Revealed: Shock 'Code Red' safety report on British nuclear subs as fleet is hit by leaking, cracked

[bananas]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2384224/Revealed-Shock-Code-Red-safety-report-British-nuclear-subs-fleet-hit-leaking-cracked-reactors-lack-trained-staff.html

Revealed: Shock 'Code Red' safety report on British nuclear subs as fleet is hit by leaking, cracked reactors and lack of trained staff

- Safety issues with UK's nuclear subs and facilities used to repair missiles
- Cracks in reactors and nuclear discharges found in Navy’s oldest boats
- Nuclear-qualified engineers are quitting over poor pay and conditions
- Experts described latest report as the most worrying they had seen

By Mark Nicol Defence Correspondent

PUBLISHED: 16:47 EST, 3 August 2013 | UPDATED: 17:42 EST, 3 August 2013

Britain's ageing nuclear submarines have been issued with ‘Code Red’ safety warnings after inspectors found radioactive leaks and a chronic shortage of Royal Navy engineers trained to repair faulty reactors, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

An official watchdog discovered major safety issues with both the UK’s nuclear-powered submarines and facilities used to repair nuclear missiles, raising the risk of a catastrophic accident involving radioactive material.

<snip>

The document, obtained by this newspaper, reveals:

• Cracks in reactors and nuclear discharges are directly attributable to the Royal Navy’s oldest Trafalgar Class SSNs (Ship Submarine Nuclear) remaining in service beyond their design date.
  
  
• Faults with the new Astute Class submarines will delay their entry into service, forcing the Navy to continue sailing the ageing and potentially dangerous Trafalgars.
  
  
• The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) failed to notice or rectify corrosion to a nuclear missile treatment plant in Berkshire.
  
  
• Nuclear-qualified engineers are quitting the Navy in droves over poor pay and conditions, creating a skills crisis.
  

<snip>

‘The inability to sustain a sufficient number of nuclear suitably competent personnel is the principal threat to safety. Vulnerabilities exist in core skill areas, including safety, propulsion, power and naval architects.

<snip>

The report also raises concerns over whether the UK’s nuclear fleet and its inland nuclear establishments could withstand an earthquake on the same scale as the one that struck the Fukushima reactor plant in Japan in 2011.

<snip>

[matthews]

1. From the article: (see picture's caption)

In March 2007, sailors Anthony Huntrod, 20, (right) and Paul McCann, 32, (left) were killed on HMS Tireless when a self-contained oxygen generator exploded during an Arctic exercise north of Alaska.
They died trapped in a small, smoke-filled compartment.
An inquest heard that there was a significant possibility the generator was salvaged from a hazardous waste depot in a cost-cutting bid by the MoD.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2384224/Revealed-Shock-Code-Red-safety-report-British-nuclear-subs-fleet-hit-leaking-cracked-reactors-lack-trained-staff.html
***

Maybe they could ask the Queen for a loan if they're so cash strapped:


Queen Elizabeth II net worth: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, 86, has a personal net worth of $500 million as of April 2012, according to Sunday Times Rich List.

The Queen also receives an annual government stipend of $12.9 million.

http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/politician/royal/queen-elizabeth-net-worth/