The nuclear-powered Project 949A Antey (Oscar II class) submarine Kursk (Russian: Project 949A Антей Atomnaya Podvodnaya Lodka "Kursk" (APL "Kursk")) sank in an accident on 12 August 2000 in the Barents Sea, during the first major Russian naval exercise in more than 10 years, and all 118 personnel on board were killed. The crews of nearby ships felt the initial explosion and a second, much larger explosion, but the Russian Navy did not realise that an accident had occurred and did not initiate a search for the sub for over six hours. The submarine's emergency rescue buoy had been intentionally disabled during an earlier mission and it took more than 16 hours to locate the sunken boat.