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| Onboard a Trident submarine: 'If I have to pull the trigger, deterrence has failed' | Onboard a Trident submarine: 'If I have to pull the trigger, deterrence has failed' |
| (7 months later) | |
| “There is no big red button with ‘fire’ on it,” said Lt Cdr Woods. Instead, there is a joystick with a trigger, not much different than those used to play video games. It requires barely any pressure to pull the trigger, just a slight squeeze. | “There is no big red button with ‘fire’ on it,” said Lt Cdr Woods. Instead, there is a joystick with a trigger, not much different than those used to play video games. It requires barely any pressure to pull the trigger, just a slight squeeze. |
| Psychologically, it would be much harder. That squeeze launches a 60-tonne Trident missile capped with up to 12 nuclear warheads capable of producing something resembling Armageddon. | Psychologically, it would be much harder. That squeeze launches a 60-tonne Trident missile capped with up to 12 nuclear warheads capable of producing something resembling Armageddon. |
| The MoD invited the UK media to Faslane, the nuclear base on the Clyde, to tour HMS Vigilant this week, the first such visit for 10 years. Woods, whose first name and other details have been withheld for security reasons, is a weapon engineer officer aboard the vessel, one of the UK’s four submarines that carry Trident ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. | The MoD invited the UK media to Faslane, the nuclear base on the Clyde, to tour HMS Vigilant this week, the first such visit for 10 years. Woods, whose first name and other details have been withheld for security reasons, is a weapon engineer officer aboard the vessel, one of the UK’s four submarines that carry Trident ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads. |
| How would he feel about having to pull the trigger for real? “It is both an honour and a burden,” he said. It would mean the UK had already been hit. “You have to look at the likely context in which we would be firing. If I have to pull the trigger, deterrence has failed.” | How would he feel about having to pull the trigger for real? “It is both an honour and a burden,” he said. It would mean the UK had already been hit. “You have to look at the likely context in which we would be firing. If I have to pull the trigger, deterrence has failed.” |
| HMS Vigilant was launched in 1995 and is expected to remain operational until at least the early 2030s. The debate over what should succeed HMS Vigilant and its three sister vessels, Vanguard, Victorious and Vengeance, has provoked a major political divide. | HMS Vigilant was launched in 1995 and is expected to remain operational until at least the early 2030s. The debate over what should succeed HMS Vigilant and its three sister vessels, Vanguard, Victorious and Vengeance, has provoked a major political divide. |
| After almost three decades in which Labour and the Conservatives have supported nuclear weapons, the consensus is falling apart in the aftermath of Jeremy Corbyn’s election. On Wednesday, a Labour aide said the party no longer had a policy in favour of renewing Trident nuclear submarines because it is under review. | After almost three decades in which Labour and the Conservatives have supported nuclear weapons, the consensus is falling apart in the aftermath of Jeremy Corbyn’s election. On Wednesday, a Labour aide said the party no longer had a policy in favour of renewing Trident nuclear submarines because it is under review. |
| There are many questions to be asked about the practicality of Trident renewal. There is the money, with the Ministry of Defence revealing in November that the cost of four new nuclear submarines had jumped to £31bn from £25bn five years ago. The projected cost of the programme up to the middle of the century, including missiles and warheads, is estimated at £100bn or more. | There are many questions to be asked about the practicality of Trident renewal. There is the money, with the Ministry of Defence revealing in November that the cost of four new nuclear submarines had jumped to £31bn from £25bn five years ago. The projected cost of the programme up to the middle of the century, including missiles and warheads, is estimated at £100bn or more. |
| Should the money be spent on conventional forces instead? Is fast-developing technology, such as underwater drones, improved sonar and better airborne surveillance, making submarines obsolete? | Should the money be spent on conventional forces instead? Is fast-developing technology, such as underwater drones, improved sonar and better airborne surveillance, making submarines obsolete? |
| One of the main reasons for placing missiles on submarines is that they supposedly cannot be found by enemies. The navy is adamant that is still the case. Asked about underwater drones, Cdr Dan Martyn, HMS Vigilant’s commanding officer since 2014, said: “Are they at the point that they can detect me in the Atlantic? No.” | One of the main reasons for placing missiles on submarines is that they supposedly cannot be found by enemies. The navy is adamant that is still the case. Asked about underwater drones, Cdr Dan Martyn, HMS Vigilant’s commanding officer since 2014, said: “Are they at the point that they can detect me in the Atlantic? No.” |
| But will it be the case in five, 10 or 15 years, at the point when the successor to HMS Vigilant is estimated to come into service? | But will it be the case in five, 10 or 15 years, at the point when the successor to HMS Vigilant is estimated to come into service? |
| At Faslane, almost everything at the base seemed grey and forbidding, not helped by the high fences, barbed wire and tight security, or by the dank, cold weather. By contrast, cut off from the weather, the inside of the submarine was warm, the mood was almost boisterous, the 168-strong crew confronted with the novelty of having journalists peering around. | At Faslane, almost everything at the base seemed grey and forbidding, not helped by the high fences, barbed wire and tight security, or by the dank, cold weather. By contrast, cut off from the weather, the inside of the submarine was warm, the mood was almost boisterous, the 168-strong crew confronted with the novelty of having journalists peering around. |
| The submarine is less claustrophobic than might be imagined. The corridors are wide enough, even with all the pipes and wires running along the side and overhead. There is no hot-bunking: everyone has his or her own place, where they can read, listen to the internal entertainment channel, or just pull a curtain and put on eye covers to sleep. To combat lack of sunshine, they take about two vitamin D tablets a day. | The submarine is less claustrophobic than might be imagined. The corridors are wide enough, even with all the pipes and wires running along the side and overhead. There is no hot-bunking: everyone has his or her own place, where they can read, listen to the internal entertainment channel, or just pull a curtain and put on eye covers to sleep. To combat lack of sunshine, they take about two vitamin D tablets a day. |
