US Navy launches second Trident II missile off Southern CA coast!
On Monday (yesterday) afternoon, the U.S. Navy launched a second unarmed missile off the Southern California coast, while the buzz from Saturday’s launch continued on social media.
The second test of a nuclear-capable Trident II (D5) missile from a submarine off the Southern California coast will be the last for awhile, a Navy spokesman told the Los Angeles Times:
“It’s important that we test these missiles for our national security,” said John M. Daniels, spokesman for the secretive Strategic Systems Programs office, which oversees the Navy’s nuclear-tipped missile arsenal. “We don’t announce future launches, but this is it for any time soon.”
The test came two days after the launch of the first missile, which created a blue-green streak of light visible from San Diego to Santa Rosa and prompted observers to wonder what they were seeing–missile, comet, or UFO?
Abe Blair, a professional photographer with a gallery in Truckee, happened to be shooting the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge from slacker hill in the Marin Headlands and captured spectacular images of the missile off San Francisco. “I’m only going to say this once–No PHOTOSHOP!” Blair posted on his Facebook page. His friend Justin Majeczky shot the video that appears at the top of this article .
The Navy has conducted 156 tests of the Trident II, a key to the U.S. nuclear deterrent, since 1989, according to the Washington Post. The $31 million Trident II missile is built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale.
The Navy had THIS to say about all the social media buzz from Saturday’s launch:
“As a result of doing these operations, it does show any adversary that would wish to do us harm the capabilities that we have,” (Navy public affairs officer John) Daniels told The Post.
-Bill at
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