Top all-time · #1407
Covert Shores
Personal blog · hisutton.comsecurityother
Covert Shores is a personal blog at hisutton.com about security. Since 2015, 51 different Hacker News readers have linked it 105 times, most often “Narco Subs 101”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-11-01, and you can follow it by feed.
Sometimes recommended · 10 of 40 sampled comments recommend it?
Why HN links it
HN readers link H I Sutton's Covert Shores for open-source intelligence on submarines, naval technology, narco-subs and undersea cables, with original cutaway illustrations and diagrams.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 40 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Independent Defence Analysis ◆ Unconventional Naval Warfare ◆ Open-source Intelligence (OSINT) ◆ Submarines ◆ Naval Special Forces ◆ Original Artwork
Most-linked posts?
- Narco Subs 1017 people · 7 mentions · first linked 2019-09-25
- The Escape of Bernd Boettger (2014)5 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2015-08-23
- /The%20REAL%20Red%20October%20-%20Typhoon%20SSBN.html4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2018-05-07
- Covert Shores3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2016-10-15
- Russian ship loitering near undersea cables3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2016-10-12
- /Russian-Navy-Ekranoplan-WIG.html2 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2020-08-29
- /Ukrainian-Interceptor-Drones.html2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2026-03-05
- /2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2016-07-30
- Russian ALFA Class interceptor submarine2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2018-05-07
- /Iranian-Naval-Mines.html2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2026-03-22
What Hacker News says?
For something different: https://www.hisutton.com is worth it for the original illustrations alone
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: Favorite Blogs by Individuals?”Submitted Narco Submarine Found in Spain as a story · 178 points
HN discussionThere’s some interesting military history and tech regarding submarine cables. The first act of WW1 was to sever a cable, for example. And during the Cold War the Americans planted bugs on Russian cables and were eventually exposed by a spy. Nowadays the Russians have some interesting capabilities that can be inferred. http://www.hisutton.com/Undersea_Cables.html
Comment linking /Undersea_Cables.html
on “Submarine cable map rendered onto a globe”Submitted How to draw sub cutaways in MS Paint (2015) as a story · 166 points
HN discussionThe russians have been investing heavily and have some very good kit http://www.hisutton.com/Yantar.html http://www.hisutton.com/Belgorod-Class-Submarine.html http://www.hisutton.com/Russian-Spy-Submarine-BS-64e.html and so on
Comment linking /Russian-Spy-Submarine-BS-64e.html
on “Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea disrupted”Submitted Russian ALFA Class interceptor submarine as a story · 124 points
HN discussionBallistic missile defense capabilities will remain very limited for at least the next few years. But Russia has also hedged against this risk by developing the Poseidon strategic nuclear torpedo. We have no effective defense. http://www.hisutton.com/Belgorod-Class-Submarine.html
Comment linking /Belgorod-Class-Submarine.html
on “Chernobyl power plant captured by Russian forces”Submitted Armored Stealth Boat: How to Smuggle Luxury Cars (2016) as a story · 122 points
HN discussionIt’s obscure but there was such a contraption trialled by the seals and cia in the 1950s http://www.hisutton.com/CIA_Water-Air_1958.html Here’s a pedal powered smuggling submarine from the 1940s http://www.hisutton.com/Swiss-Pedal-Powered-Smuggling-Submar...
Comment linking /Swiss-Pedal-Powered-Smuggling-Submarine.html
on “'Underwater bicycle' propels swimmers forward at superhuman speed”Submitted USN AN-1 Submarine Aircraft Carrier (2018) as a story · 120 points
HN discussionChina is building all kinds of suggestive tech including invasion barge piers to land heavy stuff quickly once a beachhead has been established http://www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Invasion-Barge-OSINT.html
Comment linking /Chinese-Invasion-Barge-OSINT.html
on “How China built its ‘Manhattan Project’ to rival the West in AI chips”Submitted Russian ship loitering near undersea cables as a story · 102 points
HN discussionWell, I guess for every guy using MS Paint and GIMP for maritime 3D cutaway illustrations, there's another person using Inkscape for cropping. No judgement. http://www.hisutton.com/How%20to%20draw%20sub%20cutaways%20i...
