This incredible footage shows a $2 billion submarine emerging from a thick layer of ice in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.
It’s called the USS Hartford submarine and it measures 110 meters long and weighs a staggering 16,500 tons.
To put that in perspective, that’s equal to about 110 blue whales.
It’s seriously impressive stuff.
When the submarine reaches the surface, the sailors have to emerge from inside and push the ice off the vessel manually.
Once the hatch is cleared of snow, the crew gets to work cutting through the thick ice.
This particular mission was led by IceX in 2022.
The mission was planned so the US Navy could practice launching torpedoes and escaping enemy submarines in frozen waters.
The next part of the mission required divers to suit up and swim in below-freezing waters underneath the ice.
This job was not for the faint-hearted.
The divers’ objective was to search for exercise torpedoes that had been fired from the submarine.
The reason they go out in search for them is because recovered torpedoes actually contain incredibly useful data for the Navy to examine.
The exercise also provided an opportunity for Navy specialists and scientists to conduct research and collect data on the Arctic conditions.
The 2022 ICEX mission lasted for about three weeks.
“By training in this extreme cold-weather environment, we’re best prepared to rapidly respond to any crises in these regions and ensure common domains in the far north remain free and open,” Navy commander Richard Seif said.
“The Navy maintains a presence on, under and above Arctic waters, and it’s important that we continue to train in this challenging environment to not only stay ready to operate here, but also gain efficiency and look for new ways to innovate.”
