U.K. Nuclear accidents and incidents
None nukes, the VC10 was tasked with a replenishment flight to RAFG carrying 1000 pounders etc.
As the crew were going through their start up checks the young loadmaster arrived at the cockpit with a fistful of remove before flight safety pins asking where they were suppose to stow them…. Yup you have guessed it, all removed from the bombs stowed in the cabin… flight cancelled, loady briefed on the safety pins and armourers despatched to make the load safe again..
As the crew were going through their start up checks the young loadmaster arrived at the cockpit with a fistful of remove before flight safety pins asking where they were suppose to stow them…. Yup you have guessed it, all removed from the bombs stowed in the cabin… flight cancelled, loady briefed on the safety pins and armourers despatched to make the load safe again..
CG
Much of the Vanguard SSBN stuff in that document is based on the fantasy findings of one very mixed up trainee. I was on bombers at the same time William Mc-Naive-ly went through. We all saw his full revelations and reports…(after his massive experience as a trainee SMQ on his first qualifying patrol) and laughed at them. The kid really thought he was onto something. Turns out he was a bit of a fantasist. His writing references Superman and Kryptonite ffs! As for the CB8890…he was a missile weirdo and was expected to know the book back to front. Everyone on the boat was invited to read it as we were tested on the thing every year.
As for not reacting to a possible fire, due to everyone thinking it was another FOST fire on workup is utter bull.
As for not reacting to a possible fire, due to everyone thinking it was another FOST fire on workup is utter bull.Last edited by Chrisbowe82; 7th Jun 2023 at 11:12.
They always put up a Puma out of Odiham (about 10 miles south of Burghfield) to 'shadow' these SST movements or alternatively keep one on 'standby' duty.
Whenever there was an 'exercise' deploying GLCMs out of Greenham Common, it seemed the Army Air Corps would cover the task.
Whenever there was an 'exercise' deploying GLCMs out of Greenham Common, it seemed the Army Air Corps would cover the task.
cheers
They did do a nuke shuffle on the way to the Falklands I believe, see
https://falklandstimeline.files.word...task-force.pdf
https://falklandstimeline.files.word...task-force.pdf
Brings me to another point of events a decade or so earlier, with the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club and the USS Forestal accident
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-...rcraft-carrier
I wonder if the USN did the same and had their bucket of sunshine swiftly removed at say Subic Bay before entering the war..
cheers
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They did do a nuke shuffle on the way to the Falklands I believe, see
https://falklandstimeline.files.word...task-force.pdf
https://falklandstimeline.files.word...task-force.pdf
Honestly, this conflict gets more extraordinary the more you learn about it...
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Disembarassed is the phrase. Very often transferred to Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels and
sent home. Several contentious issues were raised however; RFA vessels berthing in Talcuahano in Chile caused a bit of a stir, although the Chileans let it pass as they were suddenly out best friends. And transiting the Panama Canal; we got away with it. !!
Disembarassed is the phrase. Very often transferred to Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels and
sent home. Several contentious issues were raised however; RFA vessels berthing in Talcuahano in Chile caused a bit of a stir, although the Chileans let it pass as they were suddenly out best friends. And transiting the Panama Canal; we got away with it. !!
sent home. Several contentious issues were raised however; RFA vessels berthing in Talcuahano in Chile caused a bit of a stir, although the Chileans let it pass as they were suddenly out best friends. And transiting the Panama Canal; we got away with it. !!
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Nor can we confirm nor deny that a weapon (training however depleted uranium and tritium round ) was dropped down the aft lift on Hermes. !! 😉
After the chockheads had had a field day hosing it down and bagging the ensuing sludge the Brains’ trust from Aldermaston arrived and went absolutely harpic. Allegedly.
Mog
Although not strictly an `accident' and not aviation related - am reminded of the extraordinary story in the book The Silent Deep.
RN nuclear sub Captain climbs into inspection tunnel over reactor on submerged sub, and looks down through viewport into reactor chamber to see that it is almost entirely filled to the brim with sea-water!
Not just the cooling circuit - the whole chamber.
Reactor continuing to operate despite this - testimony to RR PWR engineering.
Trying to find the name of the vessel...
Ah - my mistake - noted.
Although not strictly an `accident' and not aviation related - am reminded of the extraordinary story in the book The Silent Deep.
RN nuclear sub Captain climbs into inspection tunnel over reactor on submerged sub, and looks down through viewport into reactor chamber to see that it is almost entirely filled to the brim with sea-water!
Not just the cooling circuit - the whole chamber.
Reactor continuing to operate despite this - testimony to RR PWR engineering.
Trying to find the name of the vessel...
Although not strictly an `accident' and not aviation related - am reminded of the extraordinary story in the book The Silent Deep.
RN nuclear sub Captain climbs into inspection tunnel over reactor on submerged sub, and looks down through viewport into reactor chamber to see that it is almost entirely filled to the brim with sea-water!
Not just the cooling circuit - the whole chamber.
Reactor continuing to operate despite this - testimony to RR PWR engineering.
Trying to find the name of the vessel...
Reactor ( kettle ). No tunnels anywhere. Although there is a separate access. The opening of which notified Burghfield /Aldermaston immediately. Interesting aside, also the venue for Sunday service.
Our Russki friends. With their superior attitude to Elf and Safety. And their superior control rods.
What RADHAZ ?
Final drift, Typhoon class bagna, sauna and recreation area. Water an interesting shade of green. Hopefully not connected to the feed water.
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I will believe Peter Hennessy and James Jinks over you any day of the week.
The book is excellent, and meticulously researched.
You should read it.
I'm now going to go and find the exact anecdote...
EDIT: Page 335 - The boat was HMS Valiant in 1977.
And the quote, from the late Vice-Admiral Sir John Coward KCB, DSO - who was Captain at the time.
"Coward went back to the reinforced tunnel over the top of the reactor compartment in the bottom of which was a glass window that could be used to see into the unmanned reactor compartment.
'It looked like a huge cathedral of machinery, brightly lit, lovely and quiet, but you can't get in it because of the radiation,' recalled Coward.
`But we couldn't see any of that because five feet below the window was the shimmering surface of the Mediterranean.
We had embarked god knows how many hundred tons of seawater into the reactor compartment.'
A salt water services pipe situated in the reactor compartment had fractured, causing sea water to flood into the compartment..."
Page 357 "...the fact that Valiant had continued to operate while under such conditions was a testament to the designers of the PWR1 nuclear reactor... `...it was so well constructed, so well insulated and so well clad that it didn't mind running in seawater, ' said Coward.
Separately accounted here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Valiant_(S102)
Again, I would highly recommend this excellent book.
The access the authors got in writing it is amazing - on board during a Perisher course for example.
They also capture in meticulous detail the geopolitics of the UK trying to convince Rickover to share nuclear secrets.
That puts AUKUS in perspective...
Last edited by tartare; 9th Jun 2023 at 09:30.
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IIRC, austenitic stainless steel is used in the construction of the PWR and the primary loop. Austenitic stainless steel is vulnerable to stress corrosion in the presence of chloride ions. There are a lot of chloride ions in sea water.
MENALAUS's image is of the reactor service compartment aka the 'Tunnel' of HMS Sceptre, and I would take the late VAdm Coward at his word (as long as it wasn't about aircraft recognition 
). So not a tunnel as might be imagined - assuming the Valiant's RSC was similar in layout to the Swiftsures'. Only ever invited onboard an O-boat so no personal experience of SSNs.
). So not a tunnel as might be imagined - assuming the Valiant's RSC was similar in layout to the Swiftsures'. Only ever invited onboard an O-boat so no personal experience of SSNs.