Blame the Vodka

I am in disbelief in the epic fail described in this Associated Press story.

The Russian navy says that one of its nuclear submarines has been hit by a fishing trawler and suffered minor damage.

The Interfax news agency quoted Pacific Fleet spokesman Roman Martov as saying that the collision occurred Wednesday in the Avachino Bay on the fareastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

Martov said Thursday that the incident caused no injuries and inflicted only "insignificant" damage to the anchored submarine. Interfax quoted the navy as saying that there was no radiation leak.

Martov said the submarine's crew had seen the approaching trawler and tried to warn it of the imminent collision, but the vessel ignored the signals. Interfax reported that a navy inspection team checked the trawler and found all of its crew drunk.

The submarine that was reported to have been hit is the Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets (Saint George the Victorious) (K-433), a Delta III class submarine capable of carrying 16 nuclear ballistic missiles. At anchor in the bay it is unlikely the submarine was carrying the missiles, although that has not been confirmed.

I nominate Russian fishing trawlers as the asymmetrical weapon of choice for the next attack against the Pacific fleet Russian nuclear submarine fleet, because apparently all one needs is a little vodka to get right up to the hull of a Russian nuclear ballistic submarine. I find that more than a little disturbing. Where is the armed escort for an anchored nuclear ballistic submarine? Someone please tell me it isn't this easy...

Stories like this seriously makes me wonder how well the Russians protect their nuclear technology.