French, British Nuclear Submarines Collided in Atlantic Ocean
By Gregory Viscusi
Feb. 16 (Bloomberg) -- French and British nuclear missile submarines collided earlier this month in the Atlantic, the French military said. No one was injured.
“They entered briefly into contact at very low speed,” the French Defence Ministry said in a statement. “Neither their missions nor their nuclear safety were affected.”
The French military said Feb. 6 that Le Triomphant, part of France’s submarine-based nuclear deterrent fleet, had collided with an unidentified object and had returned to its home port of Brest under its own power. French military spokesmen at the time declined to give further details.
The London-based Sun newspaper reported today that Le Triomphant had collided with HMS Vanguard. The French statement didn’t give the name of the British submarine, just saying that both vessels were on routine patrols in the Atlantic.
“It is MOD policy not to comment on submarine operational matters, but we can confirm that the U.K.’s deterrent capability was unaffected at all times and there has been no compromise to nuclear safety,” the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement today.
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Last Updated: February 16, 2009 08:12 EST
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Last Updated: February 16, 2009 08:12 EST
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