Strange Catch: Norwegian Fishing Boat Hooks a 7,800-Ton Nuclear Submarine

Fishermen, whether amateurs or professionals, can sometimes come back empty-handed. However, it happens, once in a lifetime, to come across THE catch, unusual or incredible, and sometimes both. And this time it happened to Harald Engen and his crew. Indeed, on November 11, 2024, on board his fishing boat, the young Norwegian fisherman simply caught theUSS Virginiaa US Navy nuclear submarine, off the coast of Tromsø, Norway.

An accidental catch

115 meters long and 7800 tonnes. If we were talking about an animal, we would surely be facing an unrivaled record in terms of fishing. However, these dimensions do indeed belong to theUSS Virginiaan American nuclear submarine.

Of course, spotting a nuclear submarine while diving is an almost impossible challenge for ordinary mortals, but then catching one is impossible. Except in the case of an incredible combination of circumstances.

“We had just emptied the nets and put them back in the water, and were heading towards the Sommarøya fish farm, when we received a call from the coast guard […] A submarine had entered our halibut net and carried the entire chain of the net two nautical miles to the north.” declared Harald Engen to the Norwegian media NRK.

No damage, well almost

In a surely unusual call for help, theUSS Virginia therefore requested to be removed from the fishing nets to the Norwegian Coast Guard. In fact, the latter had become entangled in the propeller of the submarine, potentially putting the inhabitants of the submerged military vessel in danger.

But if we can talk about it in a light tone today, it is because this unlucky and unusual event did not cause any damage to the submarine. On the other hand, on Harald Engen's side, he saw nets worth between 3,400 and 4,300 euros (between 40,000 and 50,000 Norwegian crowns) being cut to free the submarine.

However, as reported by TF1 Info, acting as one of the relays of this unusual news, this money would not be lost forever since the coast guard would have decided to compensate the fishermen who lost their work tools.

What was an American nuclear submarine doing off the coast of Norway?

Once the joke is over, the nets are cut and the crew is safe and sound on both sides, there remains one unanswered question: what was theUSS Virginiaa US Navy nuclear submarine on the other side of the Atlantic?

Well, ultimately, it's quite simple. Although a nuclear submarine does not need to refuel to move around the world, it must still make stops from time to time to resupply with food or to let its crew take a day off. leave.

Asked about the incident which could have been dangerous, the American embassy clarified that the reason why it was in the area on November 11, 2024, was simply because the ship had made a stopover in Tromsø during the day. before heading out to sea.

Source: NRK / TF1 Info