuclear reactors bound for Rason, North Korea, and that a 50 cm by 50 cm hull breach consistent with a torpedo was found.
Four explosion signatures were logged while U.S. WC-135R aircraft overflew the wreck on 28 August and 6 February.

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