The Pacific Fleet rescue service has received an order from the headquarters of the Russian navy to wind up the rescue operation over the stranded mini-submarine and return from the Berezovskaya Bay off the Kamchatka coast, the Itar-Tass news agency reported on Sunday.

"We received an order to call back all forces, participating in the (rescue) operation," deputy chief of the main headquarters of the Russian navy Vladimir Pepelyaev said.

Meanwhile, the British and American rescuers who participated in lifting the Russian mini-submarine are leaving Russia later on Sunday, the Interfax quoted a Russian navy spokesman as saying.

After the successful rescue, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet Admiral Viktor Fedorov both expressed gratitude to Britain, the United States and Japan, that have participated in rescuing the stranded Russian sailors.

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like to express gratitude to our sailors, particularly our Pacific Fleet sailors, and everybody who extended a helping hand to us - primarily of course the British navy, the naval forces of the United States of America and the naval forces of Japan," Ivanov told journalists on Sunday.

"We are especially grateful to British rescuers who controlled the work of the Scorpio submersible. It is their actions that helped AS-28 to surface on Sunday and rescued the lives of our sailors," Fedorov said, speaking in Vladivostok at a farewell ceremony to ships of the Pacific Fleet.

Fedorov said the successful operation on rescuing the Pacific Fleet bathyscaphe AS-28 has proved again the need for cooperation between sailors of various countries.

The Russia's mini-submarine had been entangled in 190 meters of water off the Pacific Coast for three days with seven crew members onboard before a British "Scorpio" submersible robot cut the vessel free of cables and helped it to surface at around 4:26 PM local time (01:26GMT) on Sunday.

All seven crew members are in satisfactory condition and can walk unaided on board the rescue ship Alages, and would be brought to the coast in about four hours.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2005)