An American fast-attack submarine has sailed into Cuba a day after a Russian fleet, including one of the nation’s most advanced nuclear subs, docked in Havana, according to the US Navy.
The USS Helena, a nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class submarine, arrived at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday as part of a scheduled port visit, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said.
“The fast-attack submarine USS Helena is in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of a routine port visit as it transits the US Southern Command geographic area of responsibility while conducting its global maritime security and national defense mission,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement.
The arrival of the Cold War-era hunter-killer sub follows Russia’s move to sail a frigate, a nuclear-powered submarine, an oil tanker, and a rescue tug into Cuba a day earlier to conduct military exercises in the Atlantic.
Of most interest to the US is the presence of the Kazan, a Yasen-class cruise missile submarine, which is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles — reportedly capable of traveling nine times the speed of sound.
