A funny fish. We know: many maritime species are threatened, because they too often find themselves accidentally trapped in fishermen's nets. On Monday, November 11, something very different was caught by a young 22-year-old Norwegian fisherman off the Malangen Fjord (Norway). It is in fact theUSS Virginiaan American nuclear submarine weighing 7,800 tonnes and 115 meters long, report local media NRK and Business Insider.
An area of tension
“We had just emptied the nets and were heading to the Sommarøya fish farm when we were called by the coast guard,” the fisherman told our colleagues. In detail, the young man was delivering a catch of halibut aboard his boat Øygutt when he received this astonishing message which indicated that the propellers of the American submarine had become entangled in its own nets. Fortunately, this incident did not cause any injuries.
The events occurred between the islands of Senja and Kvaløya, in an area where American submarines are regularly resupplied. The submersible had left earlier from the port of Tromsø. If no other details on the presence of the aircraft have been communicated, we know that numerous American naval deployments have taken place in Norwegian waters in recent months, against a backdrop of increased cooperation between the two countries. As a reminder, Tromsø is located near the Barents Sea, which is shared by Norway and Russia and is therefore considered a particularly sensitive area.
Destroyed nets
But, beyond these geopolitical issues, this situation first had concrete consequences for the young fisherman. The meshes were dragged for almost four kilometers. Then, to free the USS Virginia, the Norwegian coast guard, who were on board the patrol boat KV Heimdal, were forced to cut the nets, the value of which was estimated between 40,000 and 50,000 Norwegian crowns (between 3,400 and 4,200 euros ).
“There is no reason to get angry,” assured the fisherman, who did not express anger at this loss. An investigation is underway to understand the ins and outs of this incident. Following this, the coast guard assured that they will come back to the owner of the ship for compensation. Lieutenant Pierson Hawkins, spokesperson for the US 6th Fleet, confirmed that these compensation procedures are common when the United States is responsible for damage caused to civilian equipment.
