The nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute, grounded off Skye last month.
EXCLUSIVE: Rob Edwards, Environment Editor
7 Nov 2010
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of a “catalogue of blunders” after admitting there have been 16 crashes involving British nuclear-powered submarines since 1988.
More than half of the accidents were in seas around Scotland. According to critics, the repeated errors that caused the accidents suggest that the MoD has failed to learn from past mistakes. A serious incident in the future could cause radioactivity to leak and put public health at risk, they warn.
The Royal Navy’s newest nuclear submarine, HMS Astute, is being repaired at the Faslane naval base on the Clyde after it ran aground for 10 hours near the Skye Bridge on October 22. It emerged last week that one of the boat’s fins was damaged in a collision with a tug trying to rescue it.
The list of accidents came in a parliamentary answer to the Scottish Nationalist defence spokesman, Angus Robertson MP. In addition to HMS Astute last month, it included eight other accidents in Scottish waters.
Two were around Skye, one near Lewis, and one in the Firth of Clyde. Another occurred in the North Channel off the south-west coast and two in unspecified places “west of Scotland”.
The incident involving HMS Astute was clearly not a one-off, and the MoD must explain why previous groundings have not been made public, Angus Robertson MP, SNP Defence Spokesman
The worst incident was on November 22, 1990, when HMS Trenchant snagged the net of the Antares fishing vessel in Bute Sound, north of Arran. The boat sank with the loss of four lives, and an official inquiry blamed mistakes by submarine commanders.
The list also revealed a previously unreported accident in April 2009 somewhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. “HMS Torbay grounded in soft sand and mud to avoid a merchant vessel which was sailing erratically,” an MoD spokeswoman told the Sunday Herald.
The craft had not been damaged, she said. “The incident was investigated and no further action was taken.”
Other incidents took place off the coast of Northern Ireland, in the north Norwegian Sea, in the Arctic, in the Red Sea, in the Atlantic, and off Australia. In all, Britain’s nuclear submarines have run aground 11 times, collided with two other boats and an iceberg, and snagged the nets of two fishing vessels.
“The incident involving HMS Astute was clearly not a one-off, and the MoD must explain why previous groundings have not been made public,” said Mr Robertson.
“One collision is one too many – especially when it involves a submarine with a nuclear reactor. This catalogue of blunders makes the MoD look even more shambolic, and leaves the credibility of the nuclear deterrent in tatters.”
An independent expert on nuclear submarine safety, John Large, argued that the number of accidents is increasing, and the possible hazards growing. He called on the Royal Navy to review its navigational training.
“Collisions and groundings not only put the submarine hull at risk of damage but also put the weapons, both nuclear and conventional, and the nuclear reactor in jeopardy,” he said.
“If any of these elements were damaged the consequences to submariners and the public at large could be severe.” The 120 or so crew on board are “wholly insufficient” to deal with a major leak of radioactivity, he claimed.
The MoD defended its record, saying: “When incidents do occur, they are taken very seriously. Each is thoroughly investigated and lessons are learnt.”
But John Ainslie, coordinator of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, pointed out that detailed reports on submarine accidents are destroyed after 10 years. “This may explain why they repeat the same mistakes,” he said.
“It is time the Royal Navy stopped treating the coast of Scotland as a playground for nuclear submarines.”
‘One collision is one too many’
October 2010 HMS Astute grounded off the Isle of Skye
April 2009 HMS Torbay grounded in the Eastern Mediterranean
February 2009 HMS Vanguard collided with the French submarine Le Triomphant in the Atlantic
May 2008 HMS Superb grounded in the Red Sea
May 2003 HMS Tireless struck an iceberg while on Arctic Patrol
November 2002 HMS Trafalgar grounded on Fladda-Chuain, north of Skye
November 2000 HMS Triumph grounded west of Scotland
November 2000 HMS Victorious grounded on Skelmorlie Bank in the Firth of Clyde
July 1997 HMS Trenchant grounded off the coast of Australia
July 1996 HMS Repulse grounded in the North Channel off south-west Scotland
July 1996 HMS Trafalgar grounded off the Isle of Skye
March 1991 HMS Valiant grounded in the North Norwegian Sea
November 1990 HMS Trenchant snagged the fishing vessel Antares off Arran
October 1989 HMS Spartan grounded west of Scotland
November 1989 HMS Sceptre snagged the fishing vessel Scotia near Lewis
July 1988 HMS Conqueror collided with the yacht Dalriada off the coast of Northern Ireland
Fuente: www.heraldscotland.com
Resumen de la noticia: "Una colisión es demasiado" reclama Angus Robertson - El más moderno de los submarinos de la Royal Navy, el HMS Astute, está siendo reparado en la base naval de Faslane en Clyde después de haber permanecido encallado durante 10 horas cerca del puente de Skye el 22 de octubre. Se puso de manifiesto la semana pasada que una de las aletas del barco fue dañada en una colisión con un remolcador que acudió en su rescate.
"El incidente del HMS Astute claramente no es un caso aislado, y el ministerio de Defensa debe explicar por qué los accidentes anteriores no se han hecho públicos", dijo Angus Robertson, vocero de defensa del grupo El Nacionalista Escocés.
Un experto independiente en materia de seguridad de submarinos nucleares, John Large, sostuvo que el número de accidentes va en aumento y que el peligro potencial está creciendo. Pidió a la Royal Navy que revise sus procedimientos de entrenamiento para la navegación.
"Las colisiones y encallamientos no sólo ponen en riesgo el casco del submarino, sino también a las armas, tanto nucleares como convencionales, y – lo que es más grave aún - al reactor nuclear," dijo.
"Si alguno de estos elementos se dañaran las consecuencias para los submarinistas y para el público en general podrían ser graves." La tripulación de aproximadamente 120 hombres es "totalmente insuficiente" para hacer frente a una fuga radiactiva importante, afirmó.
