Python (codename): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:25, 2 August 2019

Revision as of 00:28, 20 January 2020

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==Locations==

[[File:Taymouth Castle - geograph.org.uk - 12603.jpg|thumb|right|[[Taymouth Castle]], situated in a valley and protected by surrounding hills.]]

[[File:Old MOD buildings Tonfanau. - geograph.org.uk - 332241.jpg|thumb|right|Remains of the Ministry of Defence buildings at [[Tonfanau]], the temporary PYTHON site for Wales.]]

Sites for dispersing government were selected in 1966 based on their existing accommodation, independence from the national power and water grids, [[nuclear fallout]] protection and distance from likely targets. The chosen sites were [[RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk)|RNAS Culdrose]] in [[Cornwall]], [[HMS Osprey, Portland|HMS ''Osprey'']] in [[Dorset]], [[Taymouth Castle]] (then the [[Civil Defence Corps]] Training School) in [[Scotland]] and either the helicopter support ship [[RFA Engadine (K08)|RFA ''Engadine'']] or royal yacht [[HMY Britannia|HMY ''Britannia'']] which would embark a PYTHON group at [[Loch Torridon]] or [[Oban]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/15053819.The_top_secret_story_of_just_how_important_Portland_could_have_been_in_the_Cold_War/|title=If nuclear war had broken out between Russia and the west, HMS Osprey on Portland would have been a remote hideaway for the government|publisher=Dorset Echo|date=28 January 2017}}</ref> [[Tonfanau]] Camp was temporarily designated as the PYTHON ___location for [[Wales]] with a view to moving the site to the Old College at [[Aberystwyth University]] (which housed the University's Department of Physics) as soon as possible.<ref name="herald"/> Each dispersed PYTHON group would be supported by dispersed sections of the United Kingdom Supply Agency and the National Air Transport Agency.

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The Corsham bunker, given the new codename TURNSTILE from 1963 and CHANTICLEER from 1970, would play an important part in the lead up to war but ceased to have a CGWHQ role other than as a possible aggregation point for PYTHON groups some time after an attack.<ref name="Hennessy"/>

==Gallery==

{{Gallery

[[|File:Taymouth Castle - geograph.org.uk - 12603.jpg|thumb|right|[[Taymouth Castle]], situatedthe inPYTHON asite valleyfor and protected by surrounding hillsScotland.]]

[[|File:Old MOD buildings Tonfanau. - geograph.org.uk - 332241.jpg|thumb|right|Remains of the Ministry of Defence buildings at [[Tonfanau]], the temporary PYTHON site for Wales.]]

|File:Old College Main Entrance.jpg|Old College at [[Aberystwyth University]], the later PYTHON site for Wales.

|File:Hebridean_Princess.jpg|[[MV Hebridean Princess|MV ''Hebridean Princess'']], formerly RMS ''Columba'', one of three car ferries designed as floating nuclear bunkers.

}}

==References==