Q&A ยท 28:34-28:59

Whole-warship theft after the Cherbourg boats

No equally recent seizure of complete warships is identified, though Cold War powers did acquire adversary equipment.

Question

Were there other recent cases of stealing whole warships comparable to the Israeli removal of missile boats from Cherbourg?

Short answer

Not that recently, although Britain did acquire Soviet equipment during the Cold War.

Notes

Israel's removal of five missile boats from a French yard provides the benchmark for stealing complete warships. No comparably recent example on the same scale is identified. The discussion distinguishes taking an entire ship from the British practice of acquiring and examining Soviet equipment during the Cold War. Spectacular platform seizure and the quieter intelligence work of obtaining an opponent's technology were different kinds of operation.