Photos have emerged of the Japanese submarine Soryu after it collided with a cargo vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Monday.
On Monday, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force reported that its diesel-powered attack submarine, Soryu, had collided with a commercial vessel off Cape Ashizuri on the southern island of Shikoku. According to Kyodo News Agency, the submarine’s “antenna mast and other upper parts were slightly damaged” and three crew were injured.
Photos that emerged on social media, however, show more damage to the Soryu, including mangled diving planes, a gash near the top of the sail, and much of the hull torn away on the starboard side.
#Japan submarine Sōryū shown with damaged sail diving plane after collision with civilian ship https://t.co/IlzRxbrezK pic.twitter.com/r6Ob2x8kn8
— Joseph Dempsey (@JosephHDempsey) February 8, 2021
The photos reportedly come from a maritime patrol aircraft owned by the Japanese Coast Guard.
For a comparison, here is a photo of the undamaged sail of the submarine Hakuryu, another boat of the Soryu-class.
According to The War Zone, the commercial freighter was likely the Ocean Artemis, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship hauling iron ore from Qingdao, China. The ship is roughly 17 times the size of the Soryu, which displaces just 2,900 tons of water.
The Soryu hit the Ocean Artemis as it was beginning to surface during a routine training mission on Monday. Because the sub’s communications system, which is mounted on the sail, was damaged by the collision, the crew was unable to report the accident for several hours, until they were close enough to shore to call in on their cell phones.
There have been no reports of injuries or damage to the Ocean Artemis.
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