British nuclear submarine stuck in mud

[PAKFA]

Breaking News - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.comUpdated | 11:13 a.m. For all the talk about which high-tech weapons systems the British military might have to do without as the country slashes budgets to reduce its debt, officers in the Royal Navy must be glad they still have tugboats and ropes at their disposal, since those were what they were using Friday to try to dislodge a nuclear submarine that ran aground just yards off the coast of Scotland.

Video of the HMS Astute, and the tugboat that was trying to pull it to deeper water, was shot and posted on YouTube by Paul Yoxon, a wildlife biologist on the Isle of Skye, who normally uploads images of rescued and rehabilitated otters being released into the wild.

The BBC reports that the new nuclear submarine has been described as Britain’s “stealthiest” because of “39,000 acoustic panels which cover its surface mask its sonar signature, meaning it can sneak up on enemy warships and submarines alike, or lurk unseen and unheard at depth.”

Right now, though, the Astute would have a hard time sneaking up on an otter, as Helen Birch, a colleague of Mr. Yoxon’s at the International Otter Survival Fund on the Isle of Skye, confirmed in a telephone interview with The Lede minutes ago. After explaining that Mr. Yoxon had shot the video of the beached submarine uploaded to YouTube, Ms. Birch was kind enough to put the phone down, go to an upstairs window of the otter group’s offices and look to make sure that the Astute was still stuck. It was.

Britain’s defense ministry posted a short statement on its Web site, assuring the public that the stranded Astute posed no danger:

We are aware of an incident involving one of our submarines off the Isle of Skye. 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.
Another resident of Skye, Ross McKerlich, told the BBC that he was surprised to see the submarine outside his home when he awoke this morning. He added:

There was a helicopter hovering over the top — it’s now gone back and there are two Naval vessels from the local base, Kyle of Lochalsh, standing off to the north of her. Earlier in the day they did have ropes and they were trying to tow but now the tide has gone back and they’re just standing off.
The Guardian notes, “The submarine’s nuclear reactor means that it will not need refