Hapless Japanese submarine crew have to use MOBILE PHONE to call for help after they surface underneath commercial tanker, smashing radio mast

• Three of the crew members of the 'Soryu' submarine suffered minor injuries in the collision on Monday
• The vessel crashed into a Chinese commercial ship, officials said on Monday, identified as the Ocean Artemis
• It was in the process of surfacing near Japan's south-western island of Shikoku but did not see the other ship
• The submarine temporarily lost communications after the mast was damaged, destroying the radio

• A hapless Japanese submarine crew were forced to use a mobile phone to call for help after they surfaced underneath a Chinese commercial tanker, destroying their radio mast in the process. 

  The crew of the Japanese navy's 275-foot 'Soryu' submarine suffered minor injuries, while the submarine suffered damage to its mast, Japanese defence officials said on Monday. 

  The Soryu was in the process of surfacing about 27 nautical miles south of Cape Ashizuri on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku when it collided with the commercial ship, the Maritime Self-Defence Force said. An investigation into the crash has been launched by multiple agencies, including the Japanese Navy who are trying to establish how the crash occurred.

  It is currently unclear why the submarine did not detect the commercial ship's presence before it surfaced using sonar technology.

  

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  Pictured: A photo from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force shows submarine 'Souryu' off Ashizuri Cape in Kochi prefecture, western Japan, on February 8. Damage can be seen on its fairweather planes - the wing-like attachments to its conning towerThe navy did not identify the commercial ship, but NHK public television said it was the Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier Ocean Artemis.

  It was transporting 90,000 tons of iron to Okayama in western Japan after leaving the Chinese port of Qingdao last Friday with 21 Chinese crew members, it said.

  Defence minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters that the collision, that occurred at around 11am on Monday, was 'extremely regrettable'.'Soryu scraped the hull of the vessel as it was surfacing,' Kishi said. 'It is extremely regrettable the MSDF submarine has collided with a commercial ship.'

  He said the submarine, which carries a crew of around 65 people, temporarily lost communication signals due to the damage to its antenna mast.

  Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga instructed authorities to confirm whether the vessel was safe, and to provide rescue if necessary.

  'We will take every possible step,' he told senior members of his party on Monday, according to Nikkei Asia. 

  

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  The navy did not identify the commercial ship, but NHK public television said it was the Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier Ocean Artemis (pictured)

  

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  Pictured: A photo taken from a helicopter shows workers inspecting the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine Souryu after the crash on Monday, off Kochi port in the western Japan main island of Shikoku on Feb. 9, 2021

  

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  Three of the crew members of the 'Soryu' (pictured) suffered minor injuries in the crash, while the submarine suffered damage to its mast, Japanese defence officials said on Monday

  The commercial ship left the scene but later told Japanese coastguard officials that it sustained no damage and its crew did not even feel the impact, Mr Kishi said.

  He said an investigation is under way, with the Japan Coast Guard and Japan Transport Safety Board both  saying on Tuesday that they have also launched an investigation into the crash. 

  RAND Corp analyst and former US Navy captain, who analysed the image of the damage, told CNN that the impact would have limited the submarine's capabilities.

  'I wouldn't call the damage "minor." The submarine can't dive and can't communicate,' Martin said in an email to the news network. 

  

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  The Soryu was in the process of surfacing about 27 nautical miles south of Cape Ashizuri on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku when it collided with the commercial ship, the Maritime Self-Defence Force said. Pictured: A map showing the location of the crash

  The accident comes almost 20 years to the day after a US nuclear powered submarine hit and sank a Japanese fishing vessel near Honolulu, Hawaii.

  In that incident, nine people were killed, including four high-school students.

  On February 9 2001, the USS Greeneville was performing an emergency surfacing demonstration for civilian guests on board the ship when it surfaced under the Ehime Maru, a Japanese ship.

  Within minutes, the ship that was carrying students and teachers from a fisheries school in Uwajima, Japan, had sunk.

  Rescuers saved 26 people from the ship, and the US Navy had to pay a total of $16.5 million in compensation to the victims and their families.