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Feb 19, 2003 OK, so it wasn’t a real invasion, but the events of that autumn day in 1981 were the first of many which had far-reaching and embarrassing consequences for the Swedish military. The Russian whisky class submarine U137 ran aground and became stranded on an island in the inner security zone of the Swedish naval base area in the archipelago of Blekinge, off southern Sweden. It was a sleepy island. So another half a day went by before an inhabitant of the island decided that the military had best be informed of the problem. The then Swedish Prime Minister Thorbjörn Fälldin announced that the Swedish defence forces had been put on full alert and that “all means possible” were to be used against any further intruders by sea or air. A small flotilla from the Russian navy stopped at the territorial border but left following the prime minister’s announcement. Further accusations by the Swedes of the Russians having brought atomic weapons to Sweden were categorically denied by Russia. Following this rather worrying episode, which was dubbed “Whisky on the Rocks” by the press at the time, the Swedish navy did it’s best to track and locate foreign mini- and macro- submarines. Over the next 10 years or so at least 10 proven violations of territorial waters were logged and over 500 reports of possible incursions were made each year during the cold war period of the 1980’s. In 1992, the Swedish navy upgraded its intelligence facilities for submarine tracing and began using sophisticated, buoy mounted microphones. These buoys often recorded sounds suspiciously like submarines – sounds of small bubbles imploding and so on – and the number of reported violations grew alarmingly. However, in 1995, the Swedish sonar experts monitoring one buoy were amazed to see a small furry mammal – a mink, no less – swimming past the buoy at the same time that the equipment reported the “cavitational sounds” representative of a mini-submarine. Further tests proved conclusively that the foreign submarines that had been chased so vigorously were in fact mink! I have this mental picture of a group of mink sitting around in a smoke filled bar one evening – “Hej Stefan” says one, “that was a real good whisky class impression you did today, those bubbles sounded just like the propeller on good old U137! Bet those navy guys got real excited when you swam around that buoy.” About the author: I am an Englishman by birth, but migrated to Australia back in '72. Married and divorced there. Spent the last 3 years living by myself on a remote farm in rural New South Wales with no mains electricity, water etc. All power, heating was from natural resources (solar, wind, wood). "Met" a Swedish girl on the internet, came to Sweden for a holiday, loved the place (and the girl), moved to Sweden permanently Christmas 2001 and married the girl in Easter 2002. Living happily ever after... Email Robin Alan Bell: sosoft@ozemail.com.au ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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