Fishermen hunting for halibut accidentally catch US nuclear submarine instead after 7,800ton USS Virginia snagged in net

A GROUP of avid fishermen were near successful daze aft they managed to drawback a 7,800 ton US navy nuclear-powered submarine.

The Norwegian sportfishing unit were hunting for halibut earlier they accidentally snagged the mammoth USS Virginia wrong their net.

The heavyweight sub rapidly dragged the nett and everything wrong retired to oversea aft it got caught up successful the sportfishing trap.

One of the young men onboard the 32ft vessel successful bluish Norway said they lone discovered their nett had been compromised aft receiving a telephone from the seashore guard.

Captain Harald Engen, 22, told section broadcaster NRK: “We had conscionable emptied the nets and enactment them retired again and were connected our mode backmost to harbour erstwhile we received a radio telephone from the seashore guard."

He was told that the US Navy submarine had managed to get wrapped up wrong the nets adjacent Troms earlier being dragged 2 nautical miles retired to sea.

The Norwegian seashore defender discovered the tangled up sub aft an escort vas came to the rescue.

They said the sportfishing nett had managed to beryllium wholly sucked into the submarine’s propellers and had to beryllium chopped out.

Engen added: “I person heard of different boats getting caught nets but nary 1 retired present has ever heard that a submarine has done that."

He besides said the one-of-a-kind blunder mislaid him astir 40,000 Norwegian Krone (£2,800) arsenic helium had to get caller nets.

Engen earned astir fractional of that magnitude connected the time of the mishap successful halibut.

The US embassy successful Oslo aboriginal confirmed connected Monday that the USS Virginia had been sailing successful the waters astatine the clip of the accident.

It is simply a 377ft nuclear-powered onslaught submarine utilized successful the American Navy.

US atomic subs person been successful Norwegian waters since 2021 aft an statement said the navy could usage a civilian larboard extracurricular Troms arsenic a swap implicit constituent for unit and supplies.

Fears are besides continuing to turn implicit however Russia's Vladimir Putin whitethorn usage the Norwegian Sea to make further chaos successful Europe.

A caller fleet of Russian nuclear-powered submarines person been successful operation since 2021 which marque up Russia’s Northern Fleet.

Those already successful work are stationed successful the Murmansk state adjacent to the Norwegian border.

Norway - a founding subordinate of Nato - are believed to beryllium connected of the countries astir astatine hazard if Putin defeats Ukraine.

Tensions betwixt Nato and Russia are astatine boiling constituent implicit the despot's amerciable penetration with galore fearing helium whitethorn proceed to origin continental carnage if helium wins the agelong drawn battle.

It comes arsenic a Russian vessel carrying 20,000 tonnes of highly explosive cargo was spotted disconnected the UK coast conscionable days aft it was refused introduction into Troms.

The vessel, known arsenic the Ruby, was seen floating disconnected Margate, connected the Kent coast and is present conscionable a fewer miles from the Thames Estuary.

The Ruby primitively acceptable sail from Kandalaksha, connected the Kola peninsula in Russia but it was believed to person picked up harm connected the way.

These issues caused it to halt successful Troms, Norway, connected September 3, whilst seeking information from a storm.

Its propeller, hull, and rudder had been damaged, but pursuing respective days authorities insisted the vessel permission arsenic fears grew among locals. 

Tromso authorities moved the vessel connected from its mooring adjacent a large infirmary and university, implicit fears its explosive cargo posed a hazard to the city.

After travelling to bluish Norway, the vas was concisely moored adjacent to the Andoya NATO air base, according to planetary vessel tracking website Marine Traffic.