# Underwater antenia, what is being broadcast? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-antenia-what-is-being-broadcast/315969 "2005-08-07T05:46:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-antenia-what-is-being-broadcast/315969/1 "2005-08-07T05:46:45Z")
The Russian sub (which the submainers have been rescued from) got tangled in a underwater antennia. What are these used for and why is it placed underwater? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-antenia-what-is-being-broadcast/315969/2 "2005-08-07T06:03:45Z")
It is not clear at this time what ensnared the sub. Early reports suggested a discarded [fishing net](http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050806-12330200-bc-russia-sub-2ndld.xml), but Russian officials have discounted this. It’s possible it was caught on some sort of submarine communications cable. The most recent [story](http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10339551) I’ve seen detailing the successful rescue of the sub indicates only that some unspecified cables had to be cut to free it. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2005, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/underwater-antenia-what-is-being-broadcast/315969/3 "2005-08-07T09:00:19Z")
I heard one report that it was a listening device, possibly dating back to the cold war, to monitor any foreign submarines.