History Main / SpyShip

** ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' has a British spy trawler haul up a World War 2 SeaMine in its fishing net, which explodes and sinks it. This sets off the plot as the British and Soviets race to recover the [[MacGuffin ATAC device]] it was carrying.

* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarthII'': The American campaign ha a spy submarine (a submarine with transport capability) used to end spies into Russia totake out their invincible stealth bomber.

* ''Manga/WaGaNaWaUmishi'': Disguised as a fishing boat. Allegedly from North Korea.

** ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' has one accidentally fish up a SeaMine and sink. Until Bond finds the same type of mines in a warehouse belonging to the BigBad.

** ''Film/ForYourEyesOnly'' has one accidentally fish up a SeaMine and sink.

* ''Literature/PolarStar'' by Martin Cruz Smith. The protagonist discovers that the Soviet factory ship he's working on is broadcasting fake submarine signals meant to be picked up by an American spy vessel -- one of the trawlers that provide their fish.

A vehicle, in whatever medium, that looks like a civilian one, but is actually there to gather intelligence. Typically disguised as fishing trawlers, because they're so ubiquitous on the oceans that even though every navy and spy agency knows fishing trawlers are used for spying there's no way to know ''which'' ones are spy ships and which are genuinely just there to catch fish.

Supertrope of VanInBlack.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' presented many variations on this:

** Fast [[{{Courier}} Courier Boats]], either [[DiplomaticImpunity operating in an official diplomatic capacity]] or simply under the employ of a merchant or journalist agency that would have legitimate need to send messages quickly.

** In 2013 the UsefulNotes/RussiansWithRustingRockets commissioned the first Project 18280 [=ElInt=] ship, which will rely on low-signature "stealth" tech rather than being BeneathSuspicion, and will likely spy on the US "missile shield", which the Russians refuse to believe to be designed to stop Iranian missiles. HereWeGoAgain, Cold War!

** Many spy ships aren't stealthy at all. Some just hang at the edge of territorial waters where nobody can legally tell them to move and just watch what they can (which, with the right sensors, is surprisingly a lot). For example Norway's ''Marjata'' [[note]] now Eger[[/note]] looks like a Dorito wearing a hat, but its job is to spy on fleet movements in Russian territorial waters, which it can quite easily do thanks to its advanced surveillance equipment. The Russians always know it's there but it's not like they can just hide behind something.

** Another "technical research ship" was the USS ''Liberty'', infamously attacked by the Israeli military in an apparent case of mistaken identity during the [[UsefulNotes/ArabIsraeliConflict Six Day War]]. Whether Israel actually mistook the Liberty for a much smaller Egyptian ship as claimed remains deeply controversial to this day and quickly became fodder for conspiracy theories.

* Many "spy planes"-- at least the ones not specifically designed for such roles, such as the U-2 and the SR-71-- are essentially militarized airliners [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_RC-135 (generally the 707)]]. This has been known to cause issues in the past. For example, Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down by the Soviet Air Force because it was suspected of being on a spying flight (it wasn't).

* Many "spy planes"-- at least the ones not specifically designed for such roles, such as the U-2 and the SR-71-- are essentially militarized airliners. This has been known to cause issues in the past. For example, Korean Airlines Flight 007 was shot down by the Soviet Air Force because it was suspected of being on a spying flight (it wasn't).

* The GLA Bomb truck can serve this purpose in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'', as it can be disguised as any vehicle (allied, hostile, or one of the neutrals that are there to be turned into {{Action Bomb}}s by the Terrorist unit) and is only revealed when detonating, which doesn't have to be done manually. Even better against AI opponents, who don't react ''at all'' to the random passenger car that's running over their infantry one by one.

** The USSR had at least ten types of these, such as the "Okean" and "Primorye" classes. Much of their commercial fishing fleet was, according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, also engaged in spying ops on the side. These "trawlers" frequently were used to spy on US carrier battle groups as that was the greatest threat to the Soviet Navy. It helped that all those ships were state-owned anyway.

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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* The FanFic/AllGuardsmenParty was once tasked with purchasing a mission ship to use during their work for [[StateSec the Emperor's Most Holy Inquisition]]. The result was the free trader ''Occurrence Border'', an [[TheAllegedCar Alleged Spaceship]] - or rather half of a spaceship, the front fell off at some point - that has all manner of lethal quirks to it, but functions perfectly as a spy ship, because no one who looks at it would conclude that the Inquisition would use such a deathtrap to deploy its agents.

