British submarine dragged Irish trawler one mile backwards

The incident occurred 40km east of Dublin on September 12, 1989 when an Irish trawler, the MV Contestor, snagged the towed array sonar of a Royal Navy submarine.

Irish media recently reported that Britain attempted to claim ‘state immunity’ after the incident to recover the submarine’s valuable towed array sonar, which detached after snagging in the nets of the Irish fishing trawler.

According to Independent.ie, Irish officials raised serious concerns over the incident with the British authorities as it came less than a decade after an Irish trawler sank after an incident with a British submarine.

The trawler’s owner also commenced legal action for salvage under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 – with the buoy snagged in its nets (what turned out to be the submarine’s towed array sonar) being retained by the Irish authorities “until payment is made for salvage”.

You can read more on the specifics here.

The timeline of events

• In 1989, an Irish fishing boat called the MV Contestor snagged on a submerged object in the Irish Sea
• The object turned out to be a towed sonar array from a Royal Navy attack submarine
• The fishing boat was subsequently dragged backwards for 1.6km before breaking free
• The incident occurred less than a decade after another Irish fishing boat sank in an incident involving a British submarine
• The skipper of the MV Contestor, Sean Daly, began legal action for salvage under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, and the Irish authorities retained the buoy until payment was made for salvage
• The following year, the British government attempted to claim state immunity in an attempt to recover the towed sonar array and avoid litigation
• Irish officials did not offer specific advice on the matter, but suggested that an agreed settlement would be preferable to litigation.

What is state immunity?

State immunity is a principle of international law that protects a sovereign state or its organs (such as government agencies) from being sued in the courts of another state without its consent. It is based on the idea that sovereign states are equal and sovereign, and that one state should not be able to exercise jurisdiction over another state or its organs without the latter’s consent.

The principle of state immunity is reflected in various international conventions, such as the European Convention on State Immunity and the United Nations Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property.

There are some exceptions to the principle of state immunity. For example, states may waive their immunity and consent to be sued in the courts of another state. In addition, the principle of state immunity does not apply to certain types of cases, such as cases involving commercial transactions or human rights abuses. Finally, the principle of state immunity may not apply to cases involving the property of a state that is used for commercial purposes, rather than for sovereign or public functions.

What is a towed array sonar?

A towed array sonar is a type of underwater acoustic sensor deployed from a ship or submarine and “towed” behind it as it moves through the water.

The purpose of a towed array sonar is to detect and track underwater objects, such as other ships, submarines, and mines. The hydrophones on the array pick up sounds from the surrounding water, and the data is transmitted back to the tow vessel through the cable. The tow vessel can then use this information to detect and classify the objects, and to determine their location and movement.

Towed array sonars are used by navies and other military organisations for a variety of purposes, including submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, and intelligence gathering.