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Part 5: Practical Trident Disarmament

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Part 5: Practical Trident Disarmament Tri-denting It Handbook 3rd Edition (2001) 71 PART 5: PRACTICAL TRIDENT DISARMAMENT 5.1 Background Information on The US has also supplied: Trident, Faslane and Coulport Highly enriched uranium to fuel the nuclear reactors onboard Trident submarines; In the mid to late 1970s the British Government set up a secret committee to determine a replacement for Assistance with the design and testing of the the Polaris fleet. That led to the decision to build four Trident warhead; submarines designed to carry the US Trident All sixteen missile tubes for the first Trident missiles, armed with British-built nuclear warheads. submarine, HMS Vanguard and technical The UK Trident submarine-launched nuclear missile assistance to aid in the installation of the programme has been aided and abetted throughout missile tubes in the other three Trident its design, development and deployment by the US submarines; and Government. Targeting, communication and guidance Although the US has not directly provided the UK with systems for Britains Trident missiles and the a complete nuclear warhead for Trident, it has done use of US navigation satellites. everything but, through discussion groups, the supply The submarines pressurised water reactor power of design, development and manufacturing plant is designed to operate seven years without information and the provision of materials and overhaul. The original prototype of this reactor is technology. All British nuclear weapons are almost kept at HMS Vulcan, next door to Dounreay. entirely dependent on US technology and support. Some 30 per cent of the total Government estimated Trident is a major escalation in Britains nuclear war cost of Trident is being spent in the United States. fighting capability. The previous Polaris/Chevaline system was only able to hit one target per missile The British Trident missiles are leased from a central regardless of how many warheads were being carried. US missile pool. The missiles will also be refurbished in Trident on the other hand has independently US facilities. Specifications for the British Specifications for the Trident-II Trident Submarines: D5 Missiles: Length 491 feet Length 44.6 feet Hull diameter 43.3 feet Diameter 83 inches Height 4 stories Launch weight 130,000 lbs Displacement 16,000 tonnes submerged. Weight 130,000+ lbs Speed 25 knots submerged Number of 3 plus post-boost control Power plant 1 pressurized water PWR-2 motors (stages) system nuclear reactor, geared Range 4,000+ nautical miles steam turbines, 1 shaft Navigation Two-dimensional stellar Crew 132 system inertial guidance (SIG) Armaments 4 torpedo tubes for NAVSTAR GPS update to Spearfish torpedos, 16 position the sub before Trident-II D5 SLBMs launch carrying a maximum of 48 Accuracy 400-500 feet CEP Mk-4/100-kt MIRVs Max. warhead 8 Mark-5/W-88,475 kt. loading MIRVs, or 12 Mark-4/W-76, Comparison of Polaris with Trident 100 kt MIRVs No. of Yield per Warhead Max. warhead Max. no of Range Accuracy subs warhead deployment deployment on 3 targets per (kms) (metres) (kt) per sub. operational subs sub. Polaris 4 200 32 96 16 4,700 900 Trident 4 100 48 144 48 7,400 120 72 Tri-denting It Handbook 3rd Edition (2001) targetable warheads. Every warhead that is carried on yet again. The more peaceful and accountable we are Trident can hit its own target. Trident also has a far the more we will attract others to join us and with greater range, is far more accurate and can hit its hundreds and thousands of people joining us we have targets in a far shorter time period. more chance of total and complete disarmament. The four British Trident submarines are HMS Vanguard The easiest way the authorities have of stopping (first patrol 13/12/94), HMS Victorious (first patrol Trident Ploughshares growing is to portray us as 7/1/96), HMS Vigilant (first patrol 1997), and HMS violent and terroristic, therefore we must be careful to Vengeance (first patrol estimated early 2001). act in ways that can never honestly be interpreted as British Trident submarines are based at the Clyde such. Of course, we may have to contend with Submarine Base, Faslane, in Scotland, where the dishonest slurs on our behaviour but these slurs will routine maintenance between patrols is carried out. not hold up if we really are loving and open in all our RNAD Coulport handles the nuclear warheads. actions. Normally there are 144 nuclear warheads on 5.2.1 Some General Safety Considerations submarines plus between 30 and 50 at RNAD Coulport. Coulport inspects warheads and carries out basic Emergency vehicles - to ensure that ambulances