RNAD Coulport RNAD Coulport in Argyll , Scotland , is the storage and loading facility for the United Kingdom ' s stock of Trident nuclear warhead s . The last Royal Naval Armaments Depot to retain the " RNAD " designation , the 16 reinforced concrete bunker s are built into the hillside near the village of Coulport , on the eastern shore of Loch Long . Below the bunkers lie 2 docks for Vanguard nuclear submarine s , which are used when a patrol submarine is being loaded and unloaded with armaments . The older jetty is known as the Polaris Jetty , while the newer , covered Explosive Handling Jetty ( EHJ ) is used for handling Trident warheads . Coulport was established during the Cold War , as the storage and loading facility for the UK ' s Polaris nuclear weapons system , and now handles the Trident system . Although Coulport is primarily used for handling the warheads , it has facilities for loading and unloading the missiles . The depot also stores and handles conventional weapons , for example torpedoes . The implications of the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 for the Coulport and Faslane bases have been extensively discussed in the media , as it is unclear if any submarine base in England , Wales or Northern Ireland could house the Coulport silos . History . Coulport had originally been best known as a summer holiday retreat for wealthy Glaswegians , with its most notable feature being Kibble Palace , now relocated to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens . The Nassau Agreement was signed in December 1962 , and the Polaris Sales Agreement was signed in April 1963 . Construction of Coulport , on the site of the farm of Duchlage ( historically spelt Duchlass ) , began in 1963 , and was completed in 1968 . The Trident Works Programme at Coulport and Faslane , co - ordinated by the Property Services Agency , took 13 years to complete . Planning work at Coulport began in 1982 , and the estimated final cost for the entire programme , at 1994 prices , was approximately £1 . 9 billion . This made it the second most expensive procurement project in the UK after the Channel Tunnel project . Explosive Handling Jetty . A covered berth for the Trident submarines was built at Hunterston in Ayrshire , and floated to RNAD Coulport where it has been situated since 1993 . This Explosive Handling Jetty is one of the world ' s largest floating concrete structures . Sister depot at Kings Bay , Georgia . The UK ' s Polaris system was fully serviced at Coulport , but the Trident missiles are randomly selected from the large US stockpile at the Trident Refit Facility at the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay , Georgia . The missiles are not owned by the UK , which has " mingled asset " ownership rights to 58 missiles from a pool shared with the US Navy . The Trident warheads are designed and manufactured by the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston , Berkshire , England , and are owned by the UK government . Safety and accidents at Coulport . Exercise Bowline is the annual test of the emergency response routines to a nuclear weapon accident at Coulport . It is conducted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation . In 2011 the test failed as " a number of command and control aspects of the exercise were not considered to have been adequately demonstrated " . The Exercise was repeated later in the year and recorded " a marked improvement " and that " the agreed objectives and associated success criteria of the ‘ Command and Control ’ aspects were met . " Transport of Trident nuclear warheads by road . The main logistical movement of nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom is between the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire and RNAD Coulport in Argyll , in both directions . Because the warheads need to be constantly refurbished , batches are shuttled by road convoy several times a year . Convoys use Staging Posts and Crew Change Locations during this journey . The Truck Cargo Heavy Duty ( TCHD ) carriers containing the weapons are escorted in a convoy of MoD vehicles commanded by a Ministry of Defence Police Chief Inspector . The crew , of up to 50 people , includes a first aid team , fire crew and personnel equipped to monitor for radiological hazards . The convoy maintains contact by radio and telephone with Task Control , MDP Central Information Room , Wethersfield , Essex , which monitors its movement , and with the civil police forces in the affected areas . Police forces are notified at least 24 hours in advance of a convoy being routed through their area ; this enables them to advise the convoy about any local traffic problems . Police forces may advise fire brigades of the presence of the convoy if it is moving into the vicinity of a fire brigade operation . Details of nuclear warhead convoys are kept secret by the UK government and the MoD who operate a Neither Confirm Nor Deny policy on informing the public regarding convoys . Evidence given by the Nuclear Information Campaign to the Defence Select Committee ( based on figures from campaign group Nukewatch UK for 2000 to 2006 ) give the number of convoys as ranging from two to six return journeys per year from Aldermaston to Coulport . Estimates of the warhead numbers transported during this period are that 88 were moved from Aldermaston to Coulport while 120 were returned , indicating a withdrawal of between 30 and 50 warheads leaving an operational stockpile of between 170 and 150 warheads . In the event of a nuclear accident the SSC would activate the MoD ’ s Nuclear Accident Response Organisation and would alert the local police constabulary immediately . The responsibility for these operations rests with the Director Nuclear Movements & Nuclear Accident Response Group . Protestors regularly try to stop the convoy and climb onto the TCHD ’ s . The MDP are trained on a regular basis to counter any protest . MDP motorcyclists and traffic car officers make arrests and then hand over responsibility to the local police force . For 22 years Aldermaston Women ’ s Peace Campaign have held a monthly camp outside the fence at AWE Aldermaston . Nukewatch UK tracks convoys and has provided evidence for the House of Commons Defence Select Committee ( evidence from Nuclear Information Service )