Greenpeace protest boats delay first British Trident test

THE FIRST test launch of a Trident missile from a British submarine was delayed for more than three hours by Greenpeace protesters last night.

The environment campaigners caused deep embarrassment to the Government by preventing two attempts to launch the US ballistic missile from HMS Vanguard in the Atlantic off Florida. Malcolm Rifkind, the Secretary of State for Defence was on board the submarine to witness the test firing of the pounds 10bn nuclear weapons system, due to replace Polaris next year.

The protesters had a helicopter and inflatable boats above the Vanguard. The Greenpeace ship MV Solo had been tracking the 16,000- ton submarine, which submerged at 5.00pm BST yesterday. Warnings to ships and aircraft identified three danger zones, probably to foil attempts to disrupt the firing, but Greenpeace clearly found the right one.

The missile firing was due at 7.45pm British time, but at T minus 10 - 7.35pm - the submarine, which was at periscope depth to fire, dived again.

The US Navy said the firing had been delayed because of a 'fouled range'. Later, the British Ministry of Defence admitted that 'due to the intrusion of a number of surface vessels which have sailed into the range area the launch has been temporarily delayed'.

At 10pm Vanguard surfaced again in a second attempt to fire but was foiled by a Greenpeace inflatable in the vicinity.

However at 11.15pm British time the submarine surfaced again very briefly and managed to launch a missile despite the presence of a Greenpeace helicopter in the area.

A group of senior Whitehall and Navy officials watched the drama unfold from the US Navy vessel Range Sentinel, which was on station to monitor the launch, 50 miles off Cape Canaveral.

The missile was intended to head south-east down the US Eastern Range, past South America, to drop harmlessly into the Atlantic near Ascension Island. According to the MoD last night's test was a 'demonstration and shakedown' operation designed to test the missile systems and crew procedures.

Greenpeace, which distrusts US and British assurances on nuclear non-proliferation, last tried to stop a Trident missile being fired during the first US test in 1989.

The Vanguard class boats are the largest British submarines ever built. Each can carry up to 16 of the US Trident D5 missiles, to be armed with British warheads. The missile has a maximum range of 6,500 nautical miles and can carry up to 12 warheads. In yesterday's trial one 'warhead' contained monitoring instruments. The other 11 were 'inert', but with the same ballistic characteristics, possibly filled with concrete.

Britain has decided to limit each submarine to a maximum of 96 warheads; previously the limit was 128. This still gives a Trident boat far more firepower than a Polaris, on which the 16 missiles each carrying three warheads. The scrapping of Britain's planned tactical air-to-surface missile last October means that from about 2006 Trident will be Britain's only means of delivering nuclear weapons.