Russian Attack Subs Patrolling U.S. Coast
By Wyatt Earp | August 5, 2009
A Russian Akula Class Attack Submarine.
“We will pass through the American patrols, past their sonar nets, and lay off their largest city, and listen to their rock and roll… while we conduct missile drills.” – Captain Marko Ramius, The Hunt for Red October
Hey, remember the good old days of the Cold War? Well, thanks to Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, the good old days are back with a vengeance. Maybe that’s why two Russian attack subs have been spotted off the U.S. eastern seaboard? Allahpundit explains it all:
You know what this calls for? An Obama speech in Red Square about the common humanity that unites us in a struggle for blah blah blah blah.
But the collapse of the Soviet Union all but eliminated the ability of the Russian Navy to operate far from home ports, making the current submarine patrols thousands of miles from Russia even more surprising for military officials and defense policy experts.
“I don’t think they’ve put two first-line nuclear subs off the U.S. coast in about 15 years,” said Norman Polmar, a naval historian and expert on submarine warfare…
The submarine patrols come as Moscow tries to shake off the embarrassment of the latest failed test of the Bulava missile, a long-range weapon that was test fired from a submarine in the Arctic on July 15. The failed missile test was the sixth since 2005, and some experts see Russia’s assertiveness elsewhere as a gambit by the military to prove its continued relevance…
A few possibilities off the top of my head for What This Might Mean in addition to the NYT’s “Bulava missile” theory. (1) Russia wants to see how much The One will let them get away with, just as Biden predicted would happen last year . . . (4) Russia’s gearing up to make another move on Georgia and is putting The One on notice that they’re not to be trifled with when they do. (H/T – Hot Air)
Personally, this worries me more than any other saber-rattling the Russians have done so far. Hopefully, my worries are misguided, but I’ll ask SYLG’s resident expert in all things naval just to be sure.
Topics: WTF? | 14 Comments »
August 5th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Maybe they’re just looking for .
August 5th, 2009 at 9:26 am
All this sabre rattling is making me more nervious with each passing day. They rattle sabres; Obama gives one of his hopey-changey speeches and then wants everyone to sing Kumbaya. This just ain’t workin’ for me. I need a cowboy or at least someone who has a pair!
August 5th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I’m sure we’ll find out soon that, somehow, this is our fault.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Wealth and oil in the artic regions opening up may be part of their bravado also. They mentioned last year that
it basically belongs to them and they are projecting the idea of their naval might to back it up. Or they are monitoring our sub movements which would increase if Israel is close to a strike on Iran. I am sure there are some Los Angeles class attack subs shadowing them even as I type this. This is like when I was a kid again:)
August 5th, 2009 at 11:32 am
We got rid of many of our P-3C Orion aircraft and bases. We used to have an ASW (anti-submarine warfare) base in Bermuda so we could fly missions against these subs. Our capability in this area (ASW) is severely limited now.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Sounds like it’d be a great time for the USN to conduct some hunter-killer exercises off our coasts.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert Einstein
August 5th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
“Russians don’t take a dump, son, without a plan” heh.
August 5th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Looks like they are 200 miles from Georgia (just saw it on the news). Maybe they got their Georgias confused?
August 5th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Jeez, why do they pull this stuff right after we got central air installed?
August 5th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
lergnom..It was just in time, temperatures rising to 2 million Deg F this afternoon, cooling off to 5000 by evening.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Damn, I just ran out of my 2 million SPF sunscreen.
I’m not too concerned, I’ll bet that sub has screen doors.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:14 am
Answer is up- Actually Mike and a couple of others have pretty much hit the nail on the head. We are short assets to track, they now have the millions they needed before, and Putin is a former KGB officer, he is NOT our friend… Oh yeah, and the boats are their best, crewed by the best…
August 6th, 2009 at 7:58 am
I can sleep better at night knowing Obama, Hope and Change will keep the bear at bay. Who am kidding?