UK Trident Submarines Are Now Being Deployed At Sea For Record Breaking Periods Of Five Months Each

Vanguard Class submarine HMS Vengeance. Royal Navy 

The Guardian: Safety fears as UK Trident submarines are put to sea for longest-ever patrols 

Report says submarines were deployed for five months as former commander warns of risk to sailors 

Britain’s Trident nuclear armed submarines have recently been deployed at sea for record breaking periods of five months each, leading one former navy commander to warn that the longer patrols could affect operational safety. 

Investigative journalism site the Ferret reported on Tuesday that two Trident-bearing Vanguard class submarines each went out on patrol for 157 days during this year, based on monitoring data from campaign group Nukewatch. 

Rob Forsyth, who helped command Polaris nuclear submarines in the 1970s, said that “with patrols now lasting 150 days or more” the most significant challenge was crew discipline, in a blogpost published on Tuesday.  

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WNU Editor: These concerns over safety are justified. There was a fire onboard one of these Trident submarines only a few weeks ago .... British Nuclear Submarine Catches Fire, Aborts Top ‘Secret Mission’ (Marine Insight)

U.K. Navy Kicks Nine Sailors Off Nuclear Submarine For Rowdy Parties And Cocaine Use

In one of the worst scandals to hit the Navy, the crew from HMS Vigilant (pictured) were sent home and kicked out of the service after cocaine was found in their blood

Daily Mail: HMS Sex and Cocaine: Navy kicks nine sailors off nuclear submarine for testing positive for drugs after 'rowdy parties' while four officers are removed amid 'affairs' scandal

* HMS Vigilant crew kicked out of Navy after the class A drug found in their blood
* They are alleged to had drug-fuelled parties while submarine was docked in US
* Lt Cdr Michael Seal has been removed amid claims of affair with a female officer
* Alleged to have been with Lt Hannah Litchfield, who has also been taken off sub

Nine British servicemen have been thrown off a nuclear submarine at the centre of a sex probe, after testing positive for cocaine while on duty.

In one of the worst scandals to hit the Navy, the crew from HMS Vigilant – which carries the Trident nuclear deterrent – were sent home and kicked out of the service after the class A drug was found in their blood.

They are alleged to have had drug-fuelled parties while the submarine was docked in the US to pick up nuclear warheads. One man is said to have had sex with a prostitute in a swimming pool.

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WNU Editor: What were these sailors thinking?

Update: Oh oh .... the Royal Navy has a problem .... Navy kicked out 80 sailors over failed drugs tests last year: Figure doubled from 2015 with a quarter of those sacked serving on nuclear submarines (Daily Mail).

More News On The U.K. Navy Kicking Nine Sailors Off Nuclear Submarine For Rowdy Parties And Cocaine Use

Nuclear sub sailors fired after 'absolutely disgraceful' parties with a prostitute and cocaine -- Washington Post
Navy discharges nine submariners from nuclear vessel over drugs -- The Guardian
HMS Vigilant: Nine sailors sacked after failing drugs tests -- BBC News
Nuclear submarine sailor 'stole from prostitute' -- The Times
Nuclear Submarine Personnel Dismissed After Drug-Fueled Parties -- International Business Times
New shame of HMS Cocaine: Sailor on disgraced nuclear submarine paid prostitute £120 for sex and then stole the money back from her... before giving US police a fake name when she reported him -- Daily Mail
British Navy servicemen test positive for cocaine while manning nuclear-armed submarine -- International Business Times

The Obama Administration Asked Britain To Keep Details Of A Failed Nuclear Missile Test Secret

Crew from HMS Vengeance, a British Royal Navy Vanguard class Trident Ballistic Missile Submarine © David Moir / Reuters

The Australian/The Times: US urged Britain to keep trident blunder secret

The US government asked Britain to keep details of a botched nuclear missile test secret, a source told The Times.

Officials from the Obama administration asked David Cameron’s government not to comment on the malfunction during a test of the Trident nuclear deterrent in June, it is understood.

The £17 million unarmed D5 missile is believed to have been obliterated in an automatic self-destruct sequence when it was diverted from its course after being launched from HMS Vengeance off Florida. A failure in the data communications system of the US-made weapon system has been blamed. Lockheed Martin, based in Maryland, builds and maintains the missiles.

