WHEN the severely-damaged, Barrow-built HMS Warspite limped into harbour in October 1968 it was claimed arctic ice was the culprit.

However the truth was more like something out of a Tom Clancy novel.

Warspite had been struck by a Soviet Echo II class submarine it was tailing near the Russian naval base of Murmansk.

After being detected, the Russian sub performed a "Crazy Ivan" manoeuvre, turning a full 180 degrees and sailing straight into the Warspite.

What followed was a tense game of cat and mouse as the sub tried to avoid the Russian fleet as it struggled back to Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.

The boat was a wreck, with a black tarpaulin covering its completely stoved in conning tower as it came in for repairs at Barrow's shipyards.

The official story for years was that the submarine had crashed into an iceberg - a line that the crew were allegedly told to follow.

Warspite was launched in 1965 as the Royal Navy's second Valiant class submarine.

After 24 years in service Warspite was decommissioned in 1991 after a fault was found in its reactor.

Read more about the proud history of Barrow, its shipbuilders, and the submarines that kept Britain safe:

An iconic Barrow landmark celebrates its 30th birthday

A daring rescue that brought back two Furness men from the brink of disaster

The pioneering submarine that began Britain's nuclear deterrent