His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS Neptune), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.
History
Faslane was first constructed and used as a base in the Second World War. During the 1960s, the British Government began negotiating the Polaris Sales Agreement with the United States regarding the purchase of a Polaris missile system to fire British-built nuclear weapons from five specially constructed submarines. In the end, only four were constructed; , , and . These four submarines were permanently based at Faslane.
Faslane itself was chosen to host these vessels at the height of the Cold War because of its geographic position, which forms a bastion on the relatively secluded but deep and easily navigable Gare Loch and Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland. This position provides for rapid and stealthy access through the North Channel to the submarine patrolling areas in the North Atlantic, through the GIUK gap to the Norwegian Sea. At the time it was chosen, the location was also close to the American SSBN base at Holy Loch, which operated 1961–1992. One boat was always on patrol at any given time.
In 1971 the base was home to the 3rd Submarine Squadron of Nuclear Fleet and Diesel Patrol Submarines, "the fighters", and the 10th Submarine Squadron consisting of the four Polaris submarines, "the bombers".
In Command
Based vessels and units
The following notable vessels and units are based at Faslane.
Royal Navy
Commodore J. L. Perks OBE, Commander Submarine Flotilla/(Commodore Submarine Service (COSM)) Vanguard-class SSBNs
Astute-class SSNs
HMS Astute
HMS Ambush
HMS Artful
HMS Audacious
HMS Anson
Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels
HMS Penzance – 1 Mine Countermeasures Squadron
HMS Bangor – forward deployed with 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron in Bahrain
Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron
(Archer-class patrol vessel) (Archer-class patrol vessel) Northern Diving Group x1 Sea-class 15m diving support boat Autonomous Vessels (Mine Threat and Exploitation Group) RNMB Hellcat RNMB Hebe RNMB Hydra
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
RFA Stirling Castle (from August 2023 as "mothership" of autonomous vessels from 1 MCM Squadron)
Royal Marines (3 Commando Brigade) 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Headquarters Squadron O Rifle Squadron P Rifle Squadron R Rifle Squadron Island-class patrol vessels Mull Rona Eorsa
Serco Marine Services
Multicat 2613-class utility boat
SD Angeline
Coastal oilers
SD Oilman
SD Waterpress
Impulse-class tugs
SD Impulse (A344) SD Impetus (A345) ATD 2909-class tugs SD Reliable SD Resourceful SD Dependable STAN 2608-class tugs SD Jupiter Oban-class tenders SD Oronsay SD Omagh Personnel ferries SD Eva STAN 1505-class tenders SD Clyde Racer STAN 1905-class tenders SD Clyde Spirit
Ministry of Defence Police
Clyde Marine Unit
Island-class patrol vessels
Iona
Skye
Lismore
Barra
Harris
Jura
Nuclear Division (Faslane Station) Central Support Group
Role and operations
HMNB Clyde lies on the eastern shore of Gare Loch in Argyll and Bute, to the north of the Firth of Clyde and west of Glasgow. The submarine base encompasses a number of separate sites, the primary two being: Faslane, 25 miles from Glasgow; RNAD Coulport, beside Loch Long, west of Faslane.
Faslane is also a Defence Equipment and Support site, operated in dual site organisation with Great Harbour, Greenock, by Babcock Marine and Technology, and managed by Serco Denholm.
The naval shore establishment at Faslane is HMS Neptune, Naval personnel appointed to the base who do not belong to a seagoing vessel make up Ship's Company. Both the Gareloch and Loch Long are sea lochs extending northwards from the Firth of Clyde. The base serves as home base to Britain's fleet of nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines, as well as conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines, supported by the 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.