Comment linking /How%20to%20draw%20sub%20cutaways%20in%20MS%20Paint.html
on “Inkscape 1.1”Submitted The Escape of Bernd Boettger (2014) as a story · 56 points
HN discussionI think Arkhangelsk being involved seems likely. The Russian ship "Akademik Aleksandrov" aka Project 20183 was apparently in that area recently[1], and seems obviously related to Poseidon[2]. If the source of the radiation were a Poseidon, that would certainly explain the secrecy. As for claims of the fission products coming from a "civil source", I don't think enough is known about Poseidon's reactors to rule that…
Comment linking /Akademik-Aleksandrov.html
on “Sensors detect rise in nuclear particles on Baltic Sea”Submitted Moskva Sinking: Images Reveal Once Powerful Russian Navy Ship on Fire as a story · 55 points
HN discussionI have a library of work-related books (military). Most of the great ones have no digital alternative. Authors of rare or definitive works know to avoid digital formats. Last year I paid 200+ to get my hands on a newly printed book because i know it will still be relevant on my shelf in 10/20/30 years. After reading it once I may leave it on that shelf for years. One day i will need it again. I will know where to fi…
Comment linking /
on “Sweden brings more books and handwriting practice back to its schools (2023)”Submitted Increase in Transatlantic Narco Submarines as a story · 34 points
HN discussionH I Sutton has a good article on Israel's 'Killer Dolphins' I think in reality it was not a device to kill but had an other use, like mentioned. Hamas seems to say the frogman was killed, but doesn't confirm by the dolphin in the English quotes. If the dolphins got contused and attacked a school trip swimming at the beach it wouldn't look great. All you need is the dolphin to call back it's found something then drop…
Comment linking /Israeli-Navy-Killer-Dolphins.html
on “Militarized Dolphins Protect Almost a Quarter of the US Nuclear Stockpile”Submitted Heavily Armed Russian Navy Ships Sailing Between Britain and Ireland as a story · 24 points
HN discussionThe Russians also have a long history of "special purpose" submarines, and are currently expanding their fleet of them again. Lots and lots of details eg largish "mini" submarines that dock on the underside of massive subs at http://www.hisutton.com
Comment linking /
on “America uses stealthy submarines to hack other countries’ systems”Submitted Swedish SSN (2017) as a story · 24 points
HN discussionTheir next move would be disconnecting the US. http://www.hisutton.com/Yantar.html What then?
Comment linking /Yantar.html
on “Internet Attack Spreads, Disrupting Major Websites”Submitted Ukrainian Weaponized Yamaha Jet Ski with Starlink Antenna as a story · 15 points
HN discussionFor those interested in learning more about narcobubmarines, I recommend H I Sutton. His original work [1] and his twitter stream [2] are very solid. [1] http://www.hisutton.com/Largest-Narco-Submarines-Compared.ht... [2] https://twitter.com/covertshores
Comment linking /Largest-Narco-Submarines-Compared.html
on “Police helicopter's 100mph chase with 'super sophisticated' drone near Tucson”Submitted Guide to Ukraine's Long Range Attack Drones as a story · 14 points
HN discussion> I have been thinking recently about submarines and wondering how crew size could be reduced through automation. I believe the Alfa class submarines went this exact route. According to Sutton it had a crew complement of 32: http://www.hisutton.com/Alfa_Class_Submarine.html Much more modern plans along similar design thinking is the SHELF reactor. It is designed to operates in an underwater, sealed capsule that is m…
Comment linking /Alfa_Class_Submarine.html
on “Nuclear Power at McMurdo Station, Antarctica”Submitted Ukrainian Navy Reveals Unknown Underwater Drone (UUV) as a story · 3 points
HN discussionAnother escape story is Bernd Boettger, who built a mini submarine: http://www.hisutton.com/The%20Escape%20of%20Bernd%20Boettger...
Comment linking /The%20Escape%20of%20Bernd%20Boettger.html
on “Up in the Air: Escaping from East Germany”Submitted South China Sea Monster: New Chinese Ekranoplan as a story · 3 points
HN discussion
