Decommissioned USS Klakring Sunk Off Scotland's West Coast During Joint Training Exercise
A decommissioned American warship, USS Klakring, was sunk in the North Atlantic near the Outer Hebrides during Exercise Atlantic Thunder 2026, involving US and Royal Navy forces. The sinking involved missiles and a torpedo, with the US Navy stating strict environmental compliance was maintained.
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According to BBC UK, a decommissioned American warship was sunk off the west coast of Scotland during a training exercise that included both US forces and the Royal Navy.
USS Klakring was struck by a torpedo and missiles before sinking in the North Atlantic, approximately 170 miles (274km) from the Outer Hebrides last Monday. The former guided missile frigate was targeted by a missile from USS Paul Ignatius and a torpedo from USS Massachusetts as part of Exercise Atlantic Thunder 2026.
The US Navy stated that the vessel underwent a "rigorous" cleaning procedure, and personnel confirmed the absence of whales and dolphins before the live-firing exercise commenced. The US Navy also noted that sinking exercises are conducted in strict adherence to environmental regulations.
Other warships, including an aircraft carrier in 2006, have been intentionally sunk by the US as part of training and to establish artificial reefs for marine life.
During the exercise, the UK's Royal Navy also tested "ship-busting" weaponry. HMS Portland, a Type 23 frigate, fired a Naval Sea Missile (NSM), which is described as an advanced sea skimming weapon capable of traveling near supersonic speeds and striking targets over 100 miles away. Furthermore, the ship's Wildcat helicopter discharged Sea Venom missiles at the target, which the Royal Navy reported was the first live firing of these weapons from a Wildcat helicopter against a realistic target.
USS Klakring was commissioned in 1983 and was decommissioned in 2013. The ship was named in honor of Rear Adm Thomas B Klakring, who received three US Navy Crosses while serving as a submarine commander during World War Two.
A spokesperson mentioned that the extensive preparations for the exercise involved putting the hulk through a rigorous cleaning process to eliminate contaminants and old equipment, thereby ensuring the environmental impact of the exercise was minimal. The spokesperson added that using specially prepared ex-navy vessels for sinking provides a practical means to conduct large-scale exercises of this nature to train at the high level required by the armed forces.
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