LONDON — British politicians this week voted to continue with the country’s nuclear submarine fleet. <br /> <br />British Parliament voted 427 to 117 on Monday to renew the UK’s fleet of Trident submarines, the country’s sole nuclear weapons system. <br /> <br />One of Britain’s four Vanguard-class submarines constantly patrols the the world’s oceans. According to the Guardian, the vessels are virtually undetectable because they use a nuclear powered reactor. <br /> <br />The submarines can be armed with up to 40 nuclear warheads, host 132 crew and numerous torpedoes. Each measures around 150 meters in length. Nuclear missiles in Trident submarines have a range of up to 7,500 miles, potentially allowing the UK to strike most of the world. <br /> <br />The fleet operates out of the Faslane Naval Base in Scotland, with one submarine always on patrol around the world. <br /> <br />The British government estimates the cost of Trident to be around $40 billion dollars, Reuters reported. However some say that could rise to more than $200 billion over the project’s lifetime.
