Speaking in Parliament today the Defence Secretary told Parliament in November he had authorised an RN submarine monitoring Russian spy ship Yantar to surface in close proximity.
The Yantar was observed in the Irish sea in mid-November 2024 and as we reported, was monitored in an operation involving HMS Cattistock, HMS Tyne, and RFA Proteus and an RAF P-8A Poseidon. In an unusual move, the minister revealed that the ship was also shadowed by an RN submarine (either HMS Astute, Anson or Triumph). The boat was told to surface close by in a move that John Healy described as “strictly as a deterrent measure, to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move”. The Minister was also forthright about the mission of this vessel: “Let me be clear, this is a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”.
Yantar lingered over undersea cables in the Irish Sea for a short time but it is unlikely she interfered with any installations, especially given the close attention from the RN. She subsequently headed to the Mediterranean and was observed operating briefly over the wreck of Russian merchant ship MV Ursa Major that sunk in December after an engine room explosion.
In the past two days, HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne have been tracking the Yantar on her return journey to her Northern Fleet Base, heading eastward through the English Channel and North Sea. The Defence Secretary said he has also changed the rules of engagement to allow RN ships to get closer to Russian vessels when being tracked near the UK.
Astute or Anson rather than audacious?
Apologies, yes corrected. Astute would be best guess at boat involved.
This was last year before Triumph decommissioned?
Wouldn’t it have been a fitting Cold War style send off for the ultimate Cold War submarine?
Conqueror was the ultimate cold war boat.
She certainly kept the argies in port and sank the Belrano
I thought Audacious is undergoing a refit in Guzz.
“ In an unusual move, the minister revealed that the ship was also shadowed by an Astute class boat (either HMS Astute, Anson or Triumph).”
Triumph is a T series not an A series!
Apologies – initial article had to be put together in at very short notice – as you will see it has been updated and amended in last few hrs.
No worries we are all here because we support RN – well most of us!!
Keep up the good work.
“Are you sure, we can sink you anytime we wish?”
I literally just read about this on MSN and wondered how true it was but seeing as NL are now reporting this, I’ll happily believe it.
One poster here seems to be adamant that nothing of the sort is happening and that recent and historical damage caused to undersea cables is not attributable to nice and friendly Russia.
Why wouldn’t it be true if reported in MSN?!?!
Referring to Dukerov perchance?
Yup.
Im not saying that. I just provided the evidence
A major US newspaper with links to the Intell agencies is saying it
“Accidents, not Russian sabotage, behind undersea cable damage, officials say”
Guess whos not following the evidence this time but loves the conspiracy angle.(LOL)
despite cable breaks happening globally a couple of times week- even for Russian cables
Evidence evidence evidence
Wheres yours , other than “officials say”
You didn’t provide evidence though.
Wheres your evidence for global warming then other than scientists say ?
Snow in New Orleans !
I provided the major US newspaper link and obviously the Intell services arent going to be quoted by name. believe it or not, I dont care
https://blog.telegeography.com/what-to-know-about-submarine-cable-breaks
believe it or not , Mr Ripley, as we all know you are an armchair master mariner and could control a 90k tanker with your eyes closed.
there were reports yesterday in the Times, that intelligence agencies in US and Europe have discounted the Baltic damage via the tankers was deliberate. Sounds staggering to me, but there you go.
Then there is this saying they globally a couple of times a week
https://blog.telegeography.com/what-to-know-about-submarine-cable-breaks
Either that photo was taken from a long way away, or the Proteus got really quite close to Yantar.
Is that sort of close-quarters maneuvering normal for a monitoring mission?
Intimidation is the name of the game, I would expect that the captain of the Yantar was more than a little Buttock loosely clenched seeing that ugly mass of Grey bearing down on him.
Soft Power is the UK’s greatest weapon.
It used to be called Gunboat Diplomacy
Probably has a little bit less than having the starboard battery trained on you, however.
Now, if Proteus had a line of smoothbore cannon along the edge of the working deck, however…
Authorisation was given for a much closer level of monitoring than usual. Monitoring is the wrong here, more to hound them to move on…
I suspect you are correct. It’s not only the Russians that can conduct intimidating Fly Byes against Nato assets.
Got a lot closer in the cod wars in the 70s
“Four frigates and an RFA tanker were typically deployed to Icelandic waters during the Cod Wars, but these relatively small numbers hide the degree of fleet rotation – 32 frigates were involved in the 1972-73 campaign, with 22 frigates taking part in 1975-76. “
https://www.navylookout.com/lessons-from-the-cod-war/
Damage to HMS Falmouth’s bow after ramming ICGV Týr at 22 knots, May 1976
Excellent way to get the point across. They’ll still be muttering into their vodka over the loss of their ship in the Med.
Astute was in The Med and Anson was in The Irish Sea and English Channel – just saying
How do you know where our stealth subs are? Even the navy doesn’t know once they go under water
Is there no risk to compromising the signature of the A-boat in surfacing next to a spy ship?
No.
No, But it did reveal to the Russians that the only operational RN submarine was in the vicinity of Yantar, Allowing the rest of the Northern fleet to breathe a sigh of relief
Cat n mouse
An excellent move. A visible deterrent such as this will make them think twice. It should be made abundantly clear to Russia that any severing of our undersea cables, pipelines or other infrastructure that are critical to the UK should be regarded as a deliberate attack requiring a response up to and including activating Article 5.
Why should we not attack Britain
You have been an enemy for hundreds of years and even now trying to destroy Russia in partnership with Usa and rest of NATO
Apart from all those times we were allies you mean? Napoleon, ww1, ww2………..
Just sayin
Not allies during ww1
Well yes they were until the revolution.
Guys, Vlad the Bad is one here as well????!!!!!
Are you really President Putin? The question is not “why not” but “why”. Was Britain an enemy of Russia? I thought that the two countries were in alliance for WW2
Its a sock puppet like the many others here. Orchestrated by Beijing’s ‘United Front’ Work department and specifically disrupting websites ahead of the the RNs carrier visit to South China Sea CSG25 later this year.
Disrupting me especially as ‘ Im like the Astute showing them I know what they are doing here’
And after Russia did the heavy lifting to defeat the German Army in WW2, how has the UK treated Russia ever since?
Really Russia didn’t enter WW 2 until Barbarossa by that time the battle of Britian was won Germany wasn’t invading the UK and the Atlantic convoys were bailing your arses out.
Heavy lifting = retreat taking massive casualties and relying on invaders logistics trains to fail
With contempt, which is richly deserved. Remind us what the Eastern Block was? The takeover of Europe by Russia after WW2, trying to gain land after its polish land grab in 1939, now doing it again with Ukraine.
Putin doesn’t use the internet, which is why he is so detached from the reality of how the war is going in Ukraine.
Bugger off Putler.
Mr Putin, are you taking Botox? Your face looks like it’s made of wax.
Russian ships should be banned from British waters.
Central Part of Irish sea is international waters – ie outside 12nm limit
What it is British & Irish Economic Zone waters , for fishing and oil drilling etc. under UN Law of the Sea
of course the RN has every right to monitor whats happening in their economic zone waters
Duker
Does the same “rule of the sea” apply in the South China Sea and the Sea of Oshtosk?
Peter (Irate Taxpayer)
I dont follow the PLAN, but of course the Chynese are acting illegally- just as Britain was regarding Diego Garcia . Courts ruled against both.
Maybe it needs a name change in western atlases from South Chyna Sea to an older name
Champa Sea or Sea of Cham as even the chynese just call it South Sea ( Nan Hai)
Unlike you I have been to Diego Garcia, twice. The Chagos Islands were ceded to the UK by France by the Treaty of Paris in 1814, four years after the Royal Navy had captured Mauritius. The International Court of Justice cannot make a binding Judgement unless both sides have previously agreed to arbitration and was heavily influenced by the governments of Third World nations which China has recently bought by bribery.
