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Faslane Naval Base
His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom, Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with UK Trident programme, Trident missiles. History Faslane was first constructed and used as a base in the World War II, Second World War. During the 1960s, the British Government began negotiating the Polaris Sales Agreement with the United States regarding the purchase of a Polaris missile system to fire British-built nuclear weapons from five specially constructed submarines. In the end, only four were constructed; , , and . These four submarines were permanently based at Faslane. Faslane itself was chosen to host these vessels at the height of the Cold Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gare Loch
The Gare Loch or Gareloch () is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute in the west of Scotland, and it bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for sailing, recreational boating, list of water sports, water sports and sea fishing, fishing. Harbor seal, Harbour and grey seals are often seen in the Gare Loch along with pods of porpoise. Bottle Nose whales were photographed in September 2020. The loch also has been used since the early 20th century for naval training and as a base for the United Kingdom's submarine based nuclear weapons system. Geography A sea loch aligned north–south, Gare Loch is long with an average width of . At its southern end it opens into the Firth of Clyde through the Rhu narrows. The village of Rosneath lies on the western shore just north of Rosneath Point and gives the name Rosneath Peninsula to the whole body of land separating the Gare Loch from Loch Long to the west. The town of Helensburg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polaris Missile
The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel rocket, solid-fueled nuclear warhead, nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the PGM-19 Jupiter, Jupiter missile project with the U.S. Army, and had influenced the design by making it squat so it would fit in submarines. However, they had concerns about the use of liquid fuel rockets on board ships, and some consideration was given to a solid fuel rocket, solid fuel version, Jupiter S. In 1956, during an anti-submarine study known as Project Nobska, Edward Teller suggested that very small hydrogen bomb warheads were possible. A crash program to develop a missile suitable for carrying such warheads began as Polaris, launching its first shot less than four years later, in February 1960. As the Polaris missile was fired underwater from a moving platform, it was essentially invulnerable to counterattack ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Ambush (S120)
HMS ''Ambush'' is an ''Astute''-class nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Royal Navy, the second boat of her class. ''Ambush'' is the third vessel, and the second submarine, to bear the name in Royal Naval service. She was ordered in 1997, laid down in 2003 and commissioned in 2013. Design Propulsion ''Ambushs nuclear reactor will not need to be refuelled during the boat's 25-year service. Since the submarine can purify water and air, she will be able to circumnavigate the planet without resurfacing. The main limit is that the submarine will only be able to carry three months' supply of food for 98 officers and ratings. Weapons ''Ambush'' has provision for up-to 38 weapons in six torpedo tubes. The submarine is capable of using Tomahawk Block IV land-attack missiles with a range of and Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes. Construction and commissioning ''Ambush'' was ordered from GEC's Marconi Marine (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions) on 17 March 1997. She was laid d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HMS Astute (S119)
HMS ''Astute'' is an operational Nuclear marine propulsion, nuclear-powered Attack submarine, attack submarine in the Royal Navy, the lead ship, lead boat of Astute-class submarine, her class. ''Astute'' is the second submarine of the Royal Navy to be named after the characteristic of shrewdness and discernment—the first was the World War II-era . She was the largest attack submarine in Royal Navy history when Ship commissioning, commissioned in 2010. Design Built as a successor to the , ''Astute'' is 50% larger than the T-boats but has a smaller crew. The 7,400-tonne ''Astute''s nuclear reactor will not need to be refuelled during the vessel's 25-year service. Since the submarine can purify water and air, she is able to circumnavigate the planet without resurfacing. The main limit is that the submarine can only carry three months' supply of food for 98 crew. ''Astute'' has stowage for 38 weapons and was expected to typically carry both Spearfish heavy torpedoes and Tom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astute-class Submarine
The ''Astute'' class is the latest class of Nuclear marine propulsion, nuclear-powered attack submarines in service with the Royal Navy. The boats are constructed by BAE Systems Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness. Seven boats will be constructed: the first of class, , was launched by Queen Camilla, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in 2007, Commissioned (ship), commissioned in 2010, and declared fully operational in May 2014. The ''Astute'' class is the replacement for the fleet submarines in Royal Navy service. Development Batch 2 ''Trafalgar'' class The ''Astute''-class programme began in February 1986 when the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (MOD) launched a number of studies intended to determine the capabilities and requirements for the replacement of its ''Swiftsure'' and ''Trafalgar''-class fleet submarines. These studies, called project SSN20, were conducted during the Cold War, when the Royal Navy maintained a strong emphasis on anti-submarine warfar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vanguard-class Submarine
