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Unthinkable [British and French Nuke Subs Collide]
UK SUN ^ | 2/15/2009 | TOM NEWTON DUNN

Posted on 02/15/2009 5:06:02 PM PST by Velveeta

BRITISH and French nuclear submarines which collided deep under the Atlantic could have sunk or released deadly radioactivity, it emerged last night. The Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard and the French Navy’s Le Triomphant are both nuclear powered and were carrying nuke missiles.

Between them they had around 250 sailors on board.

(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: france; nuclear; royalnavy; submarines; tm
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To: Gondring

No. But they used to have land-based missiles. Not sure if they do now. I just googled around, and the Trident force seems to be the only point of contention when arguing about nuclear deterrent.

http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/wmd/Former_top_military_brass_say_British_nuclear_deterrent_useless170016927.php

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/uk/doctrine/sdr06/index.html

IF so, then this was indeed a quarter of their entire nuclear deterrant at risk. Which is kind of scary.


81 posted on 02/15/2009 5:51:11 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Patton@Bastogne
.... perhaps the Brit (boomer) was trying a Mad Ivan on the French boat ... in some kind of war game exercise ... and things got too close and they collided ...

That sounds like a good guess too - testing the boomer's stealth vs the attack sub's listening abilities, and would explain them colliding in the middle of the Atlantic ocean like that.

I thought the sonar operator on the following sub was supposed to listen for the sound of the sub in front turning - but I guess it's hard to be sure and things can happen fast.

82 posted on 02/15/2009 5:51:34 PM PST by Screaming_Gerbil (The light at the end of the tunnel might be an oncoming train...)
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To: elcid1970
This isn’t funny. How many souls on board?

I think that tidbit of information was revealed in the third sentence of the article: "Between them they had around 250 sailors on board."

83 posted on 02/15/2009 5:51:54 PM PST by FoxInSocks (B. Hussein Obama: Central Planning Czar)
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To: gorush

getting kind of crowded above and below and in between.


84 posted on 02/15/2009 5:53:31 PM PST by TribalPrincess2U (Welcome to Obama's America... Be afraid, be very afraid)
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To: GSP.FAN

It does make one wonder.


85 posted on 02/15/2009 5:53:52 PM PST by Velveeta
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To: SkyPilot

Sorry my fault, I was going to post “no injuries” in post #1, but I hit the post button instead of the edit button.


86 posted on 02/15/2009 5:56:49 PM PST by Velveeta
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Did it collide too?


87 posted on 02/15/2009 6:00:52 PM PST by Velveeta
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To: SkyPilot

Lighten up Francis!!! LOL! :) ;) etc.


88 posted on 02/15/2009 6:02:39 PM PST by Texas Federalist
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To: Velveeta
somebody doing the Crazy-Ivan???
89 posted on 02/15/2009 6:03:05 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist -)
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To: Screaming_Gerbil

Actually both boats are boomers. And both have the mission of not being found - as in running extremely silent. Getting pinged by sonar can make a bit of a divot in a boomer boat commander’s career, since getting pinged by active sonar pretty much indicates the boat has been found. Happened to an Ohio boomer, pinged by an RCN vessel. Anyhow this collision is likely to be a career ender for two captains, if the RN and French Navy policies are anything similar to the USN.


90 posted on 02/15/2009 6:06:01 PM PST by Fred Hayek (Leftism is a mental disorder.)
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To: SoftwareEngineer
(Tinfoil hat alert) If I go into full conspiracy mode right now, I think that the French and British subs were participating JOINTLY against a common threat (Chinese subs in the Altantic?) and this is the result of that interaction.

The question is if this is what happened to the British and French boats what do you think happened to the oppposing boat.

Although it's *possible* that the French and the Brits were engaged in a common action, I believe that to be a remote possibility. Both of these subs are missile boats - their usual mission is one of maximum stealth, not defensive interdiction. The U.K. and France both have Fast Attack boats for those purposes.

This sounds more like a Charlie Foxtrot at the E.U. level - with both boats being tasked to arrive at the same coordinates, at the same time (but no word of the other boat's presence transmitted to either captain). Something of that sort had to have increased the odds of those subs trading paint in the middle of the Atlantic.

91 posted on 02/15/2009 6:06:14 PM PST by Charles Martel ("Endeavor to persevere...")
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To: Kickass Conservative

Patton would be turning in his grave about skynet..

Future wars will be run by computers,imagine a bunch of geeks defending..

weapons that don’t need soldiers.

“Wonder weapon”?

My God, I don’t see
the wonder in them.

Killing without heroics. Nothing
is glorified, nothing is reaffirmed.

No heroes, no cowards, no troops.

No generals.


92 posted on 02/15/2009 6:09:06 PM PST by GSP.FAN
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To: Velveeta

Yes it does.....


93 posted on 02/15/2009 6:10:33 PM PST by GSP.FAN
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To: SoftwareEngineer

Yes, I think there’s more to the story.


94 posted on 02/15/2009 6:12:02 PM PST by Velveeta
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To: Revolting cat!

That one cracked me up. ;-)


95 posted on 02/15/2009 6:16:32 PM PST by Velveeta
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To: Viking2002
But since neither country is currently involved in a shooting war, don't ya think it would be a good idea to hit the 'off' switch on that shit? Or at least honk your horn?

Boomers aren't there to fight shooting wars. Boomers are there to deter nuclear attack by Russia or China.

Once a boomer has to fire its missiles, it has failed its primary mission of deterrence.

A boomer is effective only because its location is not known and, thus, a Russian attack on France or Britain results in Mutually Assured Destruction. Once you make your location known to the French or Brits, chances are you have made your location known to the Russians and the boomer has lost its deterrent power as it can be killed by a Russian fast attack sub prior to a Russian nuclear strike.

96 posted on 02/15/2009 6:18:44 PM PST by Polybius
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To: Enterprise

What is so funny about a collision between 2 submerged vessels?


97 posted on 02/15/2009 6:19:02 PM PST by stuartcr (If the end doesn't justify the means...why have different means?)
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To: naturalman1975

bump


98 posted on 02/15/2009 6:19:54 PM PST by valkyry1
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To: Nuc1
Actually, I was being flippant because I live near Leisure World in Southern California.

You follow a car down the road with its right blinker on for 3 minutes, just when you pass on the left, they turn left. It's uncanny.

You always look for the knuckles on top of the steering wheel and the lady with the blue hair peering over the dashboard.

99 posted on 02/15/2009 6:22:12 PM PST by Kickass Conservative (Obamunism, the fatal cure for Bush Derangement Syndrome.)
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To: Charles Martel

Given the Chinese and Russian espionage efforts, is it possible an operative managed to get those two subs tasked to the same location at the same time?

If so, it was a master stroke, as British sub deterrence was dropped by 25%, and French deterrence capability also reduced. And, all was accomplished without any danger of a war, any risk of political repercussions, potential damages, etc.

Just wondering.


100 posted on 02/15/2009 6:24:39 PM PST by GladesGuru (In a society predicated upon freedom, it is essential to examine principles,)
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