Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Up Periscope!

Thursday, 8th November 2007 by Alex

Nearby our sighting of the USS Ohio a few of weeks ago, we can see what very much looks like another submarine, running at periscope depth.

Thanks: Neil Harrington

13 Responses to 'Up Periscope!'

  1. 1. David says:

    Sorry, but I doubt it. It’s in way too shallow water and is about to run aground into that small island. I think it’s just a small boat. I could be wrong though…

  2. 2. Lee says:

    Nay, it’s Nessie!

  3. 3. Tammo says:

    If a periscope left a wake that size it wouldn’t really be very stealthy … would it?
    I agree … looks more like a small vessel, a RIB maybe.

  4. Google Sightseeing Admin
    4. Alex says:

    David - fair point about the island/depth of water.

    Tammo - it actually looked to me like it might have been a conning tower protruding from the water?

  5. 5. Lee says:

    On closer inspection, it does look like a small boat - but I’m still holding out for Nessie.

  6. 6. randall says:

    it would be kinda dumb to have a conning tower painted white.

    “oh look it’s moby dick”
    “nay thats a submarine conning tower! lets put a shell through it!”

  7. 7. Dave says:

    If it’s a sub and I doubt that the water there is probably only deep enough for an attack boat to run at periscope depth and then only barely….Boomer’s tend to go right out submerge and stay that way till they get to there station……that “scope” is only .27 miles from the coast….I doubt the water is deep enough there for a boomer captain to be comfortable.

  8. 8. turtle says:

    I served on board a los angeles class submarine in the U.S. Navy. There is no way this is a submarine. Subs don’t submerge until they are miles from shore. Submereged this close to shore would be suicide.

    Also, a periscope would not cause that large of a wake (like Tammo says)

  9. 9. Mrb says:

    Periscope my backside, I waisted a perfectly good click coming to view this page

  10. 10. Timothy says:

    I can see the outline of white boat. Definitely not a submarine.

  11. 11. julian says:

    Like others have said, too big a wave for a periscope, and a conning tower would cause a decent sized bow wave - there isn’t one.

  12. 12. TK says:

    I have spent a great deal of time in that general location as I have family over there. You can see subs around there all the time as there is a submarine base not far from there, and at no time have I ever seen one submerge this close to land.

  13. 13. JSF says:

    I’ve been on a sub in those Straits. That can’t be a sub…as specified above, its too close to land, about to run aground (especially at the speed that would cause such a wake). Subs can be submerged in that region, but this isn’t one of them.

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