View Full Version : RN on the Rocks - Again
The RN seems to have developed a taste for hitting things in the last few years......
HMS Superb nuclear submarine damaged in Red Sea crash
A British nuclear-powered submarine was damaged when it collided with rocks in the Red Sea, the Ministry of Defence has said.
HMS Superb hit an underwater rock on Monday and damaged its sonar equipment, forcing it to surface. None of the crew was hurt and the submarine is watertight, an MoD spokesman said.
Superb, a Swiftsure-class attack submarine with a crew of 112, hit an underwater pinnacle 80 miles south of Suez. The 272-foot vessel had passed through the canal and was in the northern Red Sea when she grounded. No other vessel was involved.
An MoD spokesman said the submarine's nuclear reactor was "completely unaffected" and there was "no environmental impact" from the collision. "There were no casualties and the submarine remains watertight, is safe on the surface and able to operate under her own power," he said.
The vessel is in international waters but unable to dive because of the damage to sonar equipment. The Royal Navy is examining how to return the vessel to port and a full investigation is under way, with a Board of Inquiry to follow. The crew's next of kin are being informed, the MoD said.
Last Friday the Telegraph reported on an official MoD inquiry which found that another nuclear submarine suffered £5 million damage after it crashed into the seabed because officers used tracing paper to plot her course.......
FireLight
28th May 2008, 06:57
Tough luck for Super B. Glad to hear that everyone was okay. :ok:
Hope they weren't using "tracing paper" for this one. :bored: Tracing paper? :confused: No computerized navigation system? Doesn't the sonar pick up things like underwater mountains?
I didn't know they were "next of kin" if they were still alive and well. How about "family and friends".
airborne_artist
28th May 2008, 07:02
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7422774.stm
"The 272ft attack vessel had passed through the Suez Canal and was in the northern Red Sea, 80 miles south of Suez itself, when she hit an underwater rock pinnacle."
Very likely that the pinnacle was not on the chart - most of them are not. I remember when we were on passage in the Atlantic, just S of the equator. Charts had no detail, and showed a depth of 1000s of fathoms. Suddenly the surveying kit (this was one of HMs survey ships) showed a rapidly reducing depth, which then peaked, fell away slightly, rose again, and then fell away as fast as it had risen to begin with. The profile marked on the recorder was what you would expect of a volcano....
airborne_artist
28th May 2008, 10:44
BBC - 'bout time they put windows in them...
If they had Gates' products in them they'd crash three times a day, need 1 GB extra RAM every year, last three years max, and be riddled with viruses after a few weeks.
Coat, hat....
Seldomfitforpurpose
28th May 2008, 11:11
AA,
My version of Vista has not crashed once in the time I have owned it so maybe fitting Gate's products would actually be a good thing as it would solve our Navel assets penchant for crashing :E
as it would solve our Navel assets penchant for crashing Your navel crashes? :ooh:
noregrets
28th May 2008, 11:20
SFFP, my only penchant for navels is when they are pierced or otherwise bejewelled, and attached to a firm, flat, female stomach :E
What's all this got to do with military aircrew anyway?
Dave Angel
28th May 2008, 11:42
What's all this got to do with military aircrew anyway?
It makes us laugh :O
exscribbler
28th May 2008, 11:53
It strikes me that there's more than a little schadenfreude in this thread. :E
cornish-stormrider
28th May 2008, 13:09
sh4ttinfreud?? wtf is that. speak English man, you claim to be an exscribbler. Perchance were you thrown out for poor grammar.:cool:
Seldomfitforpurpose
28th May 2008, 15:06
If you think my subtle but never the less deliberate spelling of the word navel is contentious then no doubt the use of the word semen as a descriptor for you chaps in dark blue chaps will cause the odd scowl as well :p
d192049d
28th May 2008, 15:54
So since when did submarine stories qualify for inclusion on a professional pilots rumour network....
Seldomfitforpurpose
28th May 2008, 15:59
As was previously said, they make us laugh :p
Submariners is just aviators with no sense of direction or levity and a service ceiling of 0ft......
taxydual
28th May 2008, 19:27
But, they do boldly go where no man has gone before.
The Final Frontier?
Seriously, the press has reported that Superb is in support of the ground troops in Afghanistan.
How does a Hunter/Killer Submarine do that?
OK, I don't expect a serious reply.
"Just one ping, Mr Kasimov, give me one ping if you please, Vasilly"
MarkD
28th May 2008, 20:10
taxydual:
from the RN Swiftsure class (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2519) page:
Armament: 5 tubes capable of firing: Spearfish Torpedoes RN Sub Harpoon Missiles Tomahawk Missiles
taxydual
28th May 2008, 20:32
Ahhhh, now I understand.
A cunning plan.
Glad they're all OK though.
exscribbler
28th May 2008, 21:43
Cornish-Stormrider: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude) :ok:
Linedog
28th May 2008, 21:55
"Collision avoidance radar "...............
Go on then..............
Was it switched on?:ugh:
Seldomfitforpurpose
28th May 2008, 22:52
No, apparently it could blind the pilots so it's left off...................
It could have been worse...much worse!
See link to damage sustained by the USS San Fransico hitting a sea mount at 30kts and a depth of 500 feet!!
:eek:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1330034/posts
A link to details of the USS San Francisco (nowy a bit sico) incident in 2005.
http://www.submarineresearch.com/bull39.html
Very scary stuff!
I understand they are splicing on a new bow section from another boat as they had only just refuelled the nuke reactor and don't want to scrap her.
Flyingblind
29th May 2008, 00:27
Thanks for the links RS30, amazing stuff!
Whats taking Hollywood so long?
Brian Abraham
29th May 2008, 01:42
Years ago a bulk carrier ran up on a pinnacle in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Turned out to be located mid way between the survey lines that had been run. Before the days of side scan. As late as 1975 we were still updating charts produced by Captain Cook, given the state of the art in his day the accuracy was gob smacking.
taxydual
29th May 2008, 07:23
What news of the rock?
Gainesy
29th May 2008, 09:12
They let a Rock drive it?:uhoh:
airborne_artist
29th May 2008, 09:51
They let a Rock drive it?:uhoh:
Gainsey - you've become a little confused. The vessel hit a Rock. Quite why the Rock was swimming that far out/deep is not yet clear. What is clear is that the Rock is fine. He thought that he'd head-butted a large fish, but was most disappointed he couldn't kill it with his bare hands and bring it back to eat it.
If he was called Peter they would have been able to spot the church on top.
Matt Skrossa
29th May 2008, 10:30
I must admit to a little touch of schadenfreude when I realised that Cornish Searider didn't understand the meaning of schadenfreude.