26/10/2006 3:53:00 pm
S363 - Crisis Management 25 Years Ago. On the 27th of October, in 1981, the Whiskey submarine S363 - known as U137 - hit the rocks in the Karlskrona archipelago, just a few miles from the Swedish naval base. The event followed a more tense phase in the cold war, a disarmament of the Swedish naval defence, and a year of increased underwater activities. The explanation from the crew - a navigational mistake - was ridiculous, both since the crew was competent and the instruments worked.

It turned out that the submarine had nuclear arms on board, and that the Soviet navy was heading for the Swedish cost to salvage it. Naturally, these were pressing times for the Swedish government, but it showed both diplomatic and military resolve. It has now turned out that if the Swedish military had attempted to realise their plan to take over the submarine, the orders was for the Soviets to blow it up.

A decade of similar events followed, but it took many years for the Swedish navy to regain its capabilities. Later investigations have shown that there were some ten more certain separate occasions of underwater activity in Swedish waters. Obviously, the Soviet Union had every reason - in terms of intelligence, testing the Swedes and investigating the coastline - to do this.

Today, the cold war feels very far away. This story might almost seem like something from World War II. But it is not far away and one has to learn from it. There will always be tensions and dramatic events between nations. Proper crisis management will be essential. Furthermore, this also shows a somewhat naïve society when confronted with a totalitarian neighbour. If there is a threat, a democratic country should definitely not dismantle the military.