The last successful free ascent from a sunken submarine was in WWII when
part of the crew of USS Tang escaped from the sub from a depth of 180 feet.
USN submarine training includes actual simulated free escapes in 150 foot
water towers.

The deepest successful escape was from USS Squalus in 1939 from a depth of
240 feet. They used the McCann Rescue Chamber to evacuate all crew member
who survived the sinking. The McCann Chamber could have been used to rescue
the crew of the Kursk had it been there and the Kursk's hatches had been
fitted to mate to it.

The USN and other navies have newer rescue vehicles. The big surprise is
that the Russian Navy never developed any rescue techniques and equipment.




"Jack" wrote in message
m...
If a sub sinks in the ocean, I assume the sailors can escape by swimming
to
the surface. But what is the maximum depth that a person could do an
emergency swimming ascent from a disabled sub?