KidsOutdoors

Event Started: 24/06/2008 - 18:00

Event Finished: 24/06/2008 - 21:30

Location: Faslane, HMNB Clyde

Attendees: 11

The last surprise trip of the scout season, and what a treat we have in store 

Arrochar Scouts are treated to a private visit to HMS Vigilant, one of the nuclear powered submarines which carries the Trident weapon system, the nation's nuclear deterrent.  This is an opportunity afforded to very few and a real chance of a lifetime.

Arriving at HM Naval Base Clyde, we are greeted by the security forces.  We sort out our passes and permits and we are escorted to the submarine, ready for our safety brief.   

As we take the walkway between the jetty and the submarine, we get a great view of the boat.  Of course, we can only see the fraction that sits above the water. There's so much more to see down below.     

The trip has plenty of educational value and our first debate starts as we walk along the outer hull.    There will be few P7 students who debate the principle of the nuclear deterrent whilst actually standing on top of the missile tubes which could launch the nuclear weapons !

Big D, the submariner who has agreed to show us round, is excellent.  He knows all aspects of the boat, giving us a tour which spans 4 deck levels and takes in navigation, the control room, sonar, the galley and mess facilities, torpedoes, periscopes, and even the sleeping arrangements.  There were 9 bunks in a space smaller than most scout bedrooms !   We even try the emergency breathing apparatus.

The questions fly thick and fast, and you can't help be amazed by the technology, the planning and preparation, the professionalism of the crew, and the sheer mass of pipework, cables, valves, dials, panels, gauges, switches, tubes and hatches.    It's just like you see in the movies.    However, everything is spotless and there are even areas which look bright and relatively spacious.    But we still appreciate that there is a nuclear reactor on board and, when at sea, an array of nuclear warheads.  It is a formidable and powerful machine and we are privileged to have been invited on board.  

The scouts are suitably impressed with their trip, so much so that we don't realise that we've been below for over 2 hours.    We have time for a few photographs to capture our experience and then we hit the road back to Arrochar.

Thanks to everyone involved at HMNB Clyde & HMS Vigilant.  Most of all, thanks to Big D.