Curious “Catch” – Fishermen accidentally catch a nuclear submarine

The Øygutt with Captain Harald Engen was on its way home to deliver the catch of halibut when he received news that the attack submarine had carried away the fishing nets he had just set up.

“We had just emptied and loosened our nets and were on our way to Sommarøya when we received a call from the coast guard,” he told NRK.

“It’s gone, we’ll probably never find it again”
The little fishing boat had had a very good day so far. The three-man crew had already pulled more than 200 kilos of halibut and some plaice on board the approximately ten meter long ship. The fishing grounds there are known for the abundance of halibut in the fall.

But then the bad news for the men: “A submarine ended up in our halibut net and took everything with it,” Engen continued. The damage now amounts to approximately 4000 euros. “It’s gone and we’ll probably never find it again.”

US Navy confirms incident
The US Navy also confirms the incident; the net was wrapped around the propeller of the USS “Virginia”. A Norwegian Coast Guard ship escorting the submarine eventually helped clear the entanglement.

Not a safe incident
“It happens that ships get tangled in nets and become entangled in the propellers,” said a Coast Guard spokesperson. Although the incident ended on a light note this time, something like this can also end tragically. In 1990, the trawler “Antares” was pulled into the depths when a submarine took the net with it. All four men on board were killed.