R.A.F. and a search for a sub.

[Rodney Mills]

Britain called on the help of aircraft from Nato allies after a reported sighting of a submarine periscope off the west of Scotland last month.

The search continued until last week, with planes from the US, France and Canada flying out of RAF Lossiemouth.

Britain no longer has its own fixed-wing aircraft specifically designed to search for submarines.

The Ministry of Defence would not confirm it was looking for a foreign submarine.

But there has been an increase of Russian military activity in recent months.

In a statement the MoD said it "requested assistance from allies' forces for basing maritime patrol aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth for a limited period".

Maritime nation

Scottish National Party Defence spokesman Angus Robertson, whose north-east Scotland constituency contains RAF Lossiemouth, said: "This is hugely embarrassing for the UK which is totally exposed without such critical maritime patrol assets.

"It is not the first time they have had to depend on the goodwill of allies to fill this massive capability gap."

The SNP MP for Moray added: "It is absurd that Scotland as a maritime nation doesn't have a single maritime patrol aircraft.

"All of our surrounding neighbours have them. It is utter madness that the MoD are going to renew Trident at a cost of £100bn but not on essential conventional kit like these aircraft."

At the height of the search, two US Navy P-3 Orions, a Royal Canadian Airforce Aurora and a French Dassault Atlantique were involved.

An RAF Sentinel spy-plane and a Royal Navy warship also took part.

Patrol boat

The incident comes more than a month after Sweden halted its search for what was believed to be a foreign submarine operating in its territorial waters.

On 28 November, a Royal Navy patrol boat shadowed four Russian navy warships on transit through the English Channel.

At the time the Navy said that it did not send a warship as the smaller patrol vessel HMS Tyne was adequate for the job.

The BBC now understands the fleet escort warship assigned to protect Britain's territorial waters was taking part in the search for the suspect vessel off the coast of Scotland at that time.

Story from B.B.C. Dec. 12, 2014

Rodney

[Chris Allman]

This Government has a lot to answer for. It has cut our Armed Forces to the bone and is now working on cutting into the bone. It is also cutting our Police Fire and Ambulances through drastic cuts in funding and virtually bankrupting Local Councils. All this whilst sending hundreds of millions of pounds to other countries where most of the money ends up in the back pockets of dishonest and corrupt politicians. They spout hot air about reducing our deficit whilst upping their own pay and allowances and don't give a toss about peoples safety or security. I certainly fear becoming ill, ever being in need of the Police or Fire Brigade and what would happen if we ever really needed our Armed Forces. I cannot see any change happening either, no matter what party gets in as they are all the bloody same, only interested in themselves and what they can get out of it to feather their own nests, bas-ards.

[Captain Kong]

Here Here , Chris, All our politicians are a bleddy disgrace, Should all be tried for High Treason.
Brian

[j.sabourn]

# 2... Chris is no big thing. I mentioned in one post that going back to 1980 the Russians have always have had a presence off the west coast of Scotland be it the Media titled spy trawlers and submarines. It is no big new deal. The media must have been looking for some more tripe to print and raise peoples alarms. They in the 80"s used to drop listening devices on the bottom to try and track the Nuclear subs coming out of Faslane and Holy Loch. They are to my reckoning if not more 34 years late with their news. I would imagine that other navies do exactly the same with them the Russians that is especially off the North Cape and approaches to Murmansk. Anything to do with the likes of such news coming especially from the media read with a lot of disbelieve. They probably got the story from some matelot in a pub, we were not supposed to talk about such, but once the drink is in the mind is out. The loss of a stingray torpedo in Loch Fyne in the eighties and a Russian sub sighted in the area of the Clyde estuary would have raised peoples eyebrows at the time if they had any real idea of what went on. The media sells newspapers on the strength of their crosswords most times and not on any relevant stories and muck raising long after the facts. So what a sub has been sighted perhaps one of the matelots on her wanted a smoke and surfaced. The western press wouldn't know the truth if it bit them in the ass. Cheers John S

[j.sabourn]

Ref previous post 'What benefit has going into Europe given the UK' maybe some politician read and is trying to prove what a big benefit we get from being in the alliance. I would rather see Royal Navy ships protecting the UKs shores than a bunch of ex European enemies and scroungers, who if the truth was known couldn't give 2 hoots about Britain. JS

[Peter F Chard]

They could have done it a lot cheaper, just charter a Fleetwood trawler -- they are good at catching nuclear submarines. Regards Peter in NZ.

[Charlie Hannah]

Rodney,Thank you for this post. Hope you don't mind if i copy this!

[j.sabourn]

#6... Would probably be fined by the Euro Parliament for catching an endangered species, apart from fines for fishing in European waters which I assume they may have by now laid claim to. Cheers JS