U.S Destroyers, Norwegian Frigate Patrol Arctic North Cape as NATO Forces Search for Russian Attack Submarines off Lofoten
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72), left, Royal Norwegian replenishment oiler HNoMS Maud (A-530), second to left, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), right, and Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F-314), transit the North Cape fjord in the Barents Sea above the Arctic Circle as a Royal Norwegian Air Force P-8 Poseidon, flanked by two Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35 Lightning IIs fly overhead, Aug. 29, 2025. (Source: U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alice Husted)
U.S. and Norwegian naval forces conducted a joint patrol in the Barents Sea. The Arctic operation comes as part of a large exercise in the Norwegian and North Seas involving the USS Gerald R. Ford nuclear aircraft carrier and carrier group. NATO forces also conducted extensive aerial searches for three Russian Yasen-class attack submarines which were reported to be operating in the area off the Lofoten.
U.S. Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy forces have returned to the Arctic for a joint patrol over the weekend.
The four-vessel flotilla included American Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Mahan (DDG 72) and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) as well as Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F-314) and replenishment oiler HNoMS Maud (A-530).
The news follows reporting earlier last week about NATO aerial forces scrambling to locate and track three Russian nuclear attack submarines in the area of operation of the USS Gerald R. Ford nuclear aircraft carrier group in the North and Norwegian Seas.
Third in five years
The return of the U.S. Navy to the Barents Sea continues a trend of increased operations in the Arctic.
Prior to 2020 it had been decades since U.S. Navy surface vessels had operated in the Barents Sea. The USS Mahan had last traveled into the Arctic in the early 1990s as part of the large-scale NATO exercise Teamwork92.
Ensure the ability to deter competitors and rapidly respond to crises
This latest North Cape patrol marks the third such occurrence in the past five years. The first operation came in 2020 when a combined force of four U.S. Navy and U.K. Royal Naval ships entered the waters off Norway’s northern coastline.
Rapid response
Last year also saw two American destroyers, dispatched from an aircraft carrier group further south, conducting operations near Russia’s maritime border in the Barents. This was followed by a much-publicized aircraft carrier visit by the USS Harry S. Truman to the Oslo Fjord in November 2024.
In 2023 the USS Gerald R. Ford also called at the port, further highlighting the stepped-up engagement of the U.S. along Europe’s northern flank.
“Credible naval forces operating in the Arctic ensure the ability to deter competitors and rapidly respond to crises in the region," said the U.S. Fleet Forces Command in comments about the Barents Sea exercise.
It is unclear if the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft will again be visiting Oslo this summer. Latest available tracking data show the vessel continuing to operate to the west off Norway’s Lofoten.
Patrol off Nordkapp
Partial AIS data – not usually available during military exercises – indicate USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge, HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl, and HNoMS Maud off Norway’s Nordkapp on August 29.
Photos released by the U.S. Navy show the four vessel flotilla just a mile off shore with a Royal Norwegian Air Force P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane and two F35s jets overhead.
Partial AIS track of HNoMS Maud in the area of the Nordkapp on August 29. (Source: Shipatlas)
The vessels are part of the fleet accompanying the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest nuclear aircraft carrier, which continues to operate further south in the Norwegian and North Sea.
The HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl has since sailed back into the Norwegian Sea further south tracking data suggests.
Hunt for submarines off Lofoten
Earlier last week allied NATO forces responded to a potential threat to the Ford carrier group emanating from Russian submarines.
A sortie by all three Russian Yasen-class nuclear attack submarines from their Zapadnaya Litsa submarine base near Murmansk, triggered continuous efforts by maritime patrol aircrafts from several Nordic countries.
ADS-B data from Flightradar24 showing P-8 departure from Lossiemouth to the area outside the Lofoten on August 25. (Source: Flightradar24)
Reports indicate that P-8 Poseidon surveillance and anti-submarine warfare planes took off from bases in Norway, Iceland, and Scotland to locate and keep tabs on the Russian forces.
Circling for hours
Flight records show several P-8 taking off from Lossiemouth, Scotland and Reykjavik, Iceland traveling to the waters off the Lofoten circling for hours before returning to their bases or landing in Norway.
In total various P-8 aircraft from the three countries completed 27 sorties in search of the submarines, several reports confirm.
The Russian submarines are part of the country’s Northern Fleet and are some of its most modern and advanced assets.
Photos from the joint U.S.-Norwegian exercise. (Source: Edward Valentin Coates / Forsvaret)
