Navy tries to ease worry over sub nuke leak

[unhappycamper]

Fast-attack sub Houston
Commanders in Japan calm the public.

Navy tries to ease worry over sub nuke leak
Staff report
Posted : Wednesday Aug 6, 2008 6:23:48 EDT

The Navy continued trying to tamp down worry across the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday by telling people there was no risk from the radiation leaked for months by a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine Houston, commissioned in 1982, began discharging small amounts of radioactive water around five months ago, according to reports, prompting worries about the boat’s port calls in Guam, Japan and its return to port in Pearl Harbor, where the leak was discovered in late July.

A preliminary environmental survey found no elevated radiation levels in the waters off Guam attributable to a visit in May and June from the Houston, according to a letter from the Navy to Guam Gov. Felix Camacho.

Likewise, commanders in Japan were trying to calm public worries over the port visit of another nuclear-powered Los Angeles-class attack sub, the La Jolla, just a few days after Japanese authorities revealed the Navy had alerted them about the Houston’s leak. According to local news reports, government officials in Japan were upset that they learned about the radiation worries from a report on CNN, rather than having been told by the U.S. Navy or the Japanese foreign ministry.

The La Jolla’s visit to Naval Base Sasebo had already been scheduled as part of its Western Pacific deployment.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/08/navy_subworries_080508w/

[Submariner]

1. As you can see, the radiation never affected me when I rode on the boats

[Joe_VB]

2. Thats funny.....

I always knew you bubbleheads were a strange bunch.....and in reference to the above story, the last time I was in Sasebo the only sub there was the USS Darter.....

[driver8]

5. Joe, you live in Chesapeake?

During my time stationed in Norfolk, I lived in Virginia Beach.

My friends who still live there tell me that I wouldn't even recognize the place now -- so much growth and expansion.

[driver8]

4. What boat were you on? What was your rate?

I'm an ex-MM nuc.

I was a sub volunteer, but ended up on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

[Submariner]

6. My Bad.....I was funning nooky-poos

I was a smelly EM3ss on the pigboats, that's why we needed a mannequin for a love life. Croaker/246 (decomm crew), Becuna/319 (qual boat), and Sailfish/572, which one of the glowboats sunk last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zapHPqOryC0

[driver8]

7. nooky-poos...that's funny!

When did you serve?

[Submariner]

8. '65 through '69

Mostly back and forth ops between Cuba/Puerto Rico and north of Greenland a bit.

[Doug.Goodall]

3. But it was just a little leak, and we caught it in only six months!

We don't want any foreign naves tracking our submarines by following radioactive discharge water from the nuclear reactors.

Oh, and we care about the environment too!