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Re: The New and Improved Joey? thread
Reply #4282 - Oct 22nd, 2010 at 10:59am
Ade?
'World's most advanced' nuke sub runs aground
British vessel is said to be 'virtually undetectable' — normally
A British nuclear-powered submarine described as the "world's most advanced" has run aground off the coast of Scotland.
Defense ministry officials confirmed the HMS Astute — the Royal Navy's newest and largest attack submarine — had been involved in an accident.
Witnesses told the BBC and other media outlets that the vessel could be seen stranded near a road bridge linking the Isle of Skye to the mainland.
In a statement, the defense ministry said the accident was not a nuclear incident and that no injuries had been reported.
Defense officials said the submarine remained watertight and that there was no indication of any environmental problems linked to the incident.
"Astute ran aground by her ... stern earlier this morning as she was transferring people ashore," a Royal Navy spokesman told the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
The submarine's skipper, Commander Andy Coles, chose not to force the vessel off the rocks, the Telegraph said, as that might have damaged the hull which the newspaper said was fitted with "some of the most advanced acoustic tiles that make Astute virtually undetectable beneath the seas."
'I am very surprised'
The Telegraph said the $1.88 billion HMS Astute was the "world's most advanced nuclear submarine." Its nuclear reactor will not need refueling during the sub's life time in service.
The U.K.'s Maritime and Coastguard Agency told BBC News that it was alerted to the incident at about 8:19 a.m. local time (3:19 a.m. ET).
Witness Ross McKerlich told the BBC that the sub, which appeared to be listing to one side, was about a mile from his home.
More world news 'World's most advanced' nuke sub runs aground
Updated 77 minutes ago 10/22/2010 2:29:23 PM +00:00 A British nuclear-powered submarine described as the "world's most advanced" has run aground off the coast of Scotland. "When I woke up this morning and looked out my bedroom window I could see the submarine. I am very surprised how far in it has come as there are good navigational buoys there," he said.
Caroline Sykes, who owns a jewelry store near the Skye Bridge, told the STV channel in Scotland: "At the moment the submarine is clearly visible, you can see it very easily from the shore line. It's about a hundred meters (yards) away from the bridge, no further than that. There are three or four boats clustered around it which are obviously naval boats as well."
"It's all very quiet at the moment; I believe they are waiting for high tides so they can float it," she added.
Martin Douglas, a former nuclear submarine engineer, told BBC News that the sub's crew could find it difficult to keep the reactor cool.
HMS Astute sails into the River Clyde near Glasgow, Scotland, in happier times last year. "The sea provides the primary cooling for the reactor system. There are many, many levels of back up systems, but they may have to find some interesting ways of getting sea water supply to the reactor," he warned.
Douglas also expressed concern that secrets about its propulsion system could be revealed because the vessel has been exposed by the falling tide, the BBC reported.
'Fly-by-wire' control system
In August, First Sea Lord Admiral Mark Stanhope described HMS Astute as "a highly complex feat of naval engineering ... at the very cutting-edge of technology,” according to the Bloomberg news service.
He said at the time that the sub was to undergo a "series of demanding seagoing trials testing the full range of the submarine's capabilities."
Coles, the submarine's commander, told the BBC last month: "We have a brand new method of controlling the submarine, which is by platform management system, rather than the old conventional way of doing everything of using your hands. This is all fly-by-wire technology including only an auto pilot rather than a steering column."
The accident came the day after the U.K.'s Royal Navy celebrated Trafalgar Day, which commemorated the 205th anniversary of Admiral Horatio Nelson's famous victory over a combined French and Spanish fleet.
The Telegraph said tug boats would pull Astute off the rocks when the tide came in later Friday.
It is not known whether the submarine was carrying weapons, but it is capable of holding 38 Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes, the Telegraph said.
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