* As a LongRunner series of movies about spies, ''Film/JamesBond'' films of course have several examples:

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* In ''[[ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel G.I. Joe Special Missions]]'' #1, the Joes stage a mission on a fake fishing trawler.

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** This goes back to ''Film/DrNo'': Quarrel runs a simple fishing boat, but he helps out secret agents all the time.
** Villainous example with Largo's "yacht" the ''Disco Volante'' on ''Film/{{Thunderball}}''. The version that appears on TheRemake ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain'' even adds a pretty advanced secret communications room.
* ''Film/TheFinalCountdown'' has the ''[=USS=] Nimitz'' task force shadowed by a Soviet-flagged "fishing trawler" that isn't doing much fishing.
** Truth in television, see Real Life below.

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* ''Polar Star'' by Martin Cruz Smith. The protagonist discovers that the Soviet factory ship he's working on is broadcasting fake submarine signals meant to be picked up by an American spy vessel -- one of the trawlers that provide their fish.

* The titular ''Oregon'' of ''Literature/TheOregonFiles'' is a ship with a nearly derelict appearance that serves as a home base for its crew of former intelligence and special operations operatives.
* In Creator/DaleBrown's ''Shadows Of Steel'', a US commando unit operates out of one, sabotaging Iranian operations in the Persian Gulf. Its destruction and the capture of all on board kick the plot off.
* In ''Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}'', Detachment 2702 use a decrepit old boat and, ahem, "Tactical Negro Impersonation", to provide a cover story for how the Allies managed to locate a ''Milchcow'' - a resupply U-boat - when said submarines very rarely transmit anything, and thus cannot plausibly be located via Radio Direction Finding. The mission is... not an unqualified success.

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* The Emmy-winning two-part episode "Ship of Spies" from Season 1 of ''Series/{{Get Smart}}''. Agents 86 and 99 search for stolen plans on a freighter full of spies.

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* The GLA Bomb truck can serve this purpose in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'', as it can be disguised as any vehicle (allied, hostile, or one of the neutrals that are there to be turned into {{Action Bomb}}s by the Terrorist unit) and is only revealed when detonating, which doesn't have to be done manually. Even better against AI opponents, who don't react ''at all'' to the random passenger car that's running over their infantry one by one.

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[[AC:RealLife]]

** Merchant ships trying to shadow a military force on the move is much rarer (as it is very difficult behavior to justify InUniverse). The one time it happens, the Havenite warship being tailed [[RealityEnsues turns around and attacks their follower]] once it becomes clear there is no legitimate reason for them to be following them. Unfortunately for the destroyer crew, the merchant ship was actually a [[AWolfInSheepsClothing heavily armed privateer]], and the ensuing battle [[CurbStompBattle is a short one in the Privateer's favor.]]

* USS ''Pueblo''. This was a rather less subtle type, rather than being disguised as a commonplace civilian vessel it was openly a US Navy vessel, but officially a "technical research ship" that was supposedly researching atmospheric phenomena. The lack of a disguise meant that such ships could be equipped with a more extensive array of electronic surveillance devices it also meant their true mission was pretty much an open secret.

* North Korean intelligence agencies have used this lately to conduct intelligence ops near Japanese/South Korean territorial waters. One such incident in Japan to the formation of the JMSDF's Special Boarding Unit.

** Many spy ships aren't stealthy at all. Some just hang at the edge of territorial waters where nobody can legally tell them to move and just watch what they can (which, with the right sensors, is surprisingly a lot). For example Norway's ''Marjata'' [[note]] now Eger[[/note]] looks like Dorito wearing a hat, but it's job is to spy on fleet movements in Russian territorial waters, which can quite easily do thanks to it's advanced surveillance equipment. The Russians always know it's there but it's not like they can just behind something.

** The episode [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E4BartTheMurderer "Bart the Murderer"]] featured a pizza van with satellite dishes on the roof listening in on the Simpsons when Bart is accused of murder. Marge notes it had been there a week and asks how long it takes to deliver a pizza. The van drives off and is replaced with another van with "'''F'''lowers '''B'''y '''I'''rene" on the side (provides the page image for VanInBlack).