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WNU Editor: This may be a bigger problem than what they are reporting .... Trident whistleblower tells RT he ‘witnessed 4 unreported missile test failures’ (RT).

Previous Post: British PM Theresa May Grilled On Last Year's British Trident Missile Failure (January 22, 2017)
Previous Post: No. 10 Covered Up A Failed British Trident Missile Test Off The U.S. Coast Last Year (January 21, 2017).

More News On Reports That The Obama Administration Asked Britain To Keep Details Of A Failed Nuclear Missile Test Secret

Trident: Barack Obama administration asked David Cameron to keep failed nuclear missile test launch secret -- The Independent
US asked UK to keep failed nuke Trident test secret – report -- RT
Did the US pressure Britain to keep the Trident test failure a secret? -- International Business Times
US official confirms Trident missile failure -- CNN

British PM Theresa May Grilled On Last Year's British Trident Missile Failure

New York Times: Theresa May Is Grilled Over U.K. Missile Test Failure

LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain refused to comment on Sunday about the reported failure of an unarmed British Trident missile that was test-fired from a submarine off the coast of Florida last June.

Mrs. May said she had “absolute faith in our Trident missiles” in a television interview with the BBC, but she would not say whether she had known about the failure or whether, as The Sunday Times of London reported, it had been covered up by Downing Street under her predecessor, David Cameron, shortly before the referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Mrs. May did not mention any missile failure in her first major speech to Parliament on July 18, when she persuaded Parliament to spend up to 40 billion pounds, or about $53 billion then, on four new submarines to keep Britain’s nuclear deterrent up-to-date.

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Previous Post: No. 10 Covered Up A Failed British Trident Missile Test Off The U.S. Coast Last Year (January 21, 2017)

WNU Editor: This has to be cleared up. $53 billion is not chump change.

More News On British PM Theresa May Refusing  To Answer Questions On Last Year's British Trident Missile Failure

Missile failure off Florida? British leader won’t say -- Washington Post/AP
Britain's May refuses to talk about reported test missile failure -- UPI
Theresa May under pressure over Trident missile test -- BBC
Theresa May 'faith' in Trident after test 'malfunction' -- BBC
British PM faces allegations of knowledge of alleged nuclear misfire -- CSM
Theresa May refuses to answer four times whether she knew about Government 'cover-up' on Trident -- The Independent
Theresa May to face grilling over British Trident nuclear weapon misfire -- The Australian
MoD cannot fall back on usual excuses to explain Trident misfire -- Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian

UK Parliament To Vote On Renewing The Country's Nuclear Deterrent

A nuclear submarine is seen at the Royal Navy's submarine base at Faslane, Scotland, August 31, 2015. REUTERS/RUSSELL CHEYNE

ABC News Online: Trident: British MPs to vote on renewing Scotland-based nuclear-armed submarine fleet

British MPs are set to vote on whether to renew Britain's nuclear deterrent, a key decision for Western security policy, which partly hinges on Britain as one of western Europe's only two nuclear powers.

The Conservative- majority parliament is likely to approve renewing the Scottish-based nuclear-armed Trident submarines, despite opposition from the Scottish National Party and many Labour Party MPs.

Political divisions about whether to replace the Trident submarines have raised questions about Britain's standing as a world power, amplified by a vote to leave the European Union.

New Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to tell politicians the nuclear threat is growing, and urge them to put ideology aside and back renewal.

Read more ....

More News On British MPs Voting To Renew The Country's Nuclear Deterrent

UK Parliament to vote on renewing nuclear weapons arsenal -- AP
British lawmakers to vote on renewing Trident nuclear deterrent -- Reuters
MPs to vote on Trident nuclear weapons system renewal -- BBC
May will warn the nuclear threat is growing in her first clash with Corbyn in the Commons over the future of Trident -- Daily Mail
Trident renewal: would £205bn be a price worth paying? -- Ewen MacAskill, The Guardian
At what price will the vote deciding Trident's future be won? -- Independent editorial
Will UK Replace its Aging Trident Submarines? -- Alan Tovey, Telegraph

A Glimpse Of What Life Is Like On Board A Trident Submarine (Photo Gallery)

