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{{short description|British contingency plan for continuity of government}}

{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}{{Other uses|Python (disambiguation){{!}}Python}}

'''PYTHONPython''' was a [[Cold War]] contingency plan of the [[Government of the United Kingdom|British Government]] for the [[continuity of government]] in the event of [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear war]].

==Background==

Following the report of the [[Strath Committee]] in 1955, the British government developed contingency plans for the continuity of government. This included construction of the underground [[Central Government War Headquarters]] (CGWHQ), codenamed BURLINGTON"Burlington", at [[Corsham]] in [[Wiltshire]]. As planned, it would have been a "reserve [[Whitehall]]" where the central government could be moved in an emergency and, hopefully, survive a nuclear attack. As nuclear weapons became more powerful and [[intercontinental ballistic missiles]] became more of a threat than crewed [[bomber]]s, the concept of concentrating central government in a single ___location became flawed. Instead government would be dispersed around the country with just core functions at CGWHQ. The [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] of 1962 prompted a radical rethink of continuity plans.<ref name="herald">{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15039649.How_Scotland_and_three_CalMac_ferries_played_a_crucial_part_in_nuclear_planning/|title=How Scotland and three CalMac ferries played a crucial part in nuclear planning|publisher=The Herald|date=22 January 2017}}</ref> Part of the thinking was that the Precautionary Period ahead of nuclear war, or a conventional war in Europe culminating in nuclear war, might only last two or three days rather than the seven days originally planned, so it would not be possible to fully staff CGWHQ with 4,000 people in time.<ref name="Hennessy">{{cite book|title=The Secret State: Preparing For The Worst 1945 - 2010|page=141|author=Peter Hennessy|publisher=Penguin|year=2014|isbn=978-0141979205}}</ref>

As nuclear weapons became more powerful and [[intercontinental ballistic missiles]] became more of a threat than crewed [[bomber]]s, the concept of concentrating central government in a single ___location became flawed. Instead, government would be dispersed around the country with just core functions at CGWHQ. The [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] of 1962 prompted a radical rethink of continuity plans.<ref name="herald">{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15039649.How_Scotland_and_three_CalMac_ferries_played_a_crucial_part_in_nuclear_planning/|title=How Scotland and three CalMac ferries played a crucial part in nuclear planning|publisher=The Herald|date=22 January 2017}}</ref> Part of the thinking was that the "precautionary period" ahead of nuclear war, or a conventional war in Europe culminating in nuclear war, might only last two or three days rather than the seven days originally planned, so it would not be possible to fully staff CGWHQ with 4,000 people in time.<ref name="Hennessy">{{cite book|title=The Secret State: Preparing For The Worst 1945 - 2010|page=141|author=Peter Hennessy|publisher=Penguin|year=2014|isbn=978-0141979205}}</ref>

PYTHON became active on 1 May 1968 and described in the 1968 update to the Government War Book.<ref>CAB 21/5655 Government War Book, The National Archives</ref>

PYTHONPython became active on 1 May 1968 and is described in the 1968 update to the Government War Book.<ref>CAB 21/5655 Government War Book, The National Archives</ref>

==Locations==

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 PYTHONPython 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#PYTHON site|Tonfanau Army Camp]] was temporarily designated as the PYTHONPython ___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 PYTHONPython group would be supported by dispersed sections of the United Kingdom Supply Agency and the National Air Transport Agency.

In addition, in 1964 the [[Secretary of State for Scotland]] ordered three ships – [[MV Hebrides (1963)|MV ''Hebrides'']], [[MV Clansman (1964)|MV ''Clansman'']] and [[MV Hebridean Princess|RMS ''Columba'']] – which were chartered to [[David MacBrayne]] as car ferries but could be converted to floating nuclear bunkers in a very short time. They had heavy steel doors to seal the car deck, air tightairtight external windows and doors, decontamination rooms with showers, and external sprinklers to wash away fallout. One or more of these ships would have accompanied RFA ''Engadine'' or HMY ''Britannia'' from Oban or [[Mallaig]].<ref name="herald"/>

The Corsham bunker, given the new codename TURNSTILE"Turnstile" from 1963 and CHANTICLEER"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 PYTHONPython groups some time after an attack.<ref name="Hennessy"/>

==Gallery==

{{Gallery

|File:Taymouth Castle - geograph.org.uk - 12603.jpg|[[Taymouth Castle]], the PYTHONPython site for Scotland.

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

|File:Old College Main Entrance.jpg|Old College at [[Aberystwyth University]], the later PYTHONPython 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.

}}

==See also==

* [[Regional seat of government]]

* [[Operation Candid]]

* [[Military citadels under London#Ministry of Defence citadels|"Pindar" Defence Crisis Management Centre]]

==References==