The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom initiated an extensive search for suspected Russian activity off the coast after detecting two unusual sounds in the water, which were later determined to be produced by a gassy whale, as reported by an official to The Sun.
Naval officials expressed concern that a drone submarine belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin might have deployed a listening device on the seabed between two Scottish islands, prompting an investigation.
The two sounds were recorded approximately 100 miles from the location of the UK’s strategic submarines.
“We have been analyzing the sounds and now believe it was a marine mammal. A whale,” the officer disclosed to the British tabloid.
Initially classified by analysts as a man-made noise, the sound had not been previously detected by the sensors, leading the navy to mistakenly interpret Das Boof for Das Boot, according to the report.
This incident also raised alarms regarding the activities of Russia’s deep-sea research organization, known as GUGI, which may be attempting to capture the acoustic signatures of British submarines to facilitate their tracking.
The locations of the Royal Navy’s Astute-class attack submarines and Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines are among the most closely guarded military secrets in the country, designed to operate silently beneath the waves.
Although it was confirmed that the source of the false alarm was flatulence, officials emphasized that all potential threats are taken seriously.
