French and British nuke subs collide

[absconded]

The Russion ships involved in the oil spill were only 250 miles from the Kerry coast.
When Ireland petitioned the EU to have it's territorial waters extended (''Who cares ? Ve can still take all de fish .'') it was given general approval; but was it fully enacted ?
Is it normal practice for Russian warships to be carrying out these actions in our waters ?

To the best of my knowledge warships on "innocent passage" may actually transit within the 12 nautical mile limit. Once they are flying their national ensigns etc. Submarines must be surfaced and also flying their colours. Outside 12 nautical miles they can pretty do much as they like I think.

[absconded]

Thanks Paddy.

I wonder what would it take to wake people up to how what happens offshore actually matters to us. Must ask Tom McSweeney.

Some people in this country don´t mind what happens outside the M50

[He3]

Time magazine blames the French

The accident probably happened because the two submarines were not aware of each other. NATO operates a traffic control system that alerts allied nations to the deployment zones of friendly submarines. The system is designed to avoid collisions. But because France is not part of NATO's military command structure, it does not provide information on the location of its mobile nuclear arms to that system, according to Julian Ferguson, who commanded one of Britain's four V-class nuclear submarines until retiring in 2006. (See a graphic of the global nuclear arms balance.)

"There is a system for operating areas that are reserved for American, British, Norwegian, Dutch and Canadian communities and if you want to go into someone's area of influence you tell them what you are doing. But if you are not in the NATO military structure you don't have to do that," says Ferguson.

Did France's Secrecy Cause a Nuclear Submarine Collision? - TIME

[Electro]

Perhaps this ties into "neo-con" Sarkozy's drive to forge closer links with NATO...

It will probably reinforce his efforts in that direction anyhow.

The US Establishment newsmag TIME will be happy to see that happen.

[He3]

Sub driving like that does tend to forge closer links all right. Might pop a rivet or three ...