Photo: TONY MCDONOUGH / AFP / Getty Images
A Norwegian fisherman, Harald Engen, made an unexpected catch when a U.S. submarine became entangled in his fishing nets. The 377-foot, nuclear-powered USS Virginia was on its way from the port of Tromsø when its propellers got caught in Engen's nets, dragging them approximately 2.3 miles out to sea. The Norwegian coast guard, which was escorting the submarine, had to intervene to cut the submarine free from the nets.
Engen, who was delivering a catch of halibut near the Malangen fjord in Norway when he received the unusual message, expressed surprise at the incident.
"I know about other vessels that have sailed over fishing nets, but no one out here have ever heard about a submarine doing so," Engen said, as reported by Business Insider.
Lt. Pierson Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Sixth Fleet, confirmed the incident but declined to confirm the name of the vessel. He assured that nobody was hurt in the incident and that an investigation into the cause is ongoing.
According to The Telegraph, Engen estimates the damaged nets cost him about $3,600, while his haul of halibut earned him about half that.
Regarding compensation for the damaged nets, Lt. Hawkins explained that "in general, when the U.S. is responsible for damage to civilian equipment, there is a claims process to reimburse the expense."
The exact reason for the submarine's presence off the coast of Norway was not disclosed, but U.S. submarines often surface to bring supplies and new crew members aboard from cooperating vessels, such as those from an ally coast guard or navy. The incident comes amid increased cooperation between Norway and the U.S., with multiple U.S. naval deployments in the waters in recent months.