Soviet intelligence collection at sea often used vessels presented as fishing trawlers. Crews in Western carrier groups could see the same type of ship following exercises and deployments without nets, lines, pots, or visible deck work. The civilian appearance allowed the collector to remain close to a formation without announcing a formal warship mission. Some escorts became so familiar with particular trawlers that sailors joked each ship had been assigned to them. The practice provided persistent observation at lower political cost than shadowing every group with an obvious combatant. Its value came from routine proximity and the signals a fleet emitted while operating.
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The Soviet trawler that followed every carrier group
Cold War carrier groups grew accustomed to Soviet intelligence trawlers that displayed a civilian identity while following naval formations without fishing.