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Britain's HMS Vanguard and France's Le Triomphant, both carrying atomic weapons, were badly damaged in the crash, the Daily Telegraph and The Sun newspapers reported.
The British sub has been towed to its Faslane base in western Scotland for repairs.
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France's Le Triomphant, a nuclear missile submarine, seen in this undated photo released by the French Navy on Monday Feb. 16, 2009. |
Despite being equipped with sonar to detect other vessels, neither submarine apparently realized the other was in the same part of the ocean.
The Sun newspaper quoted a senior Royal Navy source as saying that the potential consequences of such a collision were "unthinkable."
"It's very unlikely there would have been a nuclear explosion. But a radioactive leak was a possibility," he said.
"Worse, we could have lost the crew and warheads. That would have been a national disaster," he added.
The French Defence Ministry on Monday confirmed the collision, insisting the accident presented no risk of a radioactive leak.
Britain's Defence Ministry refused to confirm the incident, saying it was against policy to comment on submarine operations.
However, a spokesman insisted that nuclear security had not been breached.
"We can confirm that Britain's deterrent capability has remained unaffected at all times and there has been no compromise to nuclear safety," he said.
Inquiries are under way on both sides of the English Channel, The Sun reported.
Vanguard is one of four British submarines that carries the Trident nuclear missile.
Le Triomphant, which entered service in 1997, carries 16 nuclear missiles.