As soon as I started planning a trip to Scotland, I knew Faslane would be my first stop. The base is famous, sensitive... and totally inaccessible to the public. It is almost incredible that a film shoot was allowed there. Inexhibitors of the time, this filming is described as « Little miracle ».
The Royal Navy was an exceptional partner for EON: the base was made available, and the HMS Fearless lent for the final stage of recovery of the capsule in the film (turned off Malta). More than 200 senior Navy dignitaries were present at the inauguration of the 007 Internshipaccompanied by a contingent of 24 musicians from the band of S.M. Royal Marines.
Bond of passage in Falsane – Argyll and Bute (Helensburgh)
Loyalty: ★☆☆☆ – Access: Impossible
The sequence was shot during a weekend in early 1977. The sailor who greets James Bond on the dock was called David Brandt. He was paid 60 £ production (nearly 700 £ a considerable sum for a simple salvation. The man long told his comrades about this extraordinary experience. Other sailors reported that some greeted Moore, then in command, mechanically and that he added with malice: « just got another one » (which could be translated into « Another one that falls into the panel »).
HMNB (Her Majesty) Naval Base Clyde is located on the eastern shore of Loch Station, north of the Firth of Clyde, about 40 km from Glasgow. Since its inauguration in the 1960s, it has been used for the maintenance and parking of British nuclear submarines. The system Polaris visible in the film was replaced in the 1990s, but the base continues to house Vanguard-class submarines armed with nuclear ballistic missiles.
The two submarines visible on the screen are the HMS Dreadnought (S101), which can be seen when the helicopter is landing. First nuclear submarine to attack the Royal Navy, built by Vickers-Armstrongs, it was launched in 1960, commissioned in 1963, and withdrawn in 1980.
The second is the HMS Walrus (S08), visible in the background when Bond and Frederick Gray chat while climbing the bridge. Non-nuclear, this classic Porpoise class diesel-electric submarine, which entered service in 1961, was removed in 1987.
During the Cold War, Faslane was a strategic place for British nuclear deterrence. Even today, it plays a key role in the defence of the United Kingdom. But its existence has always been controversial in Scotland. Ecologists and residents are concerned about and Pollution.
The base has recently returned to the screen with the British series Vigil (2021), whose plot features a murder aboard a nuclear submarine based in Faslane. Part of the filming took place on site, with in the background the political and social tensions surrounding the existence of the base.
On site, no drones, let alone guided tours... Only a portion of the beach, towards Garelochhead, allows you to find the background of the film. From the heights, it is possible to photograph the site, but always at a distance. The frustration is real!
And then there are these unexpected moments that make the visit memorable. As we picnicd on the heights facing the base, a room with accent to cut with a knife threw us: « You're not Russian spies, are you? » We laughed, exchanged a few words, and even taught him that a James Bond had been shot here!
• Exhibitors « The spy who loed me » 1977
• Googlemaps
• www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=5428
• www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-43975011
This blog shares my travel experiences, from unavoidable destinations to the most original and exclusive places. Each article is the result of careful work and a real time investment. If you use this information elsewhere or for your own adventures, consider citing your sources and thanking – that's what I do myself, and it's always fun.
Julien Abauzit (JaBoz)
