UK Navy tracks two Russian submarines in North Sea

British submarine hunter HMS Portland was on watch as cruise missile submarine Severodvinsk and Akula-class attack submarine Vepr made their underwater journey south along the Norwegian coast from the Arctic.

The Type 23 frigate shadowed the submarines as they surfaced separately in the North Sea, northwest of Bergen, Norway, on July 16 and 19, before NATO and Baltic forces took over duties as they continued to St Petersburg for Russian Navy Day celebrations on July 31, the British Defence Ministry said.

Portland and her specialist Merlin helicopter – both equipped with cutting-edge sonars, sensors, and torpedoes for submarine-hunting operations – reported on the movements of the Russian Northern Fleet vessels.

One of the RAF’s new long-range maritime patrol aircraft, the P8 Poseidon, also worked closely with HMS Portland to hunt and track the submarines.