The Norwegian military has shared underwater footage of the KNM Helge Ingstad, a warship that collided with an oil tanker and sank while returning from a massive NATO drill hosted by the country.
The eerie images of the wrecked frigate were taken by Norwegian divers and robotic submersibles earlier this month during an operation to recover anti-ship missiles from the 134-meter sunken vessel. One video clip shows the damage caused to the Helge Ingstad’s hull and lower decks when she collided with an oil tanker on November 8.
Another clip shows the process of lifting a Naval Strike Missile in its container from the wreck. The warship is armed with eight such anti-ship weapons.
The loss of the KNM Helge Ingstad in the wake of the Trident Juncture 2018 exercise was the first incident of such scale in the Royal Norwegian Navy since 1994. The news was so big in the country that it even sparked a new fad – some Norwegians are opting for gingerbread ships instead of traditional gingerbread houses this Christmas, according to the local media.
The ship is currently lying at a depth of about 30 meters (98 feet) in the fjords of Øygarden in southwest Norway. The Navy has plans to lift the wreck, but the operation would require specialized equipment and better weather conditions.
Trident Juncture was one of NATO’s largest drills this year and the largest Norway hosted since 1980. It involved 50,000 troops from 31 allies and partner countries, some 250 aircraft, 65 vessels, and up to 10,000 vehicles. The exercise was meant to show NATO’s resolve in the face of perceived Russian aggression in the northern seas.
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