Russian nuclear submarine base damaged by tsunami waves after Kamchatka earthquake

A Russian nuclear submarine base in the Far East appears to have been damaged by the tsunami that hit the country's Pacific coast on Wednesday, according to satellite images obtained by The Telegraph, Focus reports.

The waves caused by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Rybachy base on the Kamchatka Peninsula, home to most of Russia's Pacific Fleet's nuclear submarines.

A section of a pier has been warped from its original position, likely meaning it has broken free of its anchors, images taken by the Umbra Space satellite on Thursday morning revealed.

There does not appear to have been a submarine moored to the pier at the time of the impact, and experts say that the structural damage itself would have had little military significance.

However, questions have been raised about whether the tsunami caused additional damage to the base, which is believed to have been hit within 15 minutes of the earthquake.

The nuclear submarines based there, including the newer Soviet-era Borei and Delta class ships, are the closest to the United States, except for those deployed in forward positions.

Rybachy is located in Avacha Bay, about 75 miles west of the earthquake's epicenter. The bay also houses the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky naval base and separate missile-loading facilities and a shipyard.

Heavy damage can be seen in the port of Severo-Kurilsk, which is about twice as far from the earthquake epicenter as Avacha Bay.

Satellite images taken on July 17 show a submarine moored at the pier, which now appears to be damaged. Both sets of images show a ship moored on the western side of the pier.

Umbra Space is using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, which can penetrate the cloud layer that has prevented other systems from getting a clear picture of the tsunami's impact on Rybachi.

Dr Siddharth Kaushal, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said there was no sign of damage to the submarine fleet.

"It looks like a ship was moored at the pier, not a submarine, which is important to note," he said.

"I'm not sure we can tell anything more than the pier was damaged, [which] probably won't change the pace of activity [at the base] much."

The pier remained under “a terrible angle”, said Tom Sharp, a retired Royal Navy commander, which would have made it difficult for ships to get in and out. There appears to be a tugboat at the top of the warped section, he added, which could be involved in the initial repair work.

“If the main assumption is that a wave came in there and warped the pier, then yes, what else could it have done?“, Sharp said.

Submarines can be damaged by heavy impacts in their ports, and water can enter through open hatches or access points.

Separate images from Umbra shared online show two submarines still moored in their ports after the tsunami. Boats undergoing maintenance would be particularly vulnerable to powerful waves, unable to set sail and escape.

However, experts stress that there are no signs of damage to the vessels, and the ports used by nuclear submarines are designed to withstand seismic impacts.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's chief spokesman, said that the "earthquake resistance" The buildings and the functioning warning system ensured that there were no casualties in Kamchatka.

A retired Russian naval officer who told the website War Zone that he had not heard of any serious damage at Rybachy said: “These bases were designed and built with the possibility of a nuclear attack by the enemy in mind.“

The facility was somewhat protected by the geographical location of the bay.

However, even minor damage to the base has led some to question the wisdom of Moscow keeping so many of its Pacific Fleet assets in one place.

“That's why it's a good idea to have multiple bases, because you never know when something unexpected will happen,” Sharp said.

The Russian navy may also review the construction standards of the visibly damaged pier. While the other nine in the base are entirely made of concrete, the upper part of this pier looks like a floating extension.

"It looks quintessentially Russian", Sharpe commented. "Tape-taped".