Russia has made inquiries of NATO about possible assistance in rescuing the submarine Kursk. Russian rescue equipment arrived on the scene, but because of the underwater currents and the fact that the Kursk is tilted to one side, the first attempt to use the diving bell failed be cause of the inability to mate up with the subs escape hatch. Apparently the Kursk went down on August 12th, not the 13th as first reported. The Russians are apparently at a loss as to why the Kursk went down. At first it was thought to be the result of a collision, but no ship has reported such a collision. An old World War II era naval mine is now being considered. Russia reports that there are still crew members alive on the Kursk.