Footage Captures Dramatic Moment Torpedo Struck Frigate & Sank It Within Minutes

A Norwegian submarine sank the decommissioned frigate KNM Trondheim during a live-fire training exercise off Senja in northern Norway. NATO released video of the strike, which showed a heavyweight torpedo hitting the ship and sending it to the bottom within minutes.

The sinking took place during Exercise Aegir 25, which involved the Norwegian Navy, the Royal Navy and the Polish Navy. According to NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command, the torpedo firing was conducted to verify and demonstrate the striking power of the alliance’s submarine fleet.

The organisation also added that submarines can operate for long periods, move covertly and influence the battle situation in unique ways. Footage from the submarine’s periscope captured the frigate moments before impact. Other cameras placed on the KNM Trondheim recorded the moment of impact.

The torpedo struck the ship midships, lifting the hull and pushing containers, loaded on board for the exercise, over the side as the vessel shook. Water surged across the decks, and the ship snapped and began sinking shortly afterwards.

Before the torpedo strike, the frigate had already been hit by missiles. The Royal Navy’s HMS Somerset and the Norwegian frigate KNM Thor Heyerdahl launched Naval Strike Missiles at the ship earlier in the drill.

Video Credits: Reuters/YouTube

KNM Trondheim had been used for testing before. More than ten years ago, Norway used the same decommissioned ship to test the destructive power of its homebuilt Naval Strike Missile.

Exercise Aegir 25 also included another sinking. In another drill, US Air Force B-2 Spirit bombers, together with Norwegian F-35A fighter jets and P-8 Poseidon aircraft, took part in sinking the decommissioned frigate KNM Bergen in a Quicksink test.

NATO said that sinking old ships is a standard way for navies to test weapons in realistic conditions. It also added that this was even more common in the past. After the Second World War, the United States tested both air and naval nuclear weapons on many retired ships, including captured German and Japanese vessels.

The submarine involved in the torpedo strike, KNM Uthaug, is an Ula-class submarine powered by twin diesel generators and an electric motor. Its hull sections were built in Norway and assembled in Germany before being delivered in 1991. The class has been regularly upgraded, and Norway plans to start receiving replacement hulls from 2029.

References: nationalinterest, thesun