While on patrol in the North Atlantic, a British warship HMS Northumberland hit a Russian submarine. This was reported by the UK Department of Defense.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Northumberland was tracking the Russian sub in late 2020 when the frigate’s towed sonar – a long cable with hydrophones that runs underwater behind the ship – collided with the sub. The incident was filmed by the documentary film crew “Warship: Life at Sea”.
The Department of Defense has never previously commented on the clash, but has now confirmed it as it was filmed. “At the end of 2020, a Russian submarine tracked by HMS Northumberland made contact with its towed sonar,” the Department of Defense said in a statement released to several British media on 6 January.
A Defense Department source said BBCthat it is unlikely that the sub will deliberately collide with the sonar cable. There is a scene in the television program where the crew of HMS Northumberland realizes what has happened. The crew shouts: “What was that?” It is not yet known if the Russian submarine was damaged, but HMS Northumberland was forced to return to port in Scotland to replace the damaged sonar.
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