If the UN ICJ and General Assembly could overrule the 1814 Treaty of Paris then it could equally easily overrule the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and force us to had Gibraltar to Spain but they cannot because the UN Constitution is such that only the Security Council (in which we and the USA both have a veto) can make binding decisions.
Your timelines are wrong.
The whole French “Mauritius and Seychelles and other atolls” Indian ocean Colony was ceded by 1814 Treaty of Paris. The capture clearly came a few years before . duh. Thats what peace Treatys do Remember Versailles after WW1 ended. French kept Réunion
Maldives further north came from the dutch when they were kicked out of Ceylon.
Anyway British ran Mauritius, Seychelles and Chagos as one Crown colony until Seychelles as their own crown colony were separated in 1903
Britain decided to give Mauritius independence, no one forced them. Any way 1814 Treaty of Paris was with France not Mauritius. Duh. Maybe the French can have first refusal
UN/ ICJ doesnt have jurisdiction before it was created, BIOT was created when ? You know that but play dumb but it was 1965
also
Britain didnt vote against it. No country voted against it .
Whats that about Chyna ?. Mauritius has been after the return of Chagos since the 1980s.
Also UK requires that upon returning Chagos sovereignty to Mauritius, a new lease agreement with US must be in place . Same tenant new landlord…Whats that about Chyna ?
Guess what RAN naval base outside Perth is being readied for UK, US and future RAN nuclear subs ..duh
Is this Chinglish? what evidence?
It took 2 minutes to fact-check but of course, it is easier to make things up like you did.
British ships should then be banned from the Baltic and Black Seas
Which are all, as we know, Russian waters.
Right.
If you have been snooping around someone else’s underwater cables pretending you’re just out for a jolly in the Irish sea then an astute class that you had no idea was there pops up to say hello I think that would have you wondering how poor your detection equipment actually is !
Like your reply. Quite right!!
Basically they didn’t know something bigger was next to them
Just a thought wonder how our Maggie would handle such a breach or Winston tricky situations deserve tricky answers maybe we should ask Davie Jones 🧐
Bilbo
This was reported, as headline news, on the 6pm broadcast on Sky News this evening…
………..It was broacasting that very rare “operational” statement by the Defence Secretary (ie the one given in the House today)
———–
So, to answer your question…
Compared to either one of Maggie’s handbagging , or a Churchillian “Action this Day” memo, the UK;s response to yet another provocation (i.e. today) was extremely soft
Throughout all of the Cold War until 1991 – when Hillary C’s husband Billy from Arkansa got very cold feet…….
there were quite regular collsions between RN submarines and the USSR’s finest – both surfaced contaacts and, especially, submerged contacts
So much so, the dockyards even had phrase for it……this was known up at Falsane as:
“Hitting a Murmask Iceberg”
——
Today – surfacing this submarine directly underneath this GRU spy ship – and please remember the Astures are designed and rated for under-ice operation – would have given the GRU (commies) crew a far nastier shock than only surfacing “nearby”
Or, instead of an Astute – as Supportive Bloke has just hinted at above = deploy Triumph on its last voyage……..
————–
So, not for the first time the RN media team have been found asleep at their desks…
Why was the photo of Proteus and Yamtar (i.e. used above) not given to Sky News?
Peter (Irate Taxpayer)
PS and let us not forget = we now have full-scale Public Inquiry ongoing into the incompetent political / civil service / government response to the Salisbury nerve agent attack – you remember = one organised by Mr Putin’s GRU thugs a few years back…
Not going to argue with that well said sir🧐
“wonder how our Maggie would handle such a breach”
Your Maggie was too busy slicing of 1% of GDP from defence budget BEFORE the Cold war ended.
All handbag and desk thumping
Funny that, because even with a decreased defence budget our forces got out there and did the job in fine time. Argentina has never really got over it.
And the world was watching and taking note that we don’t mess around. We in turn learned that when we have to stand alone we are very capable and determined.