Royal Navy Vanguard Class submarine HMS Vigilant returning to HMNB Clyde after her extended deployment. The four Vanguard-class submarines form the UK's strategic nuclear deterrent force. Each of the the four boats is armed with Trident 2 D5 nuclear missiles. Like all submarines the Vanguard Class are steam powered, their reactors converting water into steam to drive the engines and generate electricity. (Wikipedia)

Daily Mail: The red button that could launch Britain's nuclear warheads - and the safe containing the PM's secret orders for war: A rare glimpse into the claustrophobic world of a Trident submarine

* HMS Vigilant opened up at HM Naval Base Clyde to reveal life underwater on a Vanguard Class submarine
* Base hosted visit by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon who underlined case for renewing Trident system
* Weapons Engineer Woods pictured on board Vigilant holding Weapons Engineer Officers Tactical Trigger
* Lieutenant Alexandra Olsson, the UK's first female submariner, seen on phone in the Vigilant control room

With its slightly chipped red grip and retro look, it could be the hand control for a Scalextric set or games console.

In fact, the device seen here for the first time is the trigger to Britain’s nuclear deterrent, a button that when pressed could destroy hundreds of thousands of lives.

It is in the hand of Lieutenant Commander Woods, the weapons engineer officer on HMS Vigilant, one of four Vanguard class submarines that carries up to eight Trident missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

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WNU Editor: Not for the claustrophobic.

Britain's Labour Leader: 'U.K. Trident Submarines Could Sail Without Nuclear Warheads'

Daily Mail: Britain's submarines could sail without any Trident warheads, claims Jeremy Corbyn

* Labour leader said the idea was one which his party review would consider
* Corbyn supports Britain unilaterally giving up nuclear weapons altogether
* But Government said remarks show Labour is a national security 'threat'

Britain could put nuclear submarines to sea without them carrying any Trident warheads, Jeremy Corbyn has suggested.

The Labour leader - who wants Britain to scrap its nuclear weapons - said it was one of the options which would be reviewed by shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry in a party review.

Tensions are high within Labour as a majority of MPs want the party to keep its existing policy of supporting the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent with the purchase of four new submarines.

WNU Editor: Members of his won party are rebelling against this idea .... Corbyn proposal for nuclear-free Trident triggers Labour row (Irish Times).

More News On U.K. Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn's Remarks That Britain's Trident Submarines May Sail Without Nuclear Weapons

Corbyn: UK could keep Trident submarines but without warheads -- BBC
Jeremy Corbyn says he would keep submarines patrolling the world without any nuclear weapons -- The Telegraph
Jeremy Corbyn hints at no-nuke subs in Trident compromise -- The Guardian
British Labour Leader Offers Compromise on Trident Program -- New York Times
Trident submarines could be built with no nuclear weapons on board under idea considered by Jeremy Corbyn -- Mirror
Corbyn: Trident Subs 'Don't Need' Warheads -- SKY News
Corbyn suggests stripping nuclear submarines of their weapons -- The National

Is Britian's Trident Submarine A Disaster That Is About To Happen?

© Flickr/ UK Ministry of Defence

Daily Mail: Submariner on run after he says 'Trident's unsafe': Fugitive claims security lapses put UK on brink of nuclear disaster

* Sailor William McNeilly claimed Britain is on verge of 'nuclear catastrophe'
* Navy seaman, 25, said security checks are ignored on Trident submarines
* Mr McNeilly, missing since April, said nuclear subs were a terror target
* Royal Navy denies 'unsubstantiated personal views' of a junior sailor

A Royl Navy submariner was on the run last night after claiming Britain is on the brink of a nuclear disaster because of dangerous safety and security lapses with Trident.

The police and the Navy are searching for seaman William McNeilly after he published an 18-page dossier claiming the submarine programme is a ‘disaster waiting to happen’.

The whistleblower claimed the missiles on the vessels were vulnerable to a terrorist attack that would ‘kill our people and destroy our land’.

He then fled after saying he feared he could ‘lose everything’ for divulging secrets.

