Fishing Vessel Nets Russian Submarine
A Northern Irish fishing boat caught one of the biggest hauls in its career, but rather than tons of fish, it may have been tons of steel in the form of a Russian submarine.
The New York Times reports that the Karen nearly capsized when the nets it was using to trawl for fish were suddenly caught on a Russian submarine. The incident took place in international waters nestled between Ireland and Great Britain, at about the halfway point between Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.
The incident took place during NATO naval exercises called Joint Warrior. NATO denies that the submarine in question belong to the organization. The Karen's run in with the submarine also happened at roughly the same time a Russian destroyer and support vessels were unnessarily transiting the English Channel.
In nearby waters, a Scottish vessels claims to have gone through a similar experience in March. The vessel, the Aquarius, was trawling off the Isle of Lewis.
The Karen and Aquarius incidents are part of a series of incidents where vessels thought to be Russian submarines appeared dangerously close to the coasts of foreign nations. In Oct. of 2014, the Swedish Navy was put on high alert after what appeared to be a Russian submarine was seen breaching the surface just meters from the Swedish coastline.
The Times reports that just last month, the Norwegian Navy dropped depth charges in the waters off Helsinki after the presence of a submarine was suspected.
The submarine adventures come as the Russian Air Force continually tests the air defenses of NATO and European nations. Since the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine, there have been at least 40 documented instances where Russian fighters or bombers violated the airspace of NATO or European nations, according to the Times.
