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Three sailors serving on a submarine which carries 16 nuclear missiles have been caught taking cocaine, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

The Royal Navy submariners failed a Compulsory Drugs Test shortly after HMS Vengeance visited a US naval facility in Florida.

HMS Vengeance continued with its mission before the sailors were removed on arrival back at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde in Faslane, Scotland.

A military source reportedly said three sailors were part of a larger group from the HMS Vengeance crew members who took the drug during a recent “run ashore”.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said “we confirm that three members of a submarine based in HM Naval Base Clyde are involved”.

"Internal action against the individuals concerned is now underway - it would be inappropriate to comment further."

The MoD spokesman said it "has a zero tolerance drugs policy and will not tolerate misuse of drugs by service personnel in any form or at any time.

“Any personnel caught taking drugs will be discharged.”

It follows reports that seven sailors were removed from another Royal Navy submarine, HMS Talent after testing positive for cocaine while on duty in Plymouth two months ago.

Five sailors from the survey ship HMS Scott also tested positive for cocaine after a payday in 2018.

HMS Vengeance, a 15,900 ton submarine carries Trident missiles, which have a range of 7,500 nukes.

Each weapon has a destructive power that is eight times greater than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan during the Second World War.