ColRegs & Submarines

ylop

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The same as any other (military) vessel - if you are operating near their usual bases then when surfaced they are ordinarily accompanied by escort vessels with armed military police on board who will leave you in no uncertainty what they expect of you. The rest of the time you probably wont know they are there. If they surface next to an underwater cable you were thinking of anchoring on - perhaps reconsider!
 

dunedin

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On the Clyde the general rule is that if it is painted entirely dark grey and has no windows, it generally becomes the stand on vessel. A couple of black RIBs with crews dressed entirely in black tends to encourage this approach.
Not a big issue - except for the time was watching one black convoy coming one way, off Cumbrae/Bute, then realised had a matching convoy coming the other way.
Time to test the manoever of tack into heave to and make a coffee :)
 

dansaskip

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On the Clyde the general rule is that if it is painted entirely dark grey and has no windows, it generally becomes the stand on vessel. A couple of black RIBs with crews dressed entirely in black tends to encourage this approach.
Not a big issue
It only becomes an issue at night. I remember one dark night when I left Campbeltown in the early hours and a dark unlit shape loomed up - a boat of the Grey Funnel line on exercise and then a little later 2 submarines. I altered course to pass behind the second, though because it was unlit it took a while to figure out if it was underway or not and in what direction. Also lurking about couple of black RIBs with crews dressed entirely in black. No light shown by any of them.
Colregs be dammed they are bigger and harder than me so I will just keep out of their way.
 

johnalison

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I just hope that they can hear the splash of my lead line hitting the water and pick up its echo as it sinks or rises.
 

ex-Gladys

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When I was living and sailing in Plymouth many years ago, the story was that nuclear subs on the surface had to travel at 12 kts as that was when they could steer....
 

johnalison

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When I was living and sailing in Plymouth many years ago, the story was that nuclear subs on the surface had to travel at 12 kts as that was when they could steer....
I had a strange experience about ten years ago near Plymouth. We were returning home in an easterly direction and saw a few RN ships around but none less than a couple of miles away. For no obvious reason the depth steadily reduced from maybe fifty metres to about five though we were far from any shallows. More suddenly, the depth went back to normal. Over the next ten minutes or so the same thing happened a couple of times. There were no dolphins around and I remained puzzled. The only thing I could think of was that some kind of underwater drone was prowling around, but I have no real explanation.
 

AntarcticPilot

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The same as any other (military) vessel - if you are operating near their usual bases then when surfaced they are ordinarily accompanied by escort vessels with armed military police on board who will leave you in no uncertainty what they expect of you. The rest of the time you probably wont know they are there. If they surface next to an underwater cable you were thinking of anchoring on - perhaps reconsider!
In the Clyde they are required to be surfaced when north of some point; I think it's about Brodick Bay on Arran. But If you look like getting too close to one, the black RIBs will come and (politely) warn you away. I will say that despite a rather threatening appearance, they've always been very polite when I've encountered them, with pleases and thankyous.
 

johnalison

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I think we came across 'submarine exercise area's in the Baltic on occasion, along with numerous other military areas and firing ranges, though the only subs I saw were museum subs (Laboe, Bergstaken, Peenemunde and Sassnitz, for anyone heading that way). Although I don't know the details I believe that a couple of British subs cruised the Baltic in the Great War for a couple of years, which I find amazing.
 

dunedin

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I think we came across 'submarine exercise area's in the Baltic on occasion, along with numerous other military areas and firing ranges, though the only subs I saw were museum subs (Laboe, Bergstaken, Peenemunde and Sassnitz, for anyone heading that way). Although I don't know the details I believe that a couple of British subs cruised the Baltic in the Great War for a couple of years, which I find amazing.
I think that is kind of the point of submarines - you don’t generally see them, even when passing close by you. :)
It’s only places like the Clyde where they are leaving or arriving their base that you actually see them.
 
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