Sailors on the Japanese submarine Soryu had to use their cell phones to call for help after the sub surfaced beneath a Chinese bulk carrier and damaged its radio mast, disabling its communications. Three of the submarine’s crew sustained minor injuries in the crash, which occurred on Monday, government officials said.
From photos provided by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, the vessel also suffered damage to its diving planes. The bulk carrier, identified as the Hong Kong-registered 93,000 dwt MV Ocean Artemis, was not damaged. Crew on the bulker are reporting not to have felt the impact of the collision.
Japan’s defence minister said the collision off Kochi prefecture was “extremely regrettable”. Nobuo Kishi said the Soryu was on a training exercise when the incident occurred. The submarine saw the vessel through its periscope but was unable to move in time.
The Soryu is a diesel-electric submarine commissioned in 2009.
The 84-meter (275ft) long submarine was still able to continue sailing as the damage was not major according to Japanese officials.
Bradley Martin, a former US navy captain, disputes the characterization. He told CNN: “I wouldn’t call the damage ‘minor’. The submarine can’t dive and can’t communicate.”
Except, apparently, by cell phone.
OK….I`ll be the first one.
‘CAN YOU HERE ME NOW?’
A submarine that couldnt dive in time? The freighter can be seen 5 miles away. Interesting headache.
Apparently surfacing a sub is quite risky, there have been other recent incidents one involving a British vessel off Gibraltar and another when a US navy sub had a more serious collision which killed three crew.
Very complete near miss report in UK waters here
https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/near-miss-between-ro-ro-ferry-stena-superfast-vii-and-royal-navy-submarine
Did the JMSDF really name a sub after one of the carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor? I guess “Blue Dragon” is a generic enough name, and maybe it has some cultural significance. But it does seem a bit like a middle finger to the USN.
New shipyard under construction to at Marinette Marine.
MARINETTE, Wis. (WBAY) – Construction of a new building, which will be the largest in Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s history, is now underway.
The company was awarded a contract in April of 2020 to not only build, but design the first Constellation-class guided missile frigate, with options for nine additional ships. The contract is potentially worth $5.5 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
https://www.wbay.com/2021/02/10/construction-now-underway-of-new-fincantieri-shipbuilding-facility/
There is an entire class of Sotyu submarines. It does seem like an odd name choice. From the Wikipedia page:
Japanese submarines since World War II were named after ocean currents. The JMSDF changed its naming convention with the Sōryū,[7] and submarines will now be named after mythological creatures. Sōryū (そうりゅう) means blue dragon in Japanese and shares its name with the World War II aircraft carrier Sōryū, sunk during the Battle of Midway.