Two nuclear-armed submarines, one British and one French, collided underwater while on separate patrols in the Atlantic Ocean, the head of Britain's navy said today.
The nuclear-powered submarines collided earlier this month but there was no damage to the vessels' weapons, said Britain's First Sea Lord Admiral Jonathon Band, head of the Royal Navy.
British and French officials have so far failed to explain how two sophisticated vessels from allied nations could collide in open water, a highly unusual event that is deeply embarrassing for both navies.
"The submarines came into contact at very low speeds, both submarines remain safe and no injuries occurred, " he told a news conference in London.
"There was no compromise to nuclear safety."
Both submarines were badly damaged in the incident and had to return to port, according to British newspaper reports. Band and the defence ministries in London and Paris would not comment on those reports.
The French defence ministry said: "They briefly entered contact at very low speed while submerged. There were no injuries. Neither their deterrence capability nor nuclear safety were affected."
It said the French vessel suffered damage to its sonar dome, which houses navigation and detection equipment but was able to return to base at L'Ile Longue in Brittany under its own power.
"This incident caused no crew injuries and at no time threatened nuclear security. There has been no interruption to the nuclear deterrent capability," the ministry said.
According to military databases, more than 110 people would have been onboard each vessel at the time.
The
Sunnewspaper said modern anti-sonar technology is so good that it is possible that neither submarine detected the other in time.
After the accident in the mid-Atlantic, the Royal Navy's HMS
Vanguardreturned to base in Faslane, western Scotland, with dents and scrapes visible on its hull, the
Sunreported.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) accused the British defence ministry of hiding behind operational secrecy and demanded a fuller statement on the incident.
"(It) needs to explain how it is possible for a submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction to collide with another submarine carrying weapons of mass destruction in the middle of the world's second largest ocean," said SNP lawmaker Angus Robertson.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament said it was the most severe incident involving a nuclear submarine since the sinking of the Russian Kursk submarine in 2000.
"This is a nuclear nightmare of the highest order," said CND Chair Kate Hudson. "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."
Launched in 1992,
Vanguardis one of four British submarines that carries the Trident nuclear missile, the country's nuclear defence system. At least one of the submarines is on patrol at all times.
Le Triomphant, which entered service in 1997, carries 16 nuclear missiles and is one of four nuclear-armed submarines in the French fleet.