This story kind of reminds me of this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/...

For most of the Cold War, the RAF's nuclear bombs were armed by turning a bicycle lock key.

"The Royal Navy argued that its officers could be trusted and: 'It would be invidious to suggest... that senior Service officers may, in difficult circumstances, act in defiance of their clear orders.'"