Interesting article on Britain's nuclear submarines, titled "Life in the Faslane." Heh.
"THE first thing you notice is how big it is. Black, 150 metres long and the height of a three-storey office block, Vengeance, one of four of Britain's Trident-carrying nuclear submarines, is a breathtaking sight.
It had been lifted days earlier from the cold, dark waters of Gare Loch into a vast hangar at Faslane naval base, an intimidating, brooding hulk containing enough explosive power to destroy a nation.
John Howie, managing director of Babcock Naval Services, notes the jaw-dropping expressions among his visitors who have been granted a rare glimpse of a ship that spends three months at a time submerged, silently awaiting a signal to strike.
If it should come, it has 16 missiles, each 44ft long and weighing 130,000lbs, and capable of hitting the centre spot of a football pitch 4,000 nautical miles away. Not surprisingly, the security procedure here involves more than a routine guide to the nearest fire escape.
"If the alarm goes, drop to the floor immediately. Royal Marines will be here within minutes with one purpose - to protect this submarine," Howie says...."
I don't know much about Britain's military defence, (much of the article has to do with the contracts for the subs, the MOD and the economy) but it would be very cool to see one of those subs up close with someone that knows them inside and out. Trident is a cool name, too.
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