“Sir, we have hit another submarine”: Russian and US navies collided with attack submarines

Summary and key points: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States continued monitoring Russian nuclear submarines as part of Operation Holy Stone.

These included monitoring communications, recording sound patterns, and observing missile tests. On February 11, 1992, the USS Baton Rouge collided with the Russian submarine B-276 Kostroma near Severomorsk, damaging both ships. The incident, which strained Russian-American relations, led to the suspension of some U.S. submarine espionage activities.

A similar collision occurred with the USS Grayling in 1993. With current Cold War-like tensions between the United States and Russia, such incidents highlight the ongoing risks.

Echoes of the Cold War: The collision of the USS Baton Rouge with a Russian submarine

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Americans no longer had any rival superpowers.

However, that did not mean that the US military could sit back and relax – or blindly trust the former Soviet empire.

Instead, the United States conducted surveillance operations, paying particular attention to Russian nuclear submarines.

The surveillance of Russian submarines was carried out as part of a program called “Operation Holy Stone,” which included tapping Soviet submarine communications cables, recording noise patterns from Russian submarines, and observing tests of submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

On February 11, 1992, the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS Baton Rouge participated in Operation Holy Stone, conducting surveillance operations near the Russian naval base of Severomorsk.

At 20:16 local time, the Baton Rouge collided with the Russian submarine B-276 Kostroma in international waters approximately 12 miles off the coast of Kildin Island.

What exactly happened is still a matter of debate. The American press claims that the Baton Rouge was monitoring radio traffic between Russian bases. The Russian press, however, claims that the two submarines were playing a game of cat and mouse.

Several other Western sources confirmed the Russian version of events. Whatever the blame, we know that the submarines did indeed collide.

Damage sustained

Both submarines were damaged.

Kostroma’s sail was dented in the forward section. Baton Rouge fared relatively well, suffering only a few scratches, dents and minor cuts to the port ballast tank. Baton Rouge was very lucky, however, that the single hull did not rupture in the incident – which would have compromised its compressive strength.

The Baton Rouge was decommissioned after the incident. The Kostroma was repaired and returned to service.

In addition to the material damage to the submarines, the incident also caused political damage to the United States.

Russia was naturally angry and protested. The Pentagon confirmed the clash and then-Secretary of State James Baker met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

The Russians accused the United States of continuing its Cold War-style espionage activities. The US Navy was eventually persuaded to stop some of its submarine espionage activities against Russian bases.

But just two years later, in March 1993, it all happened again. The USS Grayling collided with the K-407 off the Kola Peninsula.

The Grayling incident occurred when the submarine was pursuing its Russian counterpart.

The collision was not serious and neither submarine suffered any significant damage. Nevertheless, the incident proved to be another embarrassing incident for the United States.

Contemporary equivalence

Tensions between the United States and Russia are greater today than at any time since the end of the Cold War, reminiscent of a time when Russia was the United States’ main enemy.

No near-collisions between submarines were reported, but several near-collisions between American and Russian fighter aircraft were reported.

About the author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a senior editor and opinion writer at 19FortyFive. Harrison is a lawyer, pilot, guitarist, and professional hockey player. He joined the U.S. Air Force as a student pilot but was medically discharged. Harrison has a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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