NATO held its largest ever submarine rescue exercise in Mersin Bay on the southern coast of Turkey from 4-13 September. The Turkish submarine Hizirreis settled to the bottom to play the stricken submarine, while the US mini-sub Mystic (carried by the larger submarine Dallas) conducted the actual "rescue". The British had been scheduled to take part, but pulled out because all of their equipment had been sent to Norway in the failed attempt to rescue the crew of the Russian submarine Kursk. Observers from Argentina, Chile, Israel, Singapore, and Sweden took part in the exercise.--Stephen V Cole