Did a photo on Facebook show a "Russian SSBN phoon-class submarine" carrying an underwater missile in Los Angeles? No, that's not true: A reverse image search revealed that the vessel shown in the photo is the deep submergence rescue vehicle Avalon as it was secured on the deck of the Sturgeon-class USS Billfish. The image, which shows an American -- not Russian -- flag in the background, was taken in 1992, according to the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum.
A version of the claim appeared in a post on Facebook on May 1, 2024, (archived here) with a caption that read:
Russian SSBN phoon-class Submarine Carry Huge under water Missile 🇷🇺🫡 -- in Los Angeles, CA.
Here is how the post appeared at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Mon May 13 22:05:24 2024 UTC)
A reverse image search using Google Lens (archived here) revealed that the vessel shown in the photo is the deep submergence rescue vehicle Avalon (DSRV-2). The image was captured in 1992.
The same image was shared by the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum (archived here) on Facebook on May 1, 2022 (archived here), and on X on May 1, 2023.
A description on the museum's Facebook page reads:
DSRV Avalon is mated to USS Billfish (SSN 676) during international rescue exercise Sorbet Royal 92, September 1992.
And a description on the museum's X profile reads:
The @USNavy's second submarine rescue vehicle, DSRV Avalon, was launched #OTD in 1971.
Avalon provided rapid-response submarine rescue capability to the Navy for almost 30 years and took part in many national/international rescue exercises.
DSRV Avalon is on display at the Morro Bay Maritime Museum in California as of this writing. According to the museum's website (archived here), the 49-foot vessel was built in 1971 and was built to be one of two machines designed to rescue the crews of downed submarines.
Finally, an American flag can be seen in the photograph's background, providing further evidence that the vessel is not Russian.
Other Lead Stories fact checks on claims related to Russian events can be read here.
