Mystery as £300,000 ‘spy boat’ found near UK nuclear submarine base – and no country is claiming it
MYSTERY surrounds a spy boat washed up near the home of the UK’s nuclear submarine base.
The £300,000 solar powered vessel was found on the coast of the remote Scottish island of Tiree but has yet to be claimed by any country.
Beach combers on the island called the Coast Guard after coming across the strange looking vessel wedged between two rocks.
The boat has since been identified as a Wave Glider spy vessel that is only used by the US Navy and the Royal Navy
But still no country has come forward to claim the American-made unmanned boat.
The 10ft long craft resembles and is covered in antennae and solar panels.
There is a surface element, which looks like surfboard laden with solar panels for electricity and satellite communication.
About 20ft below the surface and connected to the float by a tether is the second element, a small sub with six flexible wings or fins.
The wings convert the vertical movement into forward thrust and as waves move the float up and down, they drag the sub, too.
The boat only has a speed of one or two miles per hour but solar power gives the Wave Glider almost unlimited endurance.
A Wave Glider – which was originally designed to track whales - has crossed the 9,000-mile expanse of the Pacific.
The vessel was discovered on September 28th by Tiree Coastguard.
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“The team were called today to reports of an object in the water, once on scene we secured the item,” they said in a message posted at the time.
"We are currently trying to find out some more information as to the object’s origin and owner. If anyone has any information please get in touch.”