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Nuclear Subs Collided in Atlantic
LONDON - Nuclear-armed submarines from Britain and France collided deep under the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, causing damage to both vessels but releasing no radioactivity, a British official said Monday.
A handout photo from the British Ministry of Defence received on February 16, 2009 shows the HMS Vanguard. British and French nuclear submarines collided in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, officials admitted Monday, confirming an embarrassing accident involving highly sensitive technology.(HO) The British government official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The incident was first reported by a British newspaper, the Sun.
The HMS Vanguard, Britain's first Trident class nuclear-armed submarine, and the French Le Triomphant submarine, which was also carrying nuclear missiles, both suffered minor damage.
The British official said the Vanguard's "deterrent capability remained unaffected and there was no compromise to nuclear safety." No members of the crew were injured.
The HMS Vanguard, which went into operation in 1994, is one of Britain's four nuclear-powered submarines. Each is capable of carrying up to 16 nuclear-armed Trident missiles.
France's Defence Ministry said in a brief statement Feb. 6 that the Le Triomphant had struck "a submerged object (probably a container)" during a return from a patrol, damaging the sonar dome on the front of the submarine.
The French ministry did not confirm the date of the collision, nor did it make any mention of a British submarine.
It said in the statement that no crew members were injured and confirmed that the nuclear security of the submarine was not compromised.
After the accident, the French submarine returned to its base on L'Ile Longue on France's western tip under its own power, escorted as usual by a frigate, the ministry said.
The incident sparked concern among nuclear activists, who have long warned that nuclear submarines pose risks of radioactive leaks into the world's waters.
"This is a nuclear nightmare of the highest order," said Kate Hudson, chair of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. "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."
She called on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to end patrols, which she said have at least one British nuclear sub in the Atlantic at all times.
Stéphane Lhomme, a spokesman for the French anti-nuclear group Sortir du Nucléaire, said its network of activists is on alert for any signs of radioactive leaks near French shores.
"This reminds us that we could have a new catastrophe with a nuclear submarine at any moment. It is a risk that exists during missions but also in port," he said. "These are mobile nuclear reactors."
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19 Comments so far
Show AllIt's a big ocean. If these cowboys can't steer their boats any better than this why not build some decent schools?
Just don't let the same cowboys build the schools or they'll all fall down, like they did in China during the earthquake.
The captains and watch officers will lose their jobs. Other than that it'll be sailing as usual, until one or two of those monsters sink with predictabally disasterous results.
Why do we need nuclear subs anyway? It's not as if the big bad bear will launch a pre-emptive strike against us. Ditto the panda. Maybe terrorists will do the unimaginable and steal/detonate a suitcase nuke?
C'mon. This is the 21st century The old threats are now our largest trading partners. The Cold War is dead. And should any other country consider using a nuke, they know we would quickly turn their country to glass with a fleet of Predators. Remotely controlled. With our feet on the desk. Drinking a coke and eating a ham sandwich. And then go home at the end of the day to eat dinner with our kids and spouse in the suburbs.
Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in their moccasins - Native American proverb.
Good advice.
Then when you criticize him, he'll be a mile away, and he won't have any shoes.
Furkin hilarious!!!
You are right WTF; We The People don't need this crap Nuclear Nonsense. Want to prevent the next attack? Great, me too. Just put all of the PNAC Crime Family in Joliet Penitentiary and voila...world peace. With DICK Cheney in irons and with no cell phone, the next act of false flag terror just won't ever happen. No more 9/11's...so easy!
Who can really believe that they would actually tell us the truth about any spill of radioactive materials?
They won't.
You'll find out years later from cancer rates skyrocketing like they are now in the U.S.
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
In fact, here's where two sattilites collided this week. First the government warns pilots to look out for falling debris; then they retract and say it's just a meteor!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/falling_debris
These huge military satilites up there may use RTG's (nuclear decay power sources.) They have been photographed by several amatuer astronomers (who have been harrassed by Chinook hellicopters for posting photos on the web.
You just can't trust anybody in the government anymore.
TJ
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." - Thomas Jefferson
Yeah humans are smart....right. If any right thinking human had some multi billion dollar machine, they would watch where they are going with it. Maybe they should put a window or a camera, at least, up there in front so they can watch what/who they hit next time.
O great technology
how you befuddle me
secret of all secrets
blind as blind can be
the ocean so big
to hid so no one can figure
stealth so no on can hear
and still a big pig on the trigger
you think we might have learnt a thing or two
right... who are you fooling now?
They say the wisest of wise are leading us
but is it to our own big "KAA-POW"?
Just like infants playing peek a boo!
If we cant see them does it mean they cant see us?
politics as usual
Well, if the turrists don't get ya, incompetence surely will.
free2bee
Regardless of how we advance in technology and science, it still has to be operated by homo sapiens.
Good one Frank!
My theory: the 'sensitive technology' is artificial intelligence which controls the submarines. In a too brief moment of tenderness, the newly alive submarines attempted to mate with each other. How can two lonely (and relatively small)submarines collide in the (huge) Atlantic Ocean? Love. The tragic thing is that humans thought the two amorous submarines were malfunctioning and seperated their loving embrace. -sniff-
What strikes me most in this article is wherein it says, "The HMS Vanguard, Britain's first Trident class nuclear-armed submarine, and the French Le Triomphant submarine, which was also carrying nuclear missiles, ...".
The French sub. was "carrying nuclear missiles". WHY? What's the damn purpose; to be like a gangster who is ready to murder or commit mass murder holding a loaded gun to everyone's heads saying that if anyone becomes too socially unrestful or disagreeable, according to the gangster's personal view of what constitutes unacceptable vs acceptable levels of unrest, then he (or she) will blow the other persons' (i.e., our) heads off?
After all, carrying nuclear missiles should logically be justified (if it ever could be justifiable, that is) only if there's a real threat of being attacked with nuclear arms, and there are no such threats. So the Fr. sub. carrying nukes that could be launched at any moment upon order is sort of like holding a major gun(s) to or against all of our "heads", i.e., lives.
Nuclear-powered subs is bad enough; subs traveling around while carrying nuclear missiles is much worse. Much worse in certainly symbolic terms anyway. And if there's a serious accident with such a sub, then radioactive leakage into the environment could happen from both the nuclear-powered aspect of the sub and the nuclear missles both being damaged, perhaps (?). Maybe the missiles wouldn't leak radioactivity until actually exploding (?). I'm not an expert by any measure in this regard, but, and until learning otherwise from sufficiently knowledgeable people, I'd expect that there could be leakage from a non-exploded nuclear missle if the thing was damaged in just the "right" way; in a way that would cause the leakage.
Diagnosis? Psychopaths!
Ya know, nuke subs are really, really fast, and jet aircraft emit huge amounts of CO2. Might there be a market for transoceanic nuclear passenger ships someday?
Correction: I previously faulted only Fr. and eventually recalled that this was supposed to be about both subs being nuclear-armed, so checked again and it's clear that the Br. sub is reported as having also been nuclear-armed. So my prior post applies to both of these sociopathic or psychopathic govts ... of imperialism, colonialism, racism, surpemicism, ... Euro-Roman hell.
Yes, I know, Rome was and still is in Europe, but when I say Euro-Roman it's to infer Euro-Roman Empire, and even if England defeated the invading or attacking Roman Empire forces many centuries ago, England's always been just as hell-bent anyway. Two sides of a mirror don't attack and win against each other.
Finally...
Some news about a potential nuclear international incident... And the US had nothing to do with it!!!!
A new day has dawned... This is change I can believe in...!