Russian Submarine Blamed For Snagging Trawler
A fishing trawler that was dragged backwards off the coast of Northern Ireland may have caught a Russian submarine in a net, fishermen have said.
The Karen was badly damaged when it was suddenly pulled along at 10 knots (nearly 12mph) and only managed to break free when it released the wires connecting the net to the boat.
Skipper Paul Murphy told Down News he was almost knocked off his feet when the trawler lurched backwards.
"One of the gallows which holds the wire rope mounted to the deck was severely bucked with the force," he said.
"It really was a close call. The incident only lasted about just over five seconds but it was very scary. The submarine did not come up to the surface after we tangled with it."
The Ministry of Defence refused to comment on whether there were manouevres in the area, about 18 miles from Ardglass, but a fishermen's group said Royal Navy vessels were meant to stop and check on the crew of the other vessel in such a collision.
"It is possible that it was a Russian submarine," Dick James, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Fish Producers' Organisation, said. "It was a submarine, it had to be, it could not have been anything else."
However, Sky's defence correspondent Alistair Bunkall: "Whilst it isn't unthinkable, or even unprecedented, that a submarine might sail into a fishing net, I'm reliably told that no British or Russian submarines were in those waters at the time.
"Submarines give off a signature that can be tracked by magnetic anomaly detectors, essentially a network of sonar buoys, aircraft or undersea cables that pick up the boats movements.
"Submarines also give off wake turbulence which is another way of tracking them. And never underestimate US intelligence capabilities – they are able to detect when a Russian sub leaves its base and let allies know so it can be tracked."
Britain is hosting Exercise Joint Warrior - involving about 50 vessels, dozens of aircraft and thousands of troops from the UK, NATO and allies - in Scotland.
The NATO manouevres are held every six months, but those in Lossiemouth are the largest ever carried out.
"There has been Russian activity. There have been Allied exercises going on, the Russians have been taking an interest in it," Mr James said.
"If it was Allied it should have been following an agreed protocol where this should not have happened.
"Our defence forces are not up to much if a rogue submarine of unidentified nationality is tearing around the Irish Sea."
Earlier this week, RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled after Russian aircraft were seen close to UK airspace.
Russian naval vessels have also been passing through the English Channel, reportedly on their way to anti-aircraft exercises in the Atlantic.
Sinn Fein Northern Ireland Assembly member Chris Hazzard said fishermen in the port of Ardglass wanted answers from the MoD.
"The skipper and his crew on the Karen, and indeed all of the local fleet deserve to know the truth about what happened," he said.
"Whether this is a British vessel attached to the hugely controversial Trident system or a NATO submarine in training - our local fishermen deserve justice."
