British nuclear-powered submarine runs aground

LONDON - The Royal Navy’s most modern nuclear-powered submarine ran aground during sea trials off the coast of Scotland Friday, its immovable hull sticking out of the water like the legendary Loch Ness monster.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox was quick to reassure the public that there was no nuclear or environmental risk from the accident, which experts said was highly-embarrassing for the navy.

HMS Astute, which weighs 7,800 tonnes and is almost 100 metres long, ran aground off the picturesque island of Skye, on the west coast of Scotland. Reports said the rudder of the vessel became stuck on a shingle bank.

“This is not a nuclear incident. We are responding to the incident and can confirm that there are no injuries to personnel and the submarine remains watertight. There is no indication of any environmental impact,” the ministry of defence (MoD) said.

Normal safety procedures had been undertaken and it was hoped that the submarine could be freed with the help of Royal Navy vessels and a tug at high tide later Friday.

But John Ainslie, of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), expressed concern at what he said was the “latest in a long line of incidents” involving nuclear submarines.

“Inquiries into previous incidents have shown an appalling lack of common sense and basic navigation skills on these hi-tech submarines,” he said.

HMS Astute is one of three submarines in a series built at a cost of 3.5 billion pounds (about $5.4 billion) and launched in 2007 by Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

It was undergoing sea trials when the accident occurred and was expected to be commissioned for service next year. The MoD said the ship carried no missiles.

The submarine can carry a combination of up to 38 Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk Land Attack cruise missiles, capable of delivering pin-point strikes from 2,000 km away from the target.

The submarine’s nuclear reactor means that it does not need refuelling during its entire 25-year life span, enabling it to circumnavigate the globe without coming up.

HMS Astute’s commanding officer, Andy Coles, 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 using your hands.”