A Russian cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea was attacked by a rare supercavitating torpedo.
The weapon is a cigar-shaped vessel that is self-propelled underwater from submarines, surface ships or aircraft to destroy other ships or submarines.
Also known as “fishes,” these vessels operate via electric or thermal propulsion and use advanced guidance systems (such as wire guidance or acoustic homing) to engage targets miles away.
The Russian cargo called “Ursa Major” was attacked in December 2024, suffering multiple explosions.
As reported by cnnThe torpedo is in the possession of NATO members, Russia and Iran.
On December 23, the ship foundered before sinking about 600 miles off the Spanish coast. As a result, two crew members died; Another 14 people were rescued.
Experts who studied a 50 by 50 centimeter hole in the ship’s hull suspected that the hole could have been caused by a Barracuda-class supercavitating torpedo.
Such a weapon uses air bubbles to minimize resistance underwater and operate at extreme speed.
The ship abruptly reduced its speed as it passed through Spanish waters on December 22, although the crew reported nothing. About 24 hours later, survivors reported an explosion near the engine room.
Upon boarding the ship, rescuers discovered that the engine room doors were securely closed. Subsequently, new explosions occurred that culminated in the sinking of the ship.
According to the Spanish National Seismic Network, four seismic events were recorded near the ship. These events were similar to patterns consistent with underwater explosive devices.
It was also reported that the ship was heading to North Korea to transport two undersea nuclear reactors.
After the sinking incident, the American WC-135R “nuclear sniffer” aircraft flew over the wreck site twice. A week later, another Russian ship described by Western officials as a ship linked to intelligence services also visited the area.
