Russian nuclear ‘shark’ sub spotted on Norway’s coast after being shadowed by RAF submarine hunter 

This was the dramatic moment a Russian nuclear sub was spotted off the coast of Norway after being shadowed by the RAF’s ‘submarine hunter’, a Poseidon P-8 patrol aircraft.

The Akula (shark) class vessel was initially submerged as the British air patrol and a fleet of Norwegian naval warships kept track of its movements beneath the waves.

These remarkable photographs were taken by a British marine engineer working offshore on a Norwegian energy project.

He told MailOnline: ‘On Sunday night we saw a British Poseidon P-8 and on Monday we saw all the NATO Navy vessels and the sub itself on the surface.

‘We could hear the radio chatter between the ships and the plane and there were definitely British accents.’

The incident is one of many in recent months and military observers have noticed a sharp rise in the number of Putin’s underwater patrols being launched against the background of worsening relations between western nations and the Kremlin since the invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian nuclear sub was spotted off the coast of Norway (pictured) after being shadowed by the RAF’s ‘submarine hunter’, a Poseidon P-8 patrol aircraft

This particular tense stand-off came to an end when the Russian sub headed out into the North Sea.

The photographer, who we haven’t named, said he got the impression that the NATO ships forced the Russian sub to the surface, but a leading expert contacted by MailOnline doubted that.

Sidharth Kaushal , Research Fellow (Sea Power) at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) confirmed the vessel was an akula class nuclear attack submarine.

He said: ‘I think that’s very unlikely it was forced to the surface, as they can only really do that with depth charges.

‘It’s a cat and mouse game between these submarine patrols and the countries they are passing.

‘Submarines quite often travel on the surface as it’s safer to navigate that way. This one may have been part of the Russian Northern Fleet on its way back from the Navy Day parade in St Petersburg on July 31.

Sidharth Kaushal , Research Fellow (Sea Power) at the Royal United Services Institute said: ‘NATO officials have said that Russian submarine activity is at levels that they haven’t seen since the Cold War’ 

These remarkable photographs were taken by a British marine engineer working offshore on a Norwegian energy project

‘Whatever the Russian submarine was doing there, either simple transit or something more clandestine, the Norwegians would want to shadow it with help from other NATO assets.

‘NATO officials have said that Russian submarine activity is at levels that they haven’t seen since the Cold War.

‘The Norwegian vessel appears to be a Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate of the Royal Norwegian Navy involved in the operation surrounding this submarine.’

Last month, a a Royal Navy warship tracked the movements of two Russian submarines as they sailed into the North Sea in a similar area.

The tense stand-off came to an end when the Russian sub (pictured) headed out into the North Sea

It’s possible the akula submarine spotted last weekend was the same one on its return from the Navy Days event.

British submarine hunter HMS Portland spotted the cruise missile submarine Severodvinsk and Akula-class attack submarine Vepr made their underwater journey south along the Norwegian coast from the Arctic.

The Type 23 frigate shadowed the submarines as they surfaced separately in the North Sea, north-west of Bergen, Norway, on July 16 and 19, before NATO and Baltic forces took over duties as they continued to St Petersburg for Russian Navy Day celebrations on July 31.

Portland and her specialist Merlin helicopter – both equipped with cutting-edge sonars, sensors and torpedoes for submarine-hunting operations – reported on the movements of the Russian Northern Fleet vessels.

One of the RAF’s P8 Poseidons, also worked closely with HMS Portland to hunt and track the submarines.

HMS Portland was pictured dropping anchor in Oslo last month after tracking the movements of the two Russian submarines

A close-up view of the huge vessel was tweeted by the UK embassy in Oslo

This operation came soon after HMS Portland took part in a major NATO submarine-hunting exercise.

HMS Portland’s Commanding Officer, Commander Tim Leeder, said: ‘Our success on operations marks the culmination of many months of specialist training and exercises. Critically, the cohesiveness of Royal Navy, RAF and our allies capabilities ensures that we are capable of conducting and sustaining these types of anti-submarine operations in the North Atlantic.

‘It is testament to my sailors’ dedication and professionalism, alongside that of our allies, that we are able to conduct this strategically crucial role.’

Akula class submarines, first built in the 1980s with a crew of about 80, were popularised in the 1990 Hollywood movie The Hunt for Red October, in which Soviet sub commander Sean Connery wants to defect with his vessel as the two superpowers try to find him.

The MoD was contacted by MailOnline about the most recent operation.

A Ministry of Defence Spokesperson said: ‘The UK Armed Forces and her allies regularly track vessels as they transit within international waters. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on specific assets or capabilities.