Kurst a fost lovit de o torpila americana MK- 48 unde si-a lasat amprenta sa. Sa nu uitati caci au fost doua submarine americane in loculurie unde au avut exercitiile militare Ruse.Submarinele, Memphis si Toledo care ultimul submarin a fost avariata in coliziune cu Kursk,de unde Memphis a luat decizia sa lanseze torpila.Toledo fiind avariata de urgenta a fost reparata in secret,acest secret nu a durat foarte mult timp deoarece sa dezvaluit in New York Times acel accident unde submarinul Toledo a fost obligat sa faca reparati de urgenta inainte sa fuga la ei acasa.

French filmmaker Jean-Michel Carré, in Kursk: a Submarine in Troubled Waters,^[2] which aired on 7 January 2005 on French TV channel France 2, alleged that Kursk sank because of a sequence of events triggered by a collision with the Toledo. According to Carré, Kursk was performing tests with Shkval torpedoes and the tests were being observed by two US submarines on duty in the region, USS Toledo and USS Memphis (SSN-691).