More News On Reports That A Whistle-blower's Claims That the UK Trident Submarine Is A Disaster That is About To Happen

Navy probes leaked Trident safety claims -- BBC
Trident whistleblower William McNeilly claims it is easier to enter sensitive nuclear weapons installations than 'most nightclubs' -- The Independent
Trident whistleblower says nuclear subs are insecure, unsafe and 'a disaster waiting to happen' -- Herald Scotland
Britain's Nuclear Deterrent is 'Disaster Waiting to Happen' – Whistleblower -- Sputnik
Trident nuclear programme 'a disaster waiting to happen' -- ITV
Navy's Trident whistleblower plans to hand himself in -- The National
Trident whistleblower: nuclear 'disaster waiting to happen' -- Wikileaks

Britain's Trident Submarine Fleet May Be Cut To Two Subs In New Lib Dem Plan

Lib Dems Accused Of 'Reckless' Plan To Weaken Trident By Halving Number Of Submarines From Four To Two And Sending Them To Sea Unarmed -- Daily Mail

* Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has criticised plan to downgrade
* Says Government is '100% committed' to replacing ageing fleet

Liberal Democrat plans to downgrade Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent represent a ‘risk no responsible government would take’, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond warned last night.

In a strongly-worded article for the Daily Mail, Mr Hammond accuses Nick Clegg of taking a ‘reckless’ gamble with national security by pushing for the trusted Trident system to be replaced by a cut-down deterrent.

His intervention comes as leaked documents reveal an extraordinary Lib Dem plan to halve the number of Trident submarines from four to two and send them to sea unarmed.

Read more ....

More News On Plans To Cut Britain's Trident Submarine Fleet To Two

24/7 nuclear shield is in doubt as alternatives to Trident are examined -- The Guardian
Lib Dems ponder call to scrap Trident -- Scotsman
Trident: Lib Dems consider end to continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent -- BBC
Trident fleet may be cut to two subs in new Lib Dem plan -- The Independent
Trident Review: US Warning Ahead Of Debate -- SKY News
LibDems urged to recommend scrapping Trident by CND -- Herald Scotland

Is Britain About To Dismantle It's Nuclear Arsenal?

A Trident submarine leaving its base on the Clyde. The village of Strone is visible in the background. Wikipedia

Trident Submarine Missiles Review To Suggest 'Stepping Down Nuclear Ladder' -- The Guardian

Ousted defence minister Nick Harvey claims military and Whitehall backing for cheaper alternatives.

The government's review of the future of the Trident submarine nuclear missile system is likely to suggest a significant downgrading of the UK's nuclear deterrent, including the possibility of locking the warheads "in a cupboard" for delayed launch only after several weeks of mounting international tension.

The revelation was made by Sir Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat who was the defence minister leading the review until the government reshuffle this month. The MP for North Devon said he believed the policy could get support in Whitehall and from senior military figures and Labour.

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Update: Top military chiefs go cold on nuclear deterrent -- The Independent

My Comment: With no money in the budget, there is a very good chance that this British nuclear deterrent will be "mothballed".

Britain's New Trident Fleet To Cost £25bn

Nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard arriving back at HM Naval Base. Photo from Defpro

New Trident Fleet Cost Will Top £25bn -- The Guardian

Defence secretary Liam Fox announces new funding but says Lib Dems will oversee review into 'alternatives'.

The cost of a new fleet of Trident nuclear missile submarines could more than double to £25bn by the time they are built, the defence secretary, Liam Fox, told MPs.

The figure was released as the Ministry of Defence announced significant new funding for a new Trident system even though, at the Lib Dems' behest, a final decision is not due to be taken until after the next general election.

The figure does not include the price of warheads, the running costs, and the bill for leasing Trident missiles from the US.

Read more ....

More News on Britain's New Submarine Fleet

Trident replacement to go ahead, Fox confirms -- BBC
Fox angers MPs by ordering plans for a new Trident fleet -- Daily Mail
UK Announces Plans for Successor Nuclear Deterrent Submarine -- Defpro
Work begins on new Trident system - at a cost of £25billion -- Mirror
UK to spend 3 bln pounds on nuclear sub work -- Reuters
Work on Trident nuclear renewal gets go ahead -- BBC
Britain Approves Design of New Nuclear Submarines -- Defense News/AFP
Billions are spent on 'son of Trident' but future still in doubt -- News Scotland
Fox undermines review of Trident -- Herald Scotland
Trident review seeks cheaper option -- Financial Times
Q&A: Trident replacement -- BBC

US Senate Cuts Funding For A Conventional Trident Missile

Photo: (Sep. 22) - A U.S. Trident 2 D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile takes off in a 1987 flight test. A Senate panel last week eliminated funding for a Pentagon study about the implications of placing conventional armaments on some D-5 missiles (U.S. Defense Department photo).

