Collision, en plein Océan atlantique, de deux sous-marins nucléaires, un anglais et un francais.
Aucun dommages, aussi bien pour les bâtiments que pour les membres d'équipages. Ouf...
Quelles sont les chances pour que 2 sous-marins entrent en collision dans l'atlantique (qui fait 82 millions de km²) alors qu'en plus ils peuvent voyager à des profondeurs différentes?
British, French nuclear submarines 'collide'
UK Ministry of Defence won't confirm details of incident
French Ministry of Defense says its submarine damaged in underwater collision
Anti-nuclear group: Incident is "a nuclear nightmare of the highest order"
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British Royal Navy nuclear submarine was involved in an accident with a French submarine while on operations in the Atlantic Ocean, CNN has learned. Both vessels are understood to have been carrying nuclear warheads at the time and to have suffered damage.
British media reports suggested that the two vessels, HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, collided on February 3 or 4. But the UK's Ministry of Defence would not confirm details of the incident.
"It is MOD policy not to comment on submarine operational matters, but we can confirm that the UK's deterrent capability has remained unaffected at all times and there has been no compromise to nuclear safety," a spokesman said.
In a statement issued earlier this month, the French Ministry of Defense confirmed that Le Triomphant had been damaged in an underwater collision.
"The sonar dome, located at the front, has been damaged. This incident did not result in casualties or injuries among the crew, and did not jeopardize nuclear security at any moment," the statement said.
The vessel was able to return to its base at Ile Longue in Brittany, northwest France, accompanied by a frigate.
Both the UK and French nuclear deterrent operations depend on complete secrecy and neither vessel would have been aware of their proximity to the other submarine, despite both countries' membership of NATO.
But the submarines should have been able to detect the presence of a nearby vessel using state-of-the-art sonar technology.
Royal Navy Vanguard Class submarines are equipped with collision avoidance radar, according to the Royal Navy Web site. French nuclear submarines carry enhanced underwater detection and communications technology, according to the French Ministry of Defense Web site.
The UK's Sun newspaper reported Monday that HMS Vanguard was towed back into its home base at Faslane in Scotland "with dents and scrapes visible on her hull." It is normal procedure for the vessels to be towed into dock, according to the Ministry of Defence press office.
In a statement issued Monday, the UK-based Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament described the incident as "a nuclear nightmare of the highest order."
"The collision of two submarines, both with nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons onboard could have released vast amounts of radiation and scattered scores of nuclear warheads across the seabed," said CND chair Kate Hudson.
"The dents reportedly visible on the British sub show the boats were no more than a couple of seconds away from total catastrophe."
Hudson said the incident was the most serious involving a nuclear submarine since the sinking of the Russian Kursk in 2000 with the loss of the vessel's entire 118-man crew.
HMS Vanguard, which was launched in 1992, is one of four submarines which make up the UK's nuclear deterrent. Its firepower includes 16 Trident II D5 missiles capable of delivering multiple warheads to targets up to a range of 4,000 nautical miles.
The 150-meter vessel carries a crew of 141 and is powered by a uranium-fueled pressurized water reactor. Vanguard Class submarines routinely spend weeks at a time underwater on patrol in the North Atlantic.
But contact with naval commanders and government officials, including the defense secretary and the prime minister, are maintained at all times by a "comprehensive network of communications installations," the Royal Navy Web site said.
Le Triomphant was launched in 1994 and carries a crew of 111, according to the GlobalSecurity.org Web site. Its weapons include 16 M45 missiles capable of launching multiple nuclear warheads.
The UK has maintained a nuclear arsenal since 1956, with at least one nuclear-armed submarine somewhere at sea continuously since 1969.
In 2006 the government approved plans to update the Trident deterrent program. A new generation of submarines is due to be ready to replace the Vanguard Class submarines by 2024. But the program, which is expected to cost around £20 billion ($29 billion), has been heavily criticized by anti-nuclear campaigners.
