Operation to salvage fragments of Kursk's first compartment to start on May 20th

An operation to salvage fragments of the first compartment of the Kursk nuclear submarine is scheduled to start on May 20th, RIA Novosti's sources in the Staff of the Russian Northern Fleet reported. The Kursk nuclear submarine wrecked in the Barents Sea in August 2000. The ship without its first compartment was salvaged in autumn 2001. The operation's deadline is two weeks, but according to RIA Novosti's sources, it can last for 4-6 weeks depending on weather conditions. Divers are unlikely to take part in the operation. The first compartment will be salvaged by means of mechanisms and remote controlled vehicles. Ships assigned to the Special Expedition will sail out to the wreck site on May 15th. On May 20th, they will take their formation and the operation will begin. The Expedition will be fulfilling a mission set by the Russian Prosecutor General's office. According to RIA Novosti's source, only the fragments, which the Prosecutor's office needs to exactly determine the cause of the tragedy, will be salvaged from the Barents Sea floor.