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Sunday, February 22, 2009

When Nuclear Subs Collide

How big does an ocean have to be to prevent two friendly nuclear subs from straying into each other's path? An collision between HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant early in February has been confirmed by First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band according to the BBC. The collision occured at low speed and there was no danger of a nuclear incident, though the British sub got scraped and the French one suffered a damaged sonar dome. Of course it could have been a lot worse and reassurances that this will not be a repeated have been requested by MPs. One explanation is that the anti-sonar equipment was so effective that the vessels didn't hear each other coming, which says something about their stealth capabilities.

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