and maintenance work on them. From time to time small fire engines can still operate in the base please ensure numbers of warheads are removed from each that any blockades and road digging can be easily submarine and replaced. This is done at cleared or bridged for emergency access. Coulport. Trident missiles can also be Razor Wire - is very sharp so you can removed and there are bunkers to get a serious cut and not notice it. It store up to 16 missiles on land, but can sometimes spring back at you normally the missiles remain on the when you cut it, so be careful to submarine at all times. The missiles allow it room to do so without are loaded and unloaded at the US harming yourselves. It is best to Navy Base at Kings Bay, Georgia. remove whole bits back to their ties Coulport is also the storage and and all bits that stick out rather loading/unloading port for the than risk getting snagged. There is conventional torpedoes. usually a coil of razor wire on top The British Trident missiles are of the 3 metre weld mesh and serviced at Kings Bay. The British usually three coils piled up on the missiles are ordered and stored ground inside the fence, sometimes with the US missiles and not more. It is possible to climb over assigned to Britain until they are the coils without cutting it if you drawn out of inventory to install in use a piece of strong carpet laid a British submarine. The missiles over the coils. Choose a place normally stay in the submarine for where the coils are most dense and the duration of its seven-year commission, but capabili- strongest. Take First Aid with you in case you get cut ties are available at RNAD Coulport for the removal of and a torch for night cutting. There is fencing within missiles in an emergency. The Navy submarine mu- fencing, and once you have managed to get through seum at Gosport is worth a visit. It does not have a one area there are often several other areas that will Trident but the old subs are there and will give you a need similar treatment. feel of what a sub is like. They are basically all the same Dogs - are always near their handlers and are well with minor modifications for electronics and different trained. Keep still and wait until the handler calls the weapons systems etc. The address is The Royal Sub dog off. Usually you are warned by the handler before Museum, Haslar Jetty Rd, Gosport, Hampshire, PO12 the dog is let loose and the dog usually goes for any 2AS. Tel: 01705-529217. person running away. They are often used to find people hiding or to search rough ground. Keep calm 5.2 How To Safely Disarm a Trident and if in doubt just keep still and quiet. Submarine Guns - as far as we know the only Ministry of Defence Police with guns are those at the gates. However, General common sense is your best guide plus thor- armed Marines guard all the high security areas, like ough thought, discussion and role play. Remember that the warhead bunkers and the submarine berths. If it is more important to be peaceful, loving and challenged by them identify yourself as an unarmed accountable than to get to the submarine, road or protester. A Faslane Peace Camper who swam onto a pylon to disarm it at a particular time. The intention submarine tapped a marine on the shoulder and said and commitment is what matters - the intention to Hi, Im from the Peace Camp and he fainted with peacefully disarm and the commitment to keep coming shock! Remember he may be as freaked out to see you back and trying again. This total commitment means as you are him. It is best to assume that there is a that there will be no excuse for the authorities to treat shoot to kill policy in operation in all highly secure us badly - they can just arrest us quietly - but then they areas. We will not know their exact orders but if will have to put us in prison to stop us trying again and discovered make sure you stay still and quiet and Tri-denting It Handbook 3rd Edition (2001) 73 hold your hands out to show they are empty and you exercise when he was manouvering his boat at high pose no threat. Speak quietly and calmly and say you speed at night in front of a Trident submarine. will do no harm. Unarmed protesters have been When Clyde Sea Action began in 1986 with the discovered over the years by armed guards in very widening of the entrance to the Gareloch the reaction difficult circumstances without being shot. This is to the waterborne actions was a bit heavy. There was because it would be highly politically embarrassing for ramming and capsizing of boats. However, an unarmed peace protester to be shot whilst protest- relationships have improved and there tends to be less ing about the illegality and immorality of weapons of of this now.
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