For three days last year, the Soviets fought to save the nuclear submarine that had been crippled by an explosion and fire. In the end, the struggle was lost; the crew was evacuated, and the 426-ft. Yankee I-class sub plunged 18,000 ft. to the bottom of the Atlantic some 600 miles east of Bermuda, taking with it as many as 16 SS-N-6 ballistic missiles, each tipped with two 500-kiloton nuclear warheads. But if the vessel is gone, it has not been forgotten. Since the sinking last Oct. 6, Soviet ships have watched over the site, "maintaining a nearly continuous presence," according...
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