Posted on 01/14/2023 11:56:03 AM PST by MAGA2017
A Cold War British nuclear sub sneaked into a Soviet naval exercise and took closeup underwater pictures of Russia’s new aircraft carrier.
n 1977, with the Cold War in full swing, the U.K. Royal Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine HMS Swiftsure (S-126) slipped right into the heart of a large-scale Soviet Northern Fleet exercise in the Barents Sea. The British submarine penetrated undetected through the layered escort screens of destroyers and frigates and meticulously approached the Russian aircraft carrier Kiev. The submarine recorded extremely valuable acoustic signatures and took incredible underwater periscope pictures of the Soviet carrier’s hull and propellers. As an example of a perfect covert operation, the Soviet Navy had absolutely no idea about the presence of the NATO attack submarine and the amount of valuable data it was able to collect.
The origins of the Swiftsure class of nuclear submarine can be traced back to the mid-1960s. At the time, the Royal Navy was facing the growing threat of nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed Soviet submarines routinely operating in the Atlantic Ocean. To counter these, the Swiftsure included improvements based on the lessons learned from previous all-British-designed classes, allowing for deeper diving, higher speeds, and lower radiated noise.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedrive.com ...
Kudos to the British crew!
Vewy vewy quiet.
I’ve read many times that, in those days, British submariners were the best in the biz.
“Kudos to the British crew!”
Back in the day this was common for our sub ops.
“I’ve read many times that, in those days, British submariners were the best in the biz.”
Read? Been there, done that. Pur submariners were the best.
Run silent, run deep
“Back in the day this was common for our sub ops.”
Yes, we did.
Good movie!
Good one
Whoever smelt it, dealt it.
Wait, never mind.
Apparently the British are allowed to talk about what they did. As far as I know, what we did is still locked in compartments no one ever mentions. Everything was X25: excluded from automatic 25 year downgrade and declassification.
A friend told me the sun he was on landed on the ocean floor near a Soviet sub that was also grounded. Divers exited to swim around the Soviet sub to take photos. As they were leaving, one of the divers picked up a rock and slammed “Shave and a haircut, two bits” on the hull.
“Apparently the British are allowed to talk about what they did. As far as I know, what we did is still locked in compartments no one ever mentions. Everything was X25: excluded from automatic 25 year downgrade and declassification.”
This was published in a BBC documentary in 2013!
It was called a "hull survey." They were routine and much more impressive when one was conducted on one of our carriers as our ASW was way ahead of USSR.
“As they were leaving, one of the divers picked up a rock and slammed “Shave and a haircut, two bits” on the hull.”
During our ops it was mandated that we stay undetected ...
“It was called a “hull survey.” They were routine and much more impressive when one was conducted on one of our carriers as our ASW was way ahead of USSR.”
Been there, done that. Helicopters dropping sonar bouts all around us, Limited to 400’ depth and still got under our carrier undetected. But that was 50 years ago.
There are two kinds of naval vessels, submarines and targets.
Reminds me of a NATO exercise back in 72.
All I can say is I was never there doing what we never did.
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