"Nuclear nightmare" after UK, French submarines collide
HMS Vanguard reportedly struck Le Triomphant (pictured) at the beginning of the month - Image licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License
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Monday, 16, Feb 2009 08:44
British and French nuclear submarines hit each other in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, the Royal Navy has confirmed.
HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant – the lead boats of both countries' nuclear submarine fleets – were involved in a collision around February 3rd/4th.
First Sea Lord Sir Jonathon Band told reporters that the collision had occurred during a routine patrol.
Sir Jonathon said "contact" had taken place at "no speed" and there had been no injuries as a result.
"We can confirm that the UK's deterrent capability has remained unaffected at all times and there has been no compromise to nuclear safety," a Ministry of Defence statement added.
Senior Royal Navy sources have indicated that the consequences of the collision could have been "unthinkable".
Each boat can carry up to 16 35-tonne missiles containing six warheads each with a range in excess of 5,000 miles.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said the collision represented a "nuclear nightmare of the highest order".
The group said the crash had destroyed the sonar dome of Le Triomphant and left visible scrapes and dents along HMS Vanguard.
"The collision of two submarines, both with nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons onboard could have released vast amounts of radiation and scattered scores of nuclear warheads across the seabed. The dents reportedly visible on the British sub show the boats were no more than a couple of seconds away from total catastrophe," said Kate Hudson, CND chair.
"This is the most severe incident involving a nuclear submarine since the sinking of the Kursk in 2000 and the first time since the cold war that two nuclear-armed subs are known to have collided."
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Nick Harvey called for an internal inquiry.
"While the British nuclear fleet has a good safety record, if there were ever to be a bang it would be a mighty big one," he said.
"Now that this incident is public knowledge, the people of Britain, France and the rest of the world need to be reassured this can never happen again and that lessons are being learned."
SNP Westminster leader and defence spokesperson Angus Robertson said: "The MoD needs to explain how it is possible for a submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction to collide with another submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction in the middle of the world's second largest ocean."
"It's very unlikely there would have been a nuclear explosion. But a radioactive leak was a possibility," the Sun quotes an unnamed defence official as saying.
"Worse, we could have lost the crew and warheads. That would have been a national disaster."
More than 250 submariners were aboard the vessels at the time of the collision, which took place after a complete sonar failure from both boats.
A French navy spokesman said earlier: "The collision did not result in injuries among the crew and did not jeopardise nuclear security at any moment."
HMS Vanguard is one of four nuclear submarines that make up Britain's Trident system, with one of the boats on deterrent patrol at all times.