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1. In the early 1977, Royal Navy's Swiftsure class leader HMS Swiftsure (S-126) shadowed Soviet Navy's Project 1143 Krechyet class aircraft carrier Kiev during the Northern Fleet's exercise Sever-77.
1. In the early 1977, Royal Navy's Swiftsure class leader HMS Swiftsure (S-126) shadowed Soviet Navy's Project 1143 Krechyet class aircraft carrier Kiev during the Northern Fleet's exercise Sever-77.
2. Swiftsure's Captain John Speller ordered the submarine to approach the carrier from behind, moving only a few knots faster than the carrier. As the Swiftsure approched close enough the crew
could only see massive waves created by Kiev's propellers.
could only see massive waves created by Kiev's propellers.
3. Swiftsure slipped under the hull of the carrier and maintaing her speed she started to record the noise footprint of Kiev so that
she could be identified by the SOSUS network & other Western submarines.
she could be identified by the SOSUS network & other Western submarines.
4. Beside the sound signature of Kiev, she also took pictures of the carrier's propellers. Her periscope was at some point as close as 10-12 feet away from Kiev's hull. On the 70th day of the deployment Swifsure returned home with valuable acoustic data and incredible pictures.
5. Captain John Speller later received a small model of Kiev's propellers after this successfull mission.
