HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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SKB
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HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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^ HMNB Clyde (Faslane)

Introduction
Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS Neptune) primarily sited at Faslane is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It is the service's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

HMNB Clyde lies on the eastern shore of Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, to the north of the Firth of Clyde and 25 mi (40 km) west of Glasgow. The submarine base encompasses a number of separate sites, the primary two being:

* Faslane, 25 miles from Glasgow;
* RNAD Coulport, beside Loch Long, 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Faslane.

Faslane is also a Defence Equipment and Support site, operated in dual site organisation with Great Harbour, Greenock, by Babcock Marine and Technology, and managed by Serco Denholm


Faslane Naval Base
Faslane Naval Base, situated on the Gare Loch, and the RN Armaments Depot Coulport on Loch Long, are the primary components of HMNB Clyde. The naval shore establishment at Faslane is HMS Neptune, Naval personnel appointed to the base who do not belong to a seagoing vessel make up Ship's Company. Both the Gare Loch and Loch Long are sea lochs extending northwards from the Firth of Clyde. The base serves as home base to Britain's fleet of Vanguard-class nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines, as well as conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines, supported by the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.

In command of HMNB Clyde is the Naval Base Commander (Clyde), Commodore Mark Adams who succeeded Commodore Keith Beckett in Autumn 2014. The base is home to a number of lodger units including Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland (FOSNNI) (who is also Flag Officer Reserves/FORes), the Northern Diving Group and the Scottish Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency. It is base to 3,000 service personnel, 800 of their families and 4,000 civilian workers, largely from Babcock Marine, forming a major part of the economy of Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire.

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, through the GIUK gap to the Norwegian Sea. At the time it was chosen, the location was also close to the American SSBN base at Holy Loch, which operated 1961-1992. One boat was always on patrol at any given time. In times of political instability, sometimes two boats would be deployed at sea.

In 1971 the base was home to the 3rd Submarine Squadron of Nuclear Fleet and Diesel Patrol Submarines, “the fighters”, and the 10th Submarine Squadron consisting of the four Polaris submarines, “the bombers”. The base also conducted the training of all submarines before they joined their Squadrons and this was known as ‘work up’.


Faslane Flotilla

Vanguard-class SSBNs
HMS Vanguard
HMS Victorious
HMS Vigilant
HMS Vengeance

Astute-class SSNs
HMS Astute
HMS Ambush
HMS Artful

Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels
HMS Penzance
HMS Pembroke
HMS Grimsby
HMS Bangor
HMS Ramsey
HMS Blyth
HMS Shoreham

Archer-class patrol vessels
HMS Tracker - Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron
HMS Raider - Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron
HMS Pursuer - University Royal Naval Unit


RNAD Coulport
The Royal Naval Armaments Depot (RNAD) at Coulport, Loch Long is the other major part of HMNB Clyde. RNAD Coulport stores conventional armaments for Royal Navy vessels but is best known for its role in the Trident missile system.

Nuclear weapon storage bunkers have been excavated from a ridge. British-designed and built nuclear warheads can be fitted to Trident missiles (built by Lockheed Martin). The United Kingdom has ownership rights to 58 missiles from a "pool" shared with the US Navy. Whole missiles can be lifted out of or into a submarine, but the missiles are normally serviced at the US Navy facility at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in the US state of Georgia.

Initial construction took place between 1963, when Faslane was chosen as the new Polaris base, and 1968, when the first Polaris boat began its patrol. Safety considerations required that the armament maintenance the and storage facility have its own berth and be at least 4,400 feet (1,300 m) from the main facility whilst operational considerations dictated that the two facilities should be within an hour's sailing time. Coulport, on the opposite peninsula, met both of these requirements. Additional construction took place during the 1980s to support the Trident missile programme.

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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Commodore Mark Gayfer appointed as Royal Navy's Naval Base Commander Clyde
FASLANE has a new hand at the helm with the appointment of Commodore Mark Gayfer as Naval Base Commander Clyde. Commodore Gayfer takes over from Commodore Mark Adams, who has held the top job at HM Naval Base Clyde since October 2014.
More: http://www.helensburghadvertiser.co.uk/ ... der_Clyde/

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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BBC tv series "Coast" visited HMNB Clyde in 2009

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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HMNB Clyde (Faslane) on Google Maps: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.05845 ... !1e3?hl=en

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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Clyde Naval Base:Written question - 28223

Asked by Brendan O'Hara(Argyll and Bute)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential (a) commercial and (b) other economic benefits of the expansion of HMNB Clyde to the surrounding towns and communities.
Answered by: Mr Philip Dunne
It is Ministry of Defence policy not to provide a breakdown by geographical or economic area of the potential commercial and economic benefits of Government expenditure. By 2020 Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde will become home to all the Royal Navy's submarines. This will create a single integrated submarine operating base at HMNB Clyde with 8,200 personnel employed there by 2022. This will generate substantial local economic activity.
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publi ... -24/28223/

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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Clyde Naval Base: Infrastructure:Written question - 28271

Asked by Brendan O'Hara(Argyll and Bute)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2015 to Question 11029, whether assessment of the necessary infrastructure adaptations to update the facilities at HM Naval Base Clyde and Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport has been completed.
Answered by: Mr Philip Dunne
Assessments are currently under way to inform decisions and refine programme costs of the individual projects at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde and Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport.
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publi ... -24/28271/

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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HM Naval Base Clyde hosts the first ever "Submarine Oscars"
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(Royal Navy)
Serving Submariners, their families, friends, and affiliates donned their glad rags on the evening of October 5 for a glitzy celebration of the best in the service.

The award ceremony – which has been dubbed “the Submarine Oscars” – saw twelve trophies being presented, including the prestigious “Conqueror” trophy which is given to the submarine crews which has best demonstrated operational excellence.

The evening was sponsored by the British Forces Foundation, Babcock, Rolls Royce and the Gosling Foundation.

Master of Ceremonies for the occasion was Command Warrant Officer Andy Knox and Rear Admiral John Weale OBE, who welcomed some 250 audience members to the Naval Base’s Senior Rates’ Mess.
More: https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... the-oscars


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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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HMS Raider (P275) of the Faslane Patrol Boat Squardron (FPBS) escorts USS Maryland.
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(Pathé)

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Re: HMNB Clyde (Faslane) (RN)

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http://www.constructionenquirer.com/201 ... framework/

"The flagship Clyde Commercial Framework will deliver a £1.3bn investment programme to ensure that personnel behind the UK’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent are able to live, work and train in safe, modern facilities.
The programme includes a wide range of projects from relatively simple new-build projects in lower security areas like accommodation and training facilities to highly complex refurbishment projects on nuclear infrastructure in high security areas."

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