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Trawler That Rammed Nuclear Sub Tried to Flee

The drunken sailors who accidentally rammed a nuclear submarine in a fishing trawler off the coast of Kamchatka last week tried to flee the scene, Navy officials said Monday, RIA-Novosti reported.

The Donets glanced the stern of the Svyatoi Georgy Pobedonosets, or "St. George," which was moored and above water, after the submarine's crew tried unsuccessfully to contact the trawler via radio and alert its crew with red flares.

After the collision, which lightly damaged both ships, the Donets' crew allegedly turned off the ship's navigation lights and increased its speed in an attempt to flee the scene. The getaway ended after the Navy's local command ordered all ships in the area to halt and drop anchor.

The submariners were prepared to open fire during the crash but opted not to, the report said, without elaborating.

Investigators who boarded the trawler the same morning discovered traces of the submarine's plating and determined that the fishermen — and their captain in particular — were drunk. The ship's papers, however, were in order.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

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