In 1983, while operating under the Arctic Ocean icecap at the depth of 190m (620feet), K-279 struck an iceberg. The submarine rolled about 20 degrees and lost depth control, diving to 300m (1,000feet) before recovering. The submarine continued her mission for another two months before returning to port, despite the significant damage she had suffered. The Soviet Navy published an advisory to submarine captains warning that the bottoms of icebergs can extend to depths of 200m (700feet) or more.
The American writers claims that on 20 October 1986, collided with K-279 in the eastern Atlantic.[1] The Soviet Navy claimed that Augusta collided with .[2]
In 1992, K-279 was decommissioned and held in reserve. In 1998 she was dismantled at Zvezdochka shipyard in Severodvinsk and her reactor section was towed to Sayda Bay.
This article includes material adapted from the Bellona Foundation's Web site and from an 8 June 2004 interview with Rear-Admiral Vitaly Fedorin by Pravda.