Nuclear Sub Collision

The Toronto Star
February 17, 2009

Two Nuclear submarines collided earlier this month deep in the Atlantic Ocean. These submarines were from Britain and France, respectively. Yesterday, authorities reported that one expert called this unusual accident the gravest in nearly a decade. Officials said, however, that this crash was not as dangerous as it appeared to be as it was very low-speed. The nuclear vessels' reactors and missiles were not damaged in any way, and no radiation was leaked. Despite this, anti-nuclear groups believe that this incident is a frightening reminder of the obvious risks of submarines powered by radioactive material and "bristling with nuclear weapons" roaming the oceans freely. This incident was first reported by France on February 6, but was reportedly said to have simply been a collision between a French vessel and a shipping container. Confirmation that this was in fact a collision between two nuclear vessels was delivered later by the British media. This collision was said to have occured as the two subs, Le Triomphant (the French vessel) and the HMS Vanguard (Britain's oldest nuclear vessel), were on routine patrol. The French media disclosed little else about the incident, not mentioning when, where, or how the accident occured. France said that the Triomphant suffered damage to its navigation and detection equipment in the sonar dome, before travelling back to its base, damaged. Britain said that the HMS Vanguard moved back to its Submarine base in Scotland with small dents and scrapes. It was said that it was "an absolute one in a million chance" that the two submarines collided, and that it was truly a freak accident.

I believe that this incident is truly what it was reported to be - a freak accident. The odds of the two submarines being in the same place at the same time are very slim. There is truly no way to predict the collision of the two submarines, and there was nothing that the two countries could have done to prevent it. In future, however, the world's countries must be more aware of the chances of submarine accidents in the depths of the oceans. Greater must be given to those ocean-going vessels carrying such high-risk nuclear material. Countries must develop more accurate technologies and give their best efforts in detecting oncoming submarines and objects, in order to create more success in under-water safety, particularly where nuclear material is concerned.