Keeping the UK nuclear deterrent in Scotland

Britain's nuclear deterrent, four missile submarines, is based in Gare Loch in Scotland. Soon there will be a referendum on Scottish independence. One of the issues is the future of the nuclear deterrent. Should the submarines continue to be based in Scotland? The naval base provides employment but if a shooting war ever started having the base in Scotland could be very expensive. If a shooting war is not possible why does Britain need a nuclear deterrent?

Click to enlarge

This map was produced using Alex Wellerstein's Nukemap2. 

It shows the effects of detonating a one megaton nuclear bomb on the Faslane Naval Base in  Gare Loch.

The base serves as home  to Britain's nuclear deterrent, the fleet of Vanguard-class nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarines, as well as conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines.

The purpose of attacking Gare Loch would be to destroy any of Britain's Vanguard-class submarines which were still in port but might be capable of firing their Trident missiles.

The map also shows the effect of detonating two more one megaton bombs in the waters south of Gare Loch. An enemy might do that to try and catch  submarines attempting to run for open water.Fallout from water bursts is particularly dangerous.

The fallout pattern assumes that the  wind would be  from the south west [as it usually is].