Q&A ยท 46:33-47:30

Where submarine crews would go after nuclear war

British submarine crews were expected to seek a surviving safe haven, checking Britain before considering allied territories farther afield.

Question

Were there plans for submarine crews after a nuclear war?

Short answer

They were to find a viable safe haven, first checking Britain and then considering allied territories such as North America, Australia, or the Falklands.

Notes

A practical survival plan rather than a single fixed destination. A British submarine would first determine whether any safe and functioning base remained in the United Kingdom. If the country was devastated, crews might head toward the United States, Canada, Australia, or the Falkland Islands. Australia appears in several nations' contingency thinking because its distance and allied facilities made it a plausible refuge for boats that survived the exchange.