armed submarines from Britain and France collided in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, authorities acknowledged Monday – ouching off new concerns about the safety of the world's deep sea missile fleets. The HMS Vanguard, the oldest vessel in Britain's nuclear-armed submarine fleet, and the French Le Triomphant submarine, which was also carrying nuclear missiles, both suffered minor damage in the collision. No crew members were reported injured. “The submarines came into contact at very low speeds, both submarines remain safe and no injuries occurred, “ Britain's First Sea Lord Admiral Jonathon Band, head of the Royal Navy told a news conference in London. “There was no compromise to nuclear safety.” Neither France or Britain would confirm the exact date of the collision, but said it took place earlier this month. The French military had issued a statement Feb 6. saying that one of its submarines had struck a submerged object – “probably a container” – but did not say the Le Triomphant had collided with another vessel. Britain did not comment on the incident until Monday, after some details were reported by the British media. Naval experts said they were amazed by the collision. “This really shouldn't have happened at all,” said Stephen Saunders, a retired British Royal Navy commodore and the editor of Jane's Fighting Ships. “It's a very serious incident, and I find it quite extraordinary.” He said while NATO countries let each other know what general area of the Atlantic they are operating in, neither submarine would have had a precise position for the other. “This is a nuclear nightmare of the highest order,” said Kate Hudson, chair of Britain's Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. “The collision of two submarines, both with nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons onboard, could have released vast amounts of radiation and scattered scores of nuclear warheads across the seabed.” She called on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to end patrols, which she said have at least one British nuclear sub in the Atlantic at all times.
