Fishermen are usually delighted when a big catch lands in their nets, but a fisherman in Norway was left astonished when he discovered that an American submarine had become entangled in his fishing gear.
This surprising incident occurred in the Malangen fjord region of Norway. According to a Norwegian broadcaster, a fisherman named Harald Engen was delivering a halibut he had caught near his home when he received an unusual message. He was informed that the propellers of a submarine had become caught in his nets and dragged them about 2 nautical miles away.
The 377-foot-long nuclear-powered American submarine, USS Virginia, was headed toward the port of Tromsø in Norway. The Norwegian Coast Guard confirmed that one of their ships had to cut the nets to free the submarine.
The fisherman stated, “I knew that other vessels sometimes pass near fishing nets, but none of us had ever heard of a submarine doing so.” He added that he was not angry about the incident, and the Coast Guard is in contact with him regarding possible compensation.
Meanwhile, a U.S. military spokesperson confirmed the incident but declined to share further details.
