The defense secretary was there for the most recent test, which was conducted from HMS Vanguard off the US east coast.
The Sun was the first to disclose the mishap. Apparently, the missile’s booster rockets failed and it crashed in the sea near the launch site.
The missiles are not equipped for test firings, but they are typically equipped with a nuclear warhead when on patrol.
Both the US and the UK manufacturers of the Trident missile find this to be quite embarrassing.
Trident missile tests by the British are uncommon, in part because to their high cost. Each missile costs about £17 million, and the most recent test, which took place in 2016, also failed when the missile deviated from its intended path.
HMS Vanguard, which has just had a more than seven-year refurbishment, carried both the Chief of the Navy and the Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, when it fired the unarmed test missile in January.
Mr. Shapps’s close ally in the defence establishment maintained that the Trident “could absolutely fire in a real world situation” if necessary.
“The issue that occurred during the test was specific to the event and would not have occurred during a live armed fire,” stated a source.