| On average, the crew will go on patrol for about 80 days, unable to communicate during that time with their families, though they can receive messages, either an 120-word one once a week or two 60-word ones. If there is a bereavement at home, they are often not told until just before they arrive back. | On average, the crew will go on patrol for about 80 days, unable to communicate during that time with their families, though they can receive messages, either an 120-word one once a week or two 60-word ones. If there is a bereavement at home, they are often not told until just before they arrive back. |
| Five of the crew are women. Lt Cdr Olsson became one of the first three female British submariners after a ban was lifted in 2011. She said that being on the vessel was no different from other parts of the navy, in that women were still a minority. A few changes had had to be made, such as screening off showers and bunk beds. | Five of the crew are women. Lt Cdr Olsson became one of the first three female British submariners after a ban was lifted in 2011. She said that being on the vessel was no different from other parts of the navy, in that women were still a minority. A few changes had had to be made, such as screening off showers and bunk beds. |
| Olsson, a weapons engineer who deals with periscopes, sensors, sonar and torpedoes, said the culture on the submarine was not particularly macho. | Olsson, a weapons engineer who deals with periscopes, sensors, sonar and torpedoes, said the culture on the submarine was not particularly macho. |
| Days of the week can become meaningless, defined by meals: fish, it must be Friday; pizza, Sunday. It is down to each captain whether a submarine is dry: the previous captain insisted it was dry, the present one allows two cans a day. Events are organised to break the monotony, such as horse racing or a casino. | Days of the week can become meaningless, defined by meals: fish, it must be Friday; pizza, Sunday. It is down to each captain whether a submarine is dry: the previous captain insisted it was dry, the present one allows two cans a day. Events are organised to break the monotony, such as horse racing or a casino. |
| Rear Admiral Submarines John Weale rejected suggestions of impending obsolescence, arguing that submarine technology is at the very least keeping pace with technological developments and often at the cutting edge, and is a vital deterrent in a world with 17,000 nuclear weapons. | Rear Admiral Submarines John Weale rejected suggestions of impending obsolescence, arguing that submarine technology is at the very least keeping pace with technological developments and often at the cutting edge, and is a vital deterrent in a world with 17,000 nuclear weapons. |
| “This submarine is a product of the cold war, not a relic. It is as vital today I think as it has ever been. It is UK government policy to have a nuclear deterrent capability. This submarine provides that. It is relevant, necessary and the minimum credible for the defence of the UK as an insurance policy against an extreme threat that cannot be countered by any other way,” Weale said. | “This submarine is a product of the cold war, not a relic. It is as vital today I think as it has ever been. It is UK government policy to have a nuclear deterrent capability. This submarine provides that. It is relevant, necessary and the minimum credible for the defence of the UK as an insurance policy against an extreme threat that cannot be countered by any other way,” Weale said. |
| He cautioned against becoming fixated on Russia and China, arguing potential threats were many and varied. | He cautioned against becoming fixated on Russia and China, arguing potential threats were many and varied. |
| Asked about Corbyn’s suggestion of building new nuclear-powered submarines without warheads on them, Weale said that was a political matter. But he did have one caveat: “From a military point of view, if we do not have a nuclear capability and then try to reintroduce one, that would be seen as an escalation.” | Asked about Corbyn’s suggestion of building new nuclear-powered submarines without warheads on them, Weale said that was a political matter. But he did have one caveat: “From a military point of view, if we do not have a nuclear capability and then try to reintroduce one, that would be seen as an escalation.” |
| In the missile room, there are 16 large, vertical tubes. They are painted an innocuous cream but inside are missiles with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The navy has a policy of refusing to say whether they are capped with warheads. The explosive capability is also a secret. | In the missile room, there are 16 large, vertical tubes. They are painted an innocuous cream but inside are missiles with a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The navy has a policy of refusing to say whether they are capped with warheads. The explosive capability is also a secret. |
| If they feel they are being hunted, in an echo of The Hunt for Red October, near silence is imposed. “We have quiet state, even quieter state and then we reach the point at which you send the whole crew to bed because that is the best way to avoid noise,” the control room commander said. | If they feel they are being hunted, in an echo of The Hunt for Red October, near silence is imposed. “We have quiet state, even quieter state and then we reach the point at which you send the whole crew to bed because that is the best way to avoid noise,” the control room commander said. |
| The prime minister would order a strike and the captain would relay it to Woods, who has had to undergo extensive psychological tests before being allowed to put his hand on the trigger. The one on show is a training dummy. The real one is hidden next to it in a safe with a combination number that is not written down and only Woods and his deputy know. | The prime minister would order a strike and the captain would relay it to Woods, who has had to undergo extensive psychological tests before being allowed to put his hand on the trigger. The one on show is a training dummy. The real one is hidden next to it in a safe with a combination number that is not written down and only Woods and his deputy know. |
| Once it is fired, there is no turning back. “The missile is absolutely autonomous. There is no self-destruct button. Once it is gone, that is it,” Woods said. | Once it is fired, there is no turning back. “The missile is absolutely autonomous. There is no self-destruct button. Once it is gone, that is it,” Woods said. |