Er, Nessie seen in waters off Sweden?

[David Guyatt]

Oh, golly gosh and cripes.

Now the Norwegians see a nasty ol' evil red Russian submarine that tells us what that evil, nasty ol' Putin is up to in the Arctic.

Mystery submarine sighting gives clue to Russia's Arctic ambitions

Norwegian scientists apparently spot aging nuclear research vessel, part of President Putin's plan to send 6000 troops to an area rich in oil and gas


The men said that they approached the submarine, but she sank back under the ice when they were within 100 metres of her Photo: Audun Tholfsen and Yngve Kristoffersen

By Ali Kefford

7:16AM GMT 28 Oct 2014


A chance encounter by scientists adrift on an Arctic ice floe has given the first clues to a new Cold War being played out in in the far north, where Vladimir Putin has made no secret of his ambitions to extend Russian influence.

Yngve Kristoffersen and Audun Tholfsen, two Norwegian researchers, were coming to the end of their day when they spotted something unusual on the water.

"In the evening we spotted lights at a distance," the scientists recorded in their blog for October 16.

"Turned out to be a submarine at the surface in position: 89° 17.5' N, 172° 42.9' W. We were not able to identify it."

The men said that they approached the boat, but she sank back under the ice when they were within 100 metres of her.

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They did, however, obtain several photographs which show a distinctive profile, with the outline of the fin and bulbous bow pointing to her being a Russian nuclear submarine.
She has been potentially identified as the Delta class boat Orenburg.
If so, then the scientists met an old monster, a former ballistic missile bomber which displaces 13,700 tons when submerged, and was originally commissioned into the Northern Fleet in 1981.
Later refurbished to be able to launch and retrieve a mini-submarine, she is now believed to be used for classified deep-sea research.
This chimes with last week's announcement that the Kremlin intends to create a 6,000-strong Arctic force and open bases across the ice cap, beneath which are significant undiscovered reserves of oil, natural gas and minerals.
But not all Russian submarines are aged relics, as Putin began rearming his fleet in earnest five years ago.

[SUB]Audun Tholfsen and Yngve Kristoffersen spotted the submarine poking through an ice floe (Audun Tholfsen and Yngve Kristoffersen)[/SUB]
A new generation of ballistic missile submarines is already being launched, able to prowl the deep much further afield than their predecessors.
Submarines from the Russian Black Sea, Pacific and Northern fleets are being observed much more regularly in the Mediterranean.
And last week Swedish military carried out an intense search of coastal waters for a foreign submarine, believed to be a Russian midget vessel similar to their old Pirahnas.
Whatever she was, she ultimately eluded her pursuers.
During the Cold War there were numerous tense skirmishes between Western and Soviet submarines below the Arctic cap, the details of which still remain largely classified.
"We were, at times, actually only one turn of a key away from firing," a senior naval source said.
2Some of our of commanding officers went straight to Downing Street after coming back alongside from such patrols."
The British and US submarine services who, by tradition, work extremely closely, have never dropped their guard in the intervening years.
They will now be using every intelligence-gathering technique available to them to monitor current Russian activity.
"There is almost certainly a US submarine there now," said the source.
"And if there isn't one there permanently below the Arctic ice cap, the High North will be on a periodic patrol cycle."

And oh, golly gosh and cripes, said the editors of the Daily Bellylaugh. "Let's pretend we don't know that the prior Swedish sighting was of a Dutch submarine, and instead continue to pretend it was Russian - because truth has no place in reporting the news."