Putin and many of his forebears knew this decades ago. Which is why they play the grey games only.
As ever, the UK watches, waits, plans and prepares.
“Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes.”
It’s time to say enough is enough if Russki want a war with NATO then bomb Russia…
You can start by grabbing a rifle and a helmet and parachute yourself in, we can all cheer you on in the comment section or at least send our condolence.
I’d prefer it if he walked there rather than endanger a transport aircraft.
Sean
It is always the real comedians who want to bomb Russia
This classic was at the Conseravtiive Party conference back in 1983: i.e,at the very height of the orginal Cold War
https://youtu.be/F-g1exgkHsU
kenny everett t the 1983 consevative party conference – lets bomb russia – Search
Peter (Irate Taxpayer)
It’s nothing new the have always been AGI’s off our coasts, they have always been in the firth of Clyde waiting for a bomber to come out
What else can the u.k do ??? Innocent passage turns into a parliament briefing..lol. ridiculous to say the least.. looking for bread crumbs… No news here .. the Russians scooped in all the Intel from the sub.. ridiculous to think they didn’t know it was there .. actually played into the trap ..
Sink it.
Russia never has good intentions. Hovering over critical infrastructure given their history just cannot be allowed to go unchecked. It’s not like their 💩 doesn’t sink ‘naturally’ (Moskva, Ursa Major) 🙃
🤣 England have been hovering all over the world for centuries .. innocent passage/ international waters ..no story here .. England wouldn’t last a week if it got hot..bark no bite ..
Excellent thinking, whatever could go wrong !
Ex Service
I totally agree with you about Russia’s intentions… our politicians are naive…
The one – and it has to be said only – big failing of the RN’s revolutionary 1906 Dreadnought class battleships was the design committee’s decision to remove one very-long-standing, and also very very effective, weapon system from the RN’s inventory….
So, after one hundred and twenty years of waiting, I think that well-proven weapon system now needs to make its reappearance.
……..especially to deal with these hybrid grey zone litterol threats
So lets ditch this expensive – and still completely unproven – “21st century underwater robotic powered by AI” nonsense
We need a better way to deal with GRU’s threat to our critical national infrastructure!
and instead lets revert to using one of those really old fashioned, but still very effective, naval weapons
…….the one favoured by both the Greek and Italian Navy’s ..
…from about two thousand years ago
…..back then the two world leaders in warship design …
——————
..
= Lets fit Proteus with an big underwater battering ram…with extra spikes!
Then issue new fleet orders,ROE (Rules of Engagement) which are closely modelled upon Nelson’s favourite dictum:
“No captain can do wrong by approaching closer to the enemy….!”.
Because, as Britain’s most-famous military stratagist – Private Jones of the Warmington on Sea Home Guard – once famously said during Britain’s darkest – but finest – hour :
“They really don’t like cold steel up them!”
Peter (Irate Taxpayer)
PS The folly of that decision not to fit our Dreadnought battleships with a battering ram was finally proven during WW1. The RN’s most revolutionary warship ever only sunk one enemy warship during its long career. That was a German U boat = which it rammed..
Footnote to the Accounts Department
HMS Rupert 1872 was the last british armoured warship designed with a ram.
Bad idea even then. It was a just a thing after the 1866 Battle of Lissa in Adriatic between Austro-Hungarians and the Italy. The A-H used ramming as they didnt have any ammunition
HMS Glowworm, a destroyer that deliberately rammed the German Heavy Cruiser Admiral Hipper in 1940 during the Norwegian Campaign, the collision sheered off Glowworm’s bow and she exploded and sank, taking with her 109 crew, including her Commander. Hipper suffered minor flooding.
https://www.navylookout.com/remembrance-2020-we-will-remember-them/
Totally agree 👍
The two deployable Royal Navy submarines certainly have better things to do than this publicity stunt. It does make one wonder….
So the Russains have been able to gather close up inteligence on a RN nuclear submarine, sound signatures and more. What is more damming is a SSN having to provide shadowing duties when no surface ship is availabe.