I personally believe the Kursk was testing the latest version of the Shkval.
It is my belief that the engine lit while still in the tube, the subsequent heat detonating the warhead, quickly followed by the other warheads in the torpedo room. Hence, the double explosion reported by the lurking nato subs and sosus data, although the shallow waters could also account for hearing a double detonation. Acoustics are weird that way.
Personally, I was moved to tears when the first reports hit the news.
The Soviets may have been my adversary, but they were never my enemy, and all submariners share a common enemy, the sea.
