US submarine has Christmas stopover in Gib

A US Ohio-class guided missile submarine arrived at the naval base on Christmas eve for what the Ministry of Defence described as a routine scheduled visit.

Ohio Class submarines are the largest ever built for the US navy, and the third largest class of submarines in the world.

They are capable of carrying up to 24 trident missiles, and there are eighteen such active submarines in the US navy, each of them named after a US State.

Ship spotters said the vessel was 'buzzed' by a Spanish helicopter as is sailed into port and photos appear to show the helicopter flying low over escort vessels of the Gibraltar Defence Police.

However there has so far been no official confirmation of any incident by The Convent or the Government of Gibraltar.

David Parody

The arrival of drew statements of protest from Spanish environmental campaigners, who say the presence of nuclear-powered vessels in Gibraltar poses a risk to communities in the area.

The MoD did not confirm the identity of the submarine but an Ohio-class vessel, the USS Florida, has been operating in the Mediterranean for some months now, according to public information posted by the US Navy.

The USS Florida was the subject of a recent new story by ABC News, which secured exclusive access to film on board while the submarine was operating in the eastern Mediterranean earlier this year.

A rare look into the mission and importance of our #UnseenOnScene @USNavy guided-missile submarines.
Check out this in-depth piece as @WorldNewsTonight embarks #USSFlorida on station in the Mediterranean Sea.#ForgedbytheSeahttps://t.co/yuL31EVAn4

— Submarine Group TEN (@SUBGRU10) November 5, 2019