The effectiveness of intentional depressurization of a pressurized water reactor primary system as a means to maintain core cooling during a small-break loss-of-coolant accident (SBLOCA) was studied. The investigation was based on experiments conducted at the Rig of Safety Assessment-V (ROSA-V) Large Scale Test Facility (LSTF) and RELAP5/MOD3 code calculations performed for LSTF geometry, together with single lumped-volume model calculations - all simulating hypothetical total failure of the high-pressure-injection system. For cold-leg breaks ≶2.5% of the leg cross-sectional area, experimental and analytical results have shown that the break discharge depressurizes the primary system to the accumulator (ACC) and low-pressure-injection (LPI) system injection pressures, and thus the core cladding temperature would be maintained below ~1000 K. For break areas ≤1.0%, on the other hand, additional depressurization means are needed to initiate the ACC injection before the core is overheated. RELAP5/MOD3 calculations have shown that steam venting through the pressurizer power-operated relief valves would be effective in depressurizing the primary system to the ACC and LPI pressures. However, for break areas <0.5%, the peak cladding temperature would finally reach the safety criterion of 1473 K.