A British rescue team was last night preparing to aid the stricken Russian nuclear submarine - despite fears that the call for help had come too late to save the entombed crew.

Russian naval chiefs were clinging to the hope that the 118 submariners stranded 325ft down at the bottom of the Barents Sea could still be rescued.

An LR5 rescue submersible from Britain, with 27 Royal Navy and civilian personnel, had earlier been flown to Trondheim, Norway, to await a call from the Russian government for assistance.

That call came yesterday afternoon after a series of attempts by Russian teams to save the crew of the Kursk were scuppered by strong currents and bad weather, with one effort almost ending in the loss of a rescue capsule.

The submersible was last night being loaded on to the Normand Pioneer, a chartered ship equipped with an A-frame from which the sophisticated craft is lowered into the sea.

The rescue team and equipment were also being moved on to the Normand Pioneer, which is being supported by three RAF Hercules planes carrying extra equipment, including decompression chambers.

But the 48-hour sea journey to the Kursk means the LR5 will not reach the stricken submarine until Saturday at the earliest.

The Ministry of Defence spokesman said that Trondheim, 800 miles from the site of the Kursk, had been chosen as the standby location as it was the nearest place where a compatible ship could be found.

The Russian government refused to give up hope, even though all contact with the 500ft submarine has been lost.

Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov said he believed a rescue attempt could still succeed, despite reports that the submarine only contained enough oxygen for 48 hours.

The 30ft long LR5 works by latching on to a submarine's emergency hatch and taking off 16 personnel at a time.

The rescue of all the men on board the Kursk could take up to 24 hours - and the weather conditions will be crucial