The British Ministry of Defence has revealed with optical footage the “collision” of the Type 23-class frigate HMS Northumberland with a Russian submarine in the North Atlantic, which took place in late 2020.

The incident in itself shows that we are living in a period of the Second Cold War as it reminds us of a story like “The Hunt for Red October“.

According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, the British Royal Navy frigate had been deployed to the North Atlantic region to carry out patrols and to monitor any “suspicious hostile” actions in the area.

The characterisation of “hostile” actions is surprising, referring in essence to Russian actions as if the planet were at war

HMS Northumberland had apparently detected a Russian submarine and had therefore activated its towed sonar to keep a close eye on Russian movements.

While the operation was in progress, suddenly there was a terrifying noise, as if the two ships had collided, causing great concern among the crew of the British frigate and of course the crew of the Russian submarine, as they all feared a Kursk-type accident.

This moment was captured by the Channel 5 camera, as journalists were filming footage of the sailors‘ daily life for a documentary.

One crew member shouted “what the f*** have I just hit”

The British Ministry of Defence did not give further details about the condition of the frigate and the towed sonar that “hit” the Russian submarine, however such incidents are quite rare since 1990.

Even in the “hot” periods of the 1960s and 1970s the two sides were very careful not to disturb each other and to do everything discreetly.