"We have never seen anything like this," say the astounded onlookers when Jesus heals a paralyzed man in this Sunday's gospel. Surprised military leaders were scrambling this week to explain how and why two British and French nuclear-powered submarines, each carrying multiple nuclear warheads, managed to collide in a space as large as the Atlantic Ocean.

The collision occurred in early February but only came to light this week. Secrecy and the reluctance of nuclear powers to share information on the movements of their vessels appear to have played a role.

Member nations of NATO inform each other of their ships' whereabouts, military experts explain, but because France currently is not part of NATO's formal command structure it does not provide information on the location of its mobile nuclear arms to that system.

"France does not supply any information regarding the position of its nuclear arms or submarines carrying them because France considers its nuclear arsenal the most vital element in its defense capabilities," said Jérome Erulin, a spokesman for France's navy.

While the intersection of two sonar-equipped nuclear submarines in a vast ocean may seem an unlikely event even without communication, military experts explained that submarines trying to escape detection tend to congregate in certain areas of the Atlantic that are particularly well-suited environmentally as hiding places that conceal or distort sound.

The multiple, city-destroying warheads on the French and British submarines are not at risk of detonation from collision, experts said. But had a nuclear reactor been damaged on either boat, it could have poisoned the crew and spread radioactive waste for miles across the Atlantic.

"The fact that the collision occurred at all indicates that the two allies need to talk more," said Hans Kristensen, who monitors NATO's weapons for a federation of American scientists.

Source: An article by Eben Harrell for Time