The ''Vanguard'' class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in service with the Royal Navy. The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear programme, and comprises four vessels: , , and , built between 1986 and 1999 at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, now owned by BAE Systems.''Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–2005''. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 794. . All four boats are based at HM Naval Base Clyde (HMS ''Neptune''), west of Glasgow, Scotland. Since the decommissioning of the Royal Air Force WE.177 free-fall thermonuclear weapons during March 1998, the four ''Vanguard'' submarines are the sole platforms for the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
10th Submarine Squadron (United Kingdom)
The 10th Submarine Squadron was an administrative unit of the Royal Navy. History The squadron was formed at HMNB Clyde, Faslane, Scotland, in the 1960s to direct the Resolution-class submarines equipped with Polaris missiles that formed part of the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrent. The four Resolution-class submarines would carry out a total of 229 operational patrols during their time in service with the squadron. The squadron would later direct the Vanguard-class submarine The ''Vanguard'' class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in service with the Royal Navy. The class was introduced in 1994 as part of the Trident nuclear programme, and comprises four vessels: , , and , built ...s equipped with Trident missiles. In October 1993 the 3rd and 10th Squadrons at Faslane amalgamated into a new 1st Submarine Squadron (Watson). In February 2002 all existing squadrons were disbanded and replaced by three flotillas at the bas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holy Loch
The Holy Loch () is a sea loch, part of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there after leaving Ireland. Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum is said to stand where Saint Munn's church was once located. Alexander Robertson & Sons, Robertson's Yard at Sandbank, Argyll and Bute, Sandbank, a village on the loch, was a major wooden boat building company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During World War II, the loch was used as a British Royal Navy submarine base. From 1961 to 1992, it was used as a United States Navy ballistic missile submarine base. In 1992, the Holy Loch base was deemed unnecessary following the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequently closed. Geography Open on the Firth of Clyde at its eastern end, the loch is approximately wide and between long, varying with the tide. Dunoon on the Cowal peninsula lies on the shores of the Clyde just to the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a submarine ridge running between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. To the north, the Jan Mayen Ridge separates it from the Greenland Sea. Unlike many other seas, most of the bottom of the Norwegian Sea is not part of a continental shelf and therefore lies at a great depth of about two kilometres on average. Rich deposits of oil and natural gas are found under the sea bottom and are being explored commercially, in the areas with sea depths of up to about one kilometre. The coastal zones are rich in fish that visit the Norwegian Sea from the North Atlantic or Barents Sea (cod) for spawning. The warm North Atlantic Current ensures relatively stable and high water temperatures, so that unlike the Arctic seas, the No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GIUK Gap
The GIUK gap (sometimes written G-I-UK) is an area in the northern Atlantic Ocean that forms a naval choke point. Its name is an acronym for ''Greenland, Iceland'', and the ''United Kingdom'', the gap being the two stretches of open ocean among these three landmasses. It separates the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea from the open Atlantic Ocean. The term is typically used in relation to military topics. The area has for some nations been considered strategically important since the beginning of the 20th century. Strategic significance to the Kingdom of Denmark Comprising Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark, the Kingdom of Denmark is an Arctic state alongside seven other countries whose territories cover the Arctic region. All matters of foreign policy for both Greenland and the Faroe Islands fall within the jurisdiction of the Danish government. The Danish government has historically used its jurisdiction over foreign policy in both Greenland and the Faroe Islands to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for separating the New World of the Americas (North America and South America) from the Old World of Afro-Eurasia (Africa, Asia, and Europe). Through its separation of Afro-Eurasia from the Americas, the Atlantic Ocean has played a central role in the development of human society, globalization, and the histories of many nations. While the Norse were the first known humans to cross the Atlantic, it was the expedition of Christopher Columbus in 1492 that proved to be the most consequential. Columbus's expedition ushered in an age of exploration and colonization of the Americas by European powers, most notably Portugal, Spain, France, and the United Kingdom. From the 16th to 19th centuries, the Atlantic Ocean was the center of both an epo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North Channel (British Isles)
The North Channel (known in Irish and Scottish Gaelic as , in Scots as the ) is the strait between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland. The Firth of Clyde merges with the channel, between the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula and Corsewall Point on the Rhins of Galloway. The channel begins north of the Isle of Man and is customarily considered part of the Irish Sea, the channel runs north-west into the Atlantic Ocean. Within the channel is Beaufort's Dyke, and its deepest part is at . Geography The North Channel connects the Irish Sea with the Atlantic Ocean and is part of the marine area officially classified as the "Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland" by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). The Straits of Moyle ( in Irish and Scottish Gaelic) or Sea of Moyle is the name given to the narrowest expanse of sea in the North Channel between north-eastern Northern Ireland's County Antrim and the south-western highlands of Scotl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
