U.S.: Crippled Sub Largely Destroyed

Aug. 16 -- U.S. intelligence sources tell ABCNEWS they believe half of the Russian submarine stranded at the bottom of the ocean is destroyed and that half of the crew probably died within the first minutes of the accident that brought down the vessel.

They also believe that, because so much of the Kursk is destroyed, there is much less oxygen available on it than had been projected. Russian officials said earlier today that the crew had 48 hours of oxygen left.

In another ominous sign, rescuers around the submarine reportedly have seen bubbles escaping, meaning there would be even less oxygen on the vessel.

On Tuesday, U.S. intelligence sources told ABCNEWS they were fairly convinced all the sailors aboard the submarine may have already died.

Today, some four days after the Russian submarine sank to the Barents Sea floor on Saturday, rescue teams were still struggling to reach at least 116 crew members who were in the Oscar II class submarine, but the U.S. intelligence sources in Washington say they believe the situation is bleak.

The intelligence sources said they believe five of the nine compartments in the Kursk were flooded.

U.S. officials say Russian communications indicate that in the first hours after the accident, Russian officials did have voice communications with the crippled submarine. But they lost them in the first day, and the only communication from the submarine crew was tapping on the hull picked up by Russian sensors.

Immediately after the accident, the commander of the Northern Fleet put out a message to all his ships ordering, in essence, a blackout of all ship-to-ship communications about the accident, U.S. intelligence officials said.

The Kursk has been lying on the ocean floor of the ice cold and weather-plagued Barents Sea since it went down Saturday afternoon.

Putin Admits Situation Is Grave

For the first time since the Kursk went down, Russian President Vladimir Putin went on nationwide television today in what could be described as an attempt to prepare the nation for the worst.