British, French nuclear subs crash in Atlantic: reportsBritish and French nuclear submarines collided in the Atlantic Ocean Atlantic Ocean [Lat.,=of Atlas], second largest ocean (c.31,800,000 sq mi/82,362,000 sq km; c.36,000,000 sq mi/93,240,000 sq km with marginal seas). Physical Geography Extent and Seas earlier this month, media reports said Monday. Britain's HMS Vanguard At least ten ships of the British Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Vanguard, meaning the forefront of an action or movement.
France's defence ministry said on February 6 that Le Triomphant, a ballistic bal·lis·tic adj. 1. a. Of or relating to the study of the dynamics of projectiles. b. Of or relating to the study of the internal action of firearms. 2. nuclear submarine, was damaged when it hit an object under water earlier that week. It did not identify the object. The British sub has now been towed to its Faslane base in western Scotland for repair, reports said. The two submarines are equipped with sonar to detect other vessels. Both vessels -- between them carrying about 250 sailors -- were reportedly submerged and on separate missions when they crashed. Britain's Ministry of Defence refuses to comment on submarine operations but a spokesman said: "The UK's deterrent capability has remained unaffected at all times and there has been no compromise to nuclear safety." French officials made no comment on the latest media reports. France's defence ministry said on February 6 that no-one was injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. and there was no security threat from the incident it acknowledged. Le Triomphant, one of France's four nuclear-armed submarines, hit the object -- said at the time to be probably a container -- while submerging, and immediately returned to base at Ile-Longue, near Brest in northwest France. "The sonar dome situated in the front was damaged," said a statement from the navy, adding that the incident "did not result in injuries among the crew and did not jeopardise Verb 1. jeopardise - pose a threat to; present a danger to; "The pollution is endangering the crops" endanger, imperil, jeopardize, menace, peril, threaten exist, be - have an existence, be extant; "Is there a God?" nuclear security at any moment." Each vessel is 150 metres long and 13 metres in diameter, and can carry up to 48 nuclear warheads on a maximum of 16 missiles. The BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. , which also reported the collision, said the vessels were both "seriously armed." HMS Vanguard, launched in 1992, is one of four nuclear submarines operated by the British military as part of its Trident system, and one is always on deterrent patrol. France and Britain are two of the world's five declared nuclear powers, along with the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , China and Russia. France has maintained a sea-based nuclear deterrent A nuclear deterrent is the phrase used to refer to a country's nuclear weapons arsenal, when considered in the context of deterrence theory. Deterrence theory holds that nuclear weapons are intended to deter other states from attacking with their nuclear weapons, through the force since 1971. Britain is planning to renew its Trident submarine nuclear missile system, at a cost of about 20 billion pounds (now 30 billion dollars/22 billion euros). 
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