A Danish trawler made a surprise catch when it scooped up a German submarine in its nets, forcing the vessel to rise to the surface, Danish sea rescue officials said.
The trawler was fishing in the Skagerrak waters between Norway and Denmark, about 20 nautical miles off the Danish port of Hirtshals, when it made its unusual catch.
"But the trawler's nets were not able to withstand (the weight of) this extraordinary catch," a sea rescue duty officer told AFP.
"The crew of the trawler was never in danger, they were more scared than anything else. And a German vessel helped the captured submarine to disentangle itself and continue on its route," he said.
The German sub was taking part in NATO manoeuvres in the region, "Blue Game 2004" featuring 70 vessels from 16 countries.
This is not the first time a Danish fishing boat has had a close encounter with a submarine in the region. In March 1984, three crewmen were killed when their trawler was pulled to the bottom by a German submarine caught in its nets.
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