Disarmament Diplomacy

Last UK Trident Submarine Enters Service Amid Protests

On February 12, the British Ministry of Defence announced the entry into service of HMS Vengeance, the last of four UK submarines armed with Trident nuclear missiles. According to Armed Forces Minister John Spellar, the completion of the Trident fleet was cause for national satisfaction. Referring to both Trident and the earlier Polaris submarine force, Spellar noted: "The maintenance of nuclear deterrent patrols for more than 30 years is a huge achievement." The occasion, however, was also marked by large anti-nuclear protests, resulting in over 300 arrests, at the submarines' home port, the Faslane naval base in Scotland.

Report: Britain puts last nuclear sub into service, Reuters, February 12.

© 2001 The Acronym Institute.