The Royal Navy warship at the centre of a collision drama with a Russian sub has arrived at Portland Port.

HMS Northumberland – which featured in a Channel 5 documentary this week - was first spotted in Portland Port early yesterday morning.

A Russian submarine collided with the ship’s sonar equipment – which was being trailed hundreds of metres behind it - on patrol in the North Atlantic.

The incident happened in late 2020 and was captured by a television crew who were filming a documentary for Channel 5 Warship: Life at Sea series.

According to the documentary HMS Northumberland was searching for the submarine in the Arctic Circle after it disappeared from the ship’s radar.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) do not usually comment on operations but has done so this time because the incident was caught on camera.

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A spokesperson for the MoD said: “In late 2020 a Russian submarine being tracked by HMS Northumberland came into contact with her towed array sonar.

“The Royal Navy regularly tracks foreign ships and submarines in order to ensure the defence of the United Kingdom.”

According to BBC News it was unlikely that the collision was deliberate, and it is unknown if any damage was suffered to the Russian submarine.

The incident did mean the Royal Navy ship had to return to port in Scotland to replace the damaged equipment.

There has been an increase in Russian submarine activity in recent years with Royal Navy ships frequently patrolling the North Atlantic.