Faslane is a Royal Navy base in Scotland. It is situated on Gare Loch, which connects to the River Clyde, and is some 20-30 miles northwest of Glasgow, Scotland. It is noteworthy for being the headquarters of the Royal Navy's submarine force, especially the strategic deterrent force, which at present consists of four 'V-class' Trident missile submarines. As such, it has attracted a great deal of attention over the years from protesters, both the base itself and nearby facilities such as Coulport which provides nuclear weapons storage. Together, Faslane and Coulport form HM Naval Base Clyde.
The base at Faslane was built during World War II, and underwent extensive refitting for the strategic deterrence role in the late 1960s. It was complete and operational by 1969, when the first patrol by a UK Polaris submarine (HMS Resolution) was carried out from the base. At present, besides hosting the four V-class Trident SSBN boats, Faslane houses the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class SSNs. In the past, (1960-1992) the nearby Holy Loch was used by U.S. Navy submarine tenders as a 'forward operating base' for U.S. strategic missile submarines.
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