Russian Submarine Hits British Warship in North Atlantic

London: A Russian submarine collided with a British Royal Navy warship on patrol in the North Atlantic. This was confirmed by the UK Ministry of Defence.

HMS Northumberland had been tracking the submarine when it hit the ship's sonar, a piece of equipment trailing hundreds of meters behind it.

The incident, in late 2020, was captured by a television crew shooting a documentary .

A British defense source said it was unlikely the collision was intentional.

“HMS Northumberland was looking for a submarine in the Arctic Circle after it disappeared from the ship's radar,” according to Channel 5, which recorded the 'Warship: Life at Sea' series.

“The frigate has located a hunter-killer submarine using a towed sonar array. This is a long tube equipped with a sensitive hydrophone for underwater listening," the British Ministry of Defence said, as quoted by the BBC, Friday 7 January 2022.

A periscope is seen on the surface by the ship's Merlin helicopter before the Russian submarine dives again, hitting the sonar of HMS Northumberland.

Film cameras caught the crew screaming: "What the hell is that?".

It is not clear what, if any, damage was suffered by the Russian ship but the warship had to return to port in Scotland to replace the damaged equipment.

There has been an increase in Russian submarine activity in recent years, and Royal Navy frigates regularly patrol the North Atlantic.

The Ministry of Defense does not normally comment on operations but did so because the incident was caught on camera.

"In late 2020, a Russian submarine tracked by HMS Northumberland came into contact with its tow sonar," the ministry said.

"The Royal Navy regularly tracks foreign ships and submarines to ensure British defence," they concluded.

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