A UK dive team has discovered what is believed to be a Russian sonobuoy or a hydroacoustic device used for submarine monitoring off the British coast.
The volunteer dive team from Neptune’s Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC) made the discovery during a routine underwater clean-up off the west Wales coast.
The discovery was made on the last weekend of the dive season on November 15, 20-25. During the weekend, they also removed roughly 250 angling weights and monofilament line from the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone.
According to reports, NARC diver Tim Smith-Gosling located the object lodged in a gulley off Wooltack Point, Jack Sound.
According to the NARC, the device is described as heavily damaged, about 1.2m/4ft long, and weighing roughly 15kg/33lbs. According to experts, the device is very likely an imploded Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy, commonly deployed from Tupolev Tu-142M long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
This find is not uncommon, and similar devices have been found washed ashore on UK, Irish and Lithuanian beaches over the last few years.
