The Kitsap Sun newspaper, located in Bremerton, WA near the Bangor submarine base, is reporting that Trident nuclear warheads are being transported between Bangor and Amarillo, TX via trucks on the highway. So next time that trucker is ten feet from your bumper, you might want to pull over and let him by.
The warheads are going to Texas for upgrades and refurbishing to add years to their usefulness. Because we need to have nukes for the future so we can bomb-bomb-bomb Iran. Or maybe China. They will be shipping 1600 to 1800 bombs, with 900 to 1000 of them coming from Bangor. The other bases are in Connecticut and Georgia, so don’t feel too safe if you live in other parts of the country. You are probably having them driven by your house as well.
The drivers are federal agents, which might make the trip a little safer--some truckers are great, but if they hire private truckers there is no quality control. The drivers are supposed to get at least 8 hours sleep every 32 in a real bed, as opposed to the cab sleepers. There is satellite tracking of the trucks, so they will know when the bombs are hijacked or get in a wreck. I'm sure they will let you know if the bombs are in the truck that runs into your car on the highway.
The trailers protect the warheads during an accident. Even if the trailer crashed, the warheads wouldn’t be damaged, according to the Office for Secure Transportation
I feel SO much better with that reassurance.
And they are supposed to pull into special spots in bad weather. I wonder how many were on the road this past week when the Puget Sound area was hit with unexpectedly nasty weather and road conditions.
In the 70s they transported the nukes on trains, and people sat on the tracks in protest—not that it did much good. I suppose we could go sit on the freeway in protest. Anyone have any other ideas?
My first diary after 2 years of lurking. Be kind.