Posted on 11/28/2016 2:27:06 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Aboard the Vigilant -- “There is a chance to spend 24 hours aboard an SSBN, are you available?” When I receive the message from the French Navy, I don’t even take the time to think about it. A chance to spend a day inside a nuclear ballistic missile submarine? “Yes, of course,” I answer right away.
I get giddy just thinking about it. A chance to see from the inside one of the most secret places in the French military. What will it be like aboard this metal monster as it carries its nuclear warhead load 350 meters below the surface of the sea? I think about Nathalie Guibert, a journalist at the Le Monde newspaper, who spent a month aboard a French submarine in 2014. The title of the book that she then wrote about the experience was “I wasn’t welcome.” Oh well, I’ll take things as they come.
Hedwige, the navy communications officer who is to accompany me on the trip, gives me only rudimentary instructions -- don’t bring aerosol toiletries (the air circulation system can’t recycle them), no electronics. Nothing too intimidating. The only thing that gives me pause is how I’m going to get off once my visit is over -- apparently I will spend 15 minutes at the end of a cable as it hoists me from the sub to a helicopter above. Even people accustomed to the procedure make a face when describing it, which does little to reassure me. But it seems a small price to pay.
To get onto the sub, I first board a Navy speedboat in the town of Brest, in France’s northwest. We take off for l’Ile Longue, an island where the nuclear ballistic missile submarines are stationed, away from prying eyes. Nets underwater, surveillance cameras, comma
(Excerpt) Read more at correspondent.afp.com ...
A female reportage.
Puff piece.
Photos interesting.
A very interesting read.
I know Toulon
Good summary.
In fairness, this appears to be a blog post. Perhaps a longer piece is in the works.
Wonder how many muslims are on board?
Per usual with a woman it was all about herself and her precious feelings. You would think a country would spend its treasure just so snowflake could just trounce about under water and feel good about herself.
To be honest, I did not know that France had submarines that could fire nuclear ballistic missiles. I knew they had the bomb.
They also used to have Hades nuclear-tipped missiles on watch. They wanted their own nuclear triad and had it for a while.
Maybe that is why the Muslims want to take over France — they will have their own ready-made nuclear arsenal.
Same thing in Britain. You get nukes either way.
Keep in mind that this article probably had to be heavily reviewed by France’s Ministry of Defence before publication.
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