A suspected Russian spy device has been discovered underwater off the coast of Wales by a group of volunteer litter pickers. The object was found on November 15 in the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone, Pembrokeshire, by divers from Neptune's Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC).
The team initially thought the device was a navigational marker but later suspected it to be a sonobuoy, an acoustic monitoring device typically used to locate submarines. Independent defence analysts examined the object and stated they were 'confident' it was a Russian RGB-1A sonobuoy. The battered device measured about 50 inches in length and weighed 2.4 stone.
The discovery was made by volunteer diver Tim Smith-Gosling, who found the device wedged in a gulley. The diving group said they had not encountered anything like it before, although it is not unusual for similar items to be found on the UK seabed.
A Royal Navy spokesperson declined to comment on specific underwater activities or individual finds due to operational security considerations, but stated that the Navy continuously monitors and protects UK waters with a range of maritime assets.
The find comes amid increased Russian naval activity around the UK. Two Russian warships were recently intercepted in the English Channel by HMS Severn, and Defence Secretary John Healey revealed that the Russian spy ship Yantar had been spotted off Scotland, describing its actions as 'deeply dangerous'. The Russian Embassy accused the British government of 'whipping up militaristic hysteria'.
