American nuclear missile submarine visits Faslane

A US Navy Ohio class submarine has arrived at Faslane naval base outside Glasgow, Scotland, UK. The visit, common between the US and UK, has been described as routine.

Recently another US nuclear submarine, the USS New Mexico, also visited the base which is home to the United Kingdoms nuclear missile and hunter killer submarine fleets.

The Ohio class is a class of nuclear powered submarines used by the United States Navy. The navy has 18 Ohio-class submarines, 14 ballistic missile submarines and four that were later converted to guided missile submarines.

US Navy ‘Ohio’ Class inbound for Faslane Naval Base today.#USNavy #Submarines #shipping #scotland #Shipsinpics #submarine #Navy pic.twitter.com/aeGkjUMtOc

— Dougie Coull Photography ??????? (@DougieCoullPics) March 16, 2018

#Submarine doing boat transfer with full escorts including #helicopter on #LochLong in #Argyll this morning #Ohio class maybe ?? @NavyLookout @LochsidePress #RoyalNavy pic.twitter.com/fDTDD2HPdW

— #ArgyllSeaGlass ??????? (@ArgyllSeaGlass) March 16, 2018

The submarine is now berthed at HMNB Clyde. The base is sited at Faslane in the west of Scotland not far from Glasgow, one of Britain’s largest cities. It’s one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy, the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth. It is best known as the home of Britain’s nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

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.