News In Brief

Soviet sub may have been casualty of US equipment

A disabled Soviet nuclear submarine was taken under tow Saturday by a Soviet salvage tug off the East Coast and was headed south in the direction of Cuba, the Pentagon said. The spokesman also indicated that the modern, Victor III-class attack sub, designed to hunt and destroy other vessels, may have been damaged last Monday by underwater sonar detection gear towed by a United States Navy frigate.

The 341-foot submarine, which carries a crew of 90, was spotted wallowing on the surface of the choppy Atlantic by US Navy planes Wednesday, west of Bermuda and less than 500 miles east of Charleston, S.C. US Navy ships and planes have been watching the Soviet vessel closely, and a Pentagon spokesman earlier described the incident as an ''intelligence windfall'' for Washington because nuclear subs rarely surface.