HMNB Clyde

"Faslane" redirects here. For other uses, see Faslane (disambiguation).
HMNB Clyde
Gare Loch, Argyll and Bute, Scotland

View of HMNB Clyde
Type Military base
Site information
Controlled by Royal Navy
Site history
In use 1964–present
Garrison information
Current
commander		 Commodore Mark Adams [1]
Garrison Clyde Flotilla

Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS Neptune) primarily sited at Faslane 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 service's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

HMNB Clyde lies on the eastern shore of Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, to the north of the Firth of Clyde and 25 mi (40 km) west of Glasgow. The submarine base encompasses a number of separate sites, the primary two being:

Faslane is also a Defence Equipment and Support site, operated in dual site organisation with Great Harbour, Greenock, by Babcock Marine and Technology,[2] and managed by Serco Denholm.[3][4][5]

Faslane Naval Base

USS Arleigh Burke departing HMNB Clyde

Faslane Naval Base, situated on the Gare Loch, and the RN Armaments Depot Coulport on Loch Long, are the primary components of HMNB Clyde. The naval shore establishment at Faslane is HMS Neptune, Naval personnel appointed to the base who do not belong to a seagoing vessel make up Ship's Company. Both the Gare Loch and Loch Long are sea lochs extending northwards from the Firth of Clyde. The base serves as home base to Britain's fleet of Vanguard-class nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines, as well as conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines, supported by the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.

In command of HMNB Clyde is the Naval Base Commander (Clyde), Commodore Mark Adams who succeeded Commodore Keith Beckett in Autumn 2014.[6] The base is home to a number of lodger units including Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland (FOSNNI) (who is also Flag Officer Reserves/FORes), the Northern Diving Group and the Scottish Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency. It is base to 3,000 service personnel, 800 of their families and 4,000 civilian workers, largely from Babcock Marine, forming a major part of the economy of Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire.

Faslane was first constructed and used as a base in World War II. 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; HMS Resolution, HMS Repulse, HMS Renown and HMS Revenge. These four submarines were permanently based at Faslane.

Faslane itself was chosen to host these vessels at the height of the Cold War because of its geographic position, which forms a bastion on the relatively secluded but deep and easily navigable Gare Loch and Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland. This position provides for rapid and stealthy access through the North Channel to the submarine patrolling areas in the North Atlantic, through the GIUK gap to the Norwegian Sea. At the time it was chosen, the location was also close to the American SSBN base at Holy Loch, which operated 1961-1992. One boat was always on patrol at any given time. In times of political instability, sometimes two boats would be deployed at sea.

In 1971 the base was home to the 3rd Submarine Squadron of Nuclear Fleet and Diesel Patrol Submarines, “the fighters”, and the 10th Submarine Squadron consisting of the four Polaris submarines, “the bombers”.[7] The base also conducted the training of all submarines before they joined their Squadrons and this was known as ‘work up’.

Faslane Flotilla

Vanguard-class SSBNs

Astute-class SSNs

Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels

Archer-class patrol vessels

Safety and accidents at Faslane

Exercise Evening Star is the annual test of the emergency response routines to a nuclear weapon accident at Faslane. It is conducted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. In 2011 the test failed as "a number of command and control aspects of the exercise were not considered to have been adequately demonstrated".[8]

In 2013-14 there were 99 radiation accidents concerning nuclear reactors, and 6 with nuclear weapons. These are the highest numbers for at least six years. The MoD maintains that there was no risk to the public as most of them were minor accidents. The SNP defence spokesman, Angus Robertson, called the figures "totally shocking".[9]

Anti-nuclear demonstrations

Wikinews has related news: Nuclear weapons protest at Faslane leads to 47 arrests

Given the presence of these nuclear capable missiles, Faslane has attracted demonstrations by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and other Scottish pressure groups, including Trident Ploughshares. A permanent peace camp is outside the base gates, where there are frequent demonstrations. The presence of Faslane is also an issue in Scottish politics.

The Scottish National Party, the Scottish Socialist Party, and the Scottish Green Party all oppose the deployment of nuclear weapons although the Scottish National Party have made assurances that they would retain the base for the servicing of conventionally armed and conventionally powered naval units. Often, members of those parties and indeed some from the Labour Party to be present. Also, some independents, such as George Galloway attend rallies outside Faslane. Such events aim to keep the base closed for as long as possible by preventing its staff from arriving for work and usually involve large numbers of protesters being arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience.

Big blockades

The "big blockade" at Faslane Naval Base is an annual event held since 1999 usually in the second week of February, aiming to close the base for 24 hours (although never successfully). The event attracts thousands of peace activists and has on occasion resulted in more than 350 arrests.

Police dismantling a blockade of protesters from York at the south gate of the Faslane base

Faslane 365

The Faslane 365 campaign was a one-year protest at the base. It was a civil resistance initiative to apply critical public pressure for the disarmament of Britain's nuclear weapons.[10]

The campaign was launched in September 2006, with the first protest action commencing on 1 October 2006 carried out by a campaigning group of women associated with protests at Greenham Common. It formally ended with a Big Blockade on 1 October 2007. However, groups are continuing to take direct action at both Faslane and Coulport.

131 blockading groups took part in Faslane 365 and 1150 arrests were made.[10]

RNAD Coulport

Main article: RNAD Coulport
Location of Faslane and RNAD Coulport.

The Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) at Coulport, Loch Long is the other major part of HMNB Clyde. RNAD Coulport stores conventional armaments for Royal Navy vessels but is best known for its role in the Trident missile system.

Nuclear weapon storage bunkers have been excavated from a ridge. British-designed and built nuclear warheads can be fitted to Trident missiles (built by Lockheed Martin). The United Kingdom has ownership rights to 58 missiles from a "pool" shared with the US Navy. Whole missiles can be lifted out of or into a submarine, but the missiles are normally serviced at the US Navy facility at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in the US state of Georgia.

Initial construction took place between 1963, when Faslane was chosen as the new Polaris base, and 1968, when the first Polaris boat began its patrol. Safety considerations required that the armament maintenance the and storage facility have its own berth and be at least 4,400 feet (1,300 m) from the main facility whilst operational considerations dictated that the two facilities should be within an hour's sailing time. Coulport, on the opposite peninsula, met both of these requirements.[11] Additional construction took place during the 1980s to support the Trident missile programme.

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "New commander for Clyde base" (PDF). Royal Navy. 2014. Retrieved 25 Apr 2015.
  2. ↑ "Babcock Marine Holds a Unique Export Position". Defpro. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  3. ↑ "Marine Services Planning Agreement". Archived from the original on 28 April 2006.
  4. ↑ "Maritime Journal: Serco Denholm Awarded MOD Contract". Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  5. ↑ "Marine Services". Serco. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  6. ↑ "New commander for Clyde base" (PDF). Royal Navy. 2014. Retrieved 25 Apr 2015.
  7. ↑ Royal Naval Engineers Benevolent Society, Society Members' Bulletin: Special Edition: HMS Courageous, September 2013, p.5
  8. ↑ "HM Naval Base Clyde - Quarterly report for 1 July 2011 to 30 September 2011". Bootle: Office for Nuclear Regulation, Health and Safety Executive. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Radiation safety breaches up 50% in one year at Scotland's nuclear bomb bases". Herald Scotland. 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Faslane 365". Retrieved 1 October 2007.
  11. ↑ Chalmers, Malcom; Walker, William. "The United Kingdom, Nuclear Weapons, and the Scottish Question" (PDF).

External links

Coordinates: 56°3′57.60″N 4°49′1.20″W / 56.0660000°N 4.8170000°W / 56.0660000; -4.8170000

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