Senate Panel Again Cuts Funds for Conventional Trident Missile -- Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last week zeroed funding for Conventional Trident Modification, a proposed Defense Department program to allow a small number of the Navy's D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles to carry a non-nuclear payload (see GSN, May 21, 2009).

For the new fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, the Obama administration had requested $10 million for a "global strike study" to determine "what surety, safety and ambiguity issues may exist" if nuclear weapon-carrying submarines "were outloaded with both conventional and nuclear payloads," according to a Navy budget document submitted to Capitol Hill in February.

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My Comment: This is a classic case of one side wanting a conventional weapon system that can strike an enemy target in the shortest time possible, and the other side concerned that such a weapon system could be interpreted as a nuclear attack if it should be used. For the moment the Trident missile option is dead, but with many now expecting major changes in Congress in the November elections .... anything after November will become possible.

Budget Woes Means That Britain Cannot Pay For A Nuclear Deterrent

Armed Forces Stunned By Trident Bill -- The Telegraph

Defence chiefs have been left stunned and angry by the Treasury's refusal to finance the £20 billion cost of replacing Britain's ageing nuclear deterrent.

In a break with historical precedent, George Osborne, the Chancellor, has ruled that the entire cost of the new system must be found from within the day-to-day defence budget.

The ruling has caused disarray within the Ministry of Defence where officials are already struggling to find cost savings of 20 per cent – or £7 billion – from next year's budget.

Read more ....

More News On the UK's Trident Program

U.K. Defense Chief Backs Trident Replacement -- Global Security Newswire
Trident costs must come from MoD budget, Osborne says -- BBC
Having to pay for Trident is the Ministry of Defence's worst nightmare -- The Telegraph
Q&A: Trident replacement -- BBC
Accounting and the Bomb -- The Economist
Nuclear deterrence means the nation must pay for a submarine always on patrol -- The Telegraph opinion
Trident blows up -- Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian
Our overseas aid bill could pay for Trident -- The Telegraph opinion

Deterrent Cannot Be Guaranteed With Three Subs, Says U.S. Navy Chief

A Royal Navy Trident nuclear submarine. Photograph: Corbis

From Times Online:

The Royal Navy will only be able to “guarantee” continuous deterrent patrols with Trident ballistic-missile submarines if the Government agrees to keep four boats, the head of the Royal Navy told The Times yesterday.

It would be possible to get by with three submarines, provided the Government was prepared to risk breaking the 24-hour, 365-day patrol cycle that had been maintained for 41 years. Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope said that Gordon Brown had posed a perfectly legitimate question when, in planning for Trident’s replacement, he asked the Navy to study whether the nuclear deterrent patrols could be fulfilled with three boats.

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My Comment: I can sympathize with the Admiral. He is trying his best to educate his political masters on what it takes to maintain a submarine fleet .... but they are not listening.

Trident Submarine News Updates -- February 27, 2009

The sun’s rays glint off the hull of the strategic missile submarine USS Maryland as it cruises atop the waves somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 15, 2009. DoD photo by Gerry J. Gilmore

Tight-knit Trident Submariners Conduct Strategic Deterrence Missions -- U.S. Department Of Defense

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2009 – Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean last week, sailors aboard the Trident strategic missile submarine USS Maryland prepared to start a series of underwater practice maneuvers known as “angles and dangles.”

The Maryland’s captain, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey M. Grimes, and his chief of the boat and senior enlisted leader, Master Chief Petty Officer Michael C. McLauchlan, intently observed the actions of the officers and enlisted crew in the control room as the vessel silently tilted downward.

Trident strategic deterrent submarines -- nicknamed “Boomers” -- carry as many as 24 Trident II D-5 nuclear ballistic missiles.

Read more ....

More News On The Trident Submarine Fleet

U.S. Seeks Successor to Trident Submarine -- Dvidshub
Refurbished U.S. Warhead Returns to Navy Service -- Global Security Newswire
Trident subs honored but with an eye on the end -- Jacksonville
Bangor's boomers celebrate 1,000th strategic patrol -- Seattle PI
Tight-knit Trident Submariners Conduct Strategic Deterrence Missions -- Dvidshub
Life onboard a submarine -- Kings Bay Periscope