Royal Navy fires warning shots as Spanish vessel harasses US sub in Gibraltar

Daily Telegraph ^ | 2016, 5 May | Ben Farmer, defence correspondent

[ScaniaBoy]

The Royal Navy fired flares to warn off a Spanish patrol boat approaching an American nuclear submarine off Gibraltar.

The fast patrol boat HMS Sabre fired warning shots across the bow of a Guardia Civil vessel as it twice tried to cut across the path of USS Florida during an incursion into Gibraltar’s waters.

Gibraltar says Spanish vessels regularly stray deep into its territorial waters and the Foreign Office has attacked the incursions as provocative.

But defence sources said it was rare for a Royal Navy vessel to fire flares and it had only happened a couple of times in the past two years.

[ealgeone]

Some things never change.

[ScaniaBoy]

[TalBlack]

But defence sources said it was rare for a Royal Navy vessel to fire flares and it had only happened a couple of times in the past two years.

Flares. Terrifying. What ever happened to putting a little steel across their bow?

[ghosthost]

it’s like a human body- when the body is weak, even a harmless bacteria can take over. Our immune system is a black Muslim gay pot smoker. Even the spainards are mighty

[King of Florida]

After over 200 years, I’d say it’s about time for another Anglo-Spanish war.

[SubMareener]

That is why you should transit the strait submerged. Just find a couple of tankers going your way and slip in between them. Maybe it is hard to find a tanker these days.

[grania]

Gibralter is just a peninsula with a mountain that overlooks the Med at a rather narrow point. It's connected to nothing but Spain. It depends on Spain for electricity and garbage removal. Britain extended the 99 year lease to protect the vicious, nasty, Barbary Apes (so they say). There are really cool caves under "the Rock" with a lot of history. I can't imagine how Brits get anything to Gibralter without being in Spanish waters.

Amazing what one learns on a port-a-day cruise with the guided tour. <^.^>

[SleepySimon]

Spain wasn’t even worried about us. We were inconveniently in the middle of them hassling the British. Every few decades they try to harass the British into giving back Gibraltar. Every few decades Britain ignores them. This has been going on since it was first signed over and really doesn’t concern us.

[Natufian]

Ask for your money back. Gibraltar generates it’s own electricity supply and the idea of extending ‘the lease’ is ludicrous given that Spain ceded the rock to England in perpetuity in the Treaty of Utrecht.

[Victor]

USS Florida...hmmm...Ohio class?

Nice to see those bad boys out on patrol/duty station.

[wally_bert]

No budget for ordnance, muzzie invader welfare took those pounds.

[Monty22002]

Converted to a cruise missile only sub though.

[grania]

Thank you for that information. Did a little research to improve what I thought I knew. Gibraltar water for all purposes now comes from desalination. The Treat of Utrecht ceded Gibraltar to Britain, but it wasn't clear who ceded it. The population overwhelming votes in referendums to stay British.

That's what happens when the tour guides are from the Spanish side to the border. <^..^>

[rlmorel]

They aren't "bad boys"...as Bill Whittle says in his commentary, at least about the USS Pasadena..."She's a very, very, bad girl..."

Under the Sea: Angles and Dangles by Bill Whittle (link)

(Very entertaining and informative!)

[DaveA37]

“...... What ever happened to putting a little steel across their bow?”.........

How about a few feet below the water line and amid ship. That would definitely stop their foolishness.

[castlegreyskull]

They converted it from an SSBN to an SSGN.

[Delta 21]

Were gonna party like its 1588 !

[ScaniaBoy]

Good ol’ Queen Bess!

[armydawg505]

Without the Brits, the sub captain probably would have tried to surrender his boat to the Spanish. That’s the in thing to do in Obama’s Navy.