According to information published by Tass on February 13, 2022, a Virginia-class submarine belonging to the US Navy was spotted near the Kurile Islands by Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft and one of the Pacific Fleet submarines during a planned exercise.
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link
US Navy's Virginia-class submarine Hawaii (Picture source: US DoD)
The Virginia class, also known as the SSN-774 class, is a class of nuclear-powered cruise missile fast-attack submarines, in service in the United States Navy.
Virginia-class submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions, including anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering operations.
The Virginia-class submarine has a length of 114.8 m, a beam of 10.36 m, and a displacement of approximately 7,800 tons. The submarine can reach a top speed of 28 miles per hour (45 km/h). She has a crew of 132 people including 15 officers and 117 enlisted.
The Kurile Islands is a volcanic archipelago part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands lie under the Russian administration since their 1945 annexation by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II.
Japan claims the four southernmost islands, including two of the three largest ones (Iturup and Kunashir), as part of its territory as well as Shikotan and the Habomai islets, which has led to the ongoing Kuril Islands dispute.
