MoD welcomes home submarine rescue team
Armed forces minister Adam Ingram today met with the Royal Navy team that rescued seven Russian crewmen trapped in a sunken submarine at the weekend.
The team, who flew into Glasgow Prestwick airport this morning, took about five hours to cut the Russian Priz submarine free after it became tangled in fishing nets and cables.
Defence secretary John Reid said the operation had been a “fine example of international co-operation in the face of great difficulty”.
“Britain has a world-leading capability in the field of submarine rescue, and we have been able to utilise that capability to save lives. I’d like to offer my congratulations to all of those involved,” he said.
Commander Jonty Powis, the UK’s submarine escape and rescue specialists, added: “All submariners understand the special demands of working together in a uniquely challenging environment.
“We are all so very pleased to see our Russian colleagues safely returned from the sea.”
