Ministry of Defence (Defence Equipment and Support)
Operator
ABL Alliance (AWE, Babcock and Lockheed Martin UK)
Controlled by
Naval Base Commander, Clyde
Condition
Operational
Site history
Built
1963 (1963)–1968
In use
1968 – present
Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport, shortened to RNAD Coulport, on Loch Long in Argyll, Scotland, is the storage and loading facility for the nuclear warheads of the United Kingdom's Trident programme.
The base, near the village of Coulport, has up to 16 reinforced concrete bunkers built into the hillside on the eastern shore of Loch Long. It is the last depot in Britain to retain the "RNAD" designation, indicating a Royal Naval Armaments Depot.
The depot was established during the Cold War as the storage, maintenance and loading facility for Polaris nuclear weapons. Today, Coulport is mainly used for handling Trident warheads.
Two docks are located on the shoreline at the foot of the hill. There, weapons are loaded onto Vanguard-class nuclear submarines before they go on patrol and unloaded before they return to base at nearby Faslane. An older jetty is known as the Polaris Jetty, while the newer, covered Explosive Handling Jetty (EHJ) is used for handling Trident warheads.[1]
^Bourn, John (27 July 1994). "Ministry of Defence: Management of the Trident Works Programme" (PDF). Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. London: National Audit Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport, shortened to RNADCoulport, on Loch Long in Argyll, Scotland, is the storage and loading facility for the nuclear...
no plans to move Trident otherwise. HMNB Clyde (Faslane) including RNADCoulport headed by Naval Base Commander, Commodore Sharon Malkin RM Condor HMS...
and Royal Naval Mine Depots.[citation needed] The only current RNAD is RNADCoulport, which is the UK Strategic Weapon Facility for the nuclear-armed...
RAF Aldermaston and has major facilities at Burghfield, Blacknest and RNADCoulport. AWE plc, responsible for the day-to-day operations of AWE, is owned...
Research Establishment Harwell has now been downgraded – see UK CAA RNADCoulport / HMNB Clyde Faslane Dounreay Nuclear Power Development Establishment...
criticism when it proposed to cut firefighter numbers at HMNB Clyde and RNADCoulport, two nuclear warhead facilities, by 15% less than two years after the...
and Tactical Firearms Unit. L85A2 Used by officers at HMNB Clyde and RNADCoulport. Planned to be removed from service and replaced by the Colt Canada...
including HMNB Portsmouth, AWE Aldermaston,AWE Burghfield, HMNB Clyde, RNADCoulport, HMNB Devonport and Whitehall. A surge capability is also available...
Clyde, guarded HMNB Clyde and the UK's naval nuclear weapons stored at RNADCoulport Royal Marines Police, Plymouth Commando Training Centre Royal Marines...
separate sites, the primary two being: Faslane, 25 miles from Glasgow; RNADCoulport, beside Loch Long, 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Faslane. Faslane is also a...
Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire, England, to the Royal Naval Armaments Depot RNADCoulport in Argyll, Scotland (part of HMNB Clyde). Because the warheads need...
Depot and formally elements of Defence Equipment and Support. DM Beith RNADCoulport DM Crombie DM Gosport Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment (HMS Vulcan)...
Forthside Barracks, Gordon Barracks, Walcheren Barracks HMNB Clyde, RNADCoulport HM Treasury retains responsibility for the Welfare State. National Insurance...
Whitehall, the over 300 staff are also based at MoD Abbey Wood in Bristol, RNADCoulport in Argyll, and the Atomic Weapons Establishment near Reading. "House...
fleet is deployed at HMNB Clyde and its nuclear arsenal is stored at RNADCoulport, if it received independence or full fiscal autonomy. 2014 – December...
Equipment & Support, part of the Ministry of Defence. It was formerly known as RNAD Glen Douglas. The facility was built between 1962 and 1966. As of 1989, it...
the response systems for nuclear weapon accidents at HMNB Clyde and RNADCoulport, in Argyll, Scotland. Since about 2013 the ONR has given the two major...
the Vanguard-class submarines was built at Hunterston, and floated to RNADCoulport where it has been situated since 1993. This Explosive Handling Jetty...
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