Friday, September 30, 2022 - 10:10

Spain must stop submarine tantrums and grow up

The USS Florida arrived in Gibraltar yesterday, as foreshadowed in the Spanish press, to the usual chorus of complaints from very much the usual suspects. It is a disgrace that many sectors in Spain, including some in the Government, are content to stir up trouble in this way when they should all know better.

BALLISTIC
The USS Florida was formally commissioned into service in 1983, initially as a ballistic missile submarine, which was later converted to a cruise missile vessel in 2006. It will be recalled that in 2011, together with US and Royal Navy ships, the Florida fired its missiles at targets in Lybia signaling the start of the action against the Gaddafi regime. The submarine has a length of 170m, with a beam of 13m and a draft of 12m. There is a complement of 15 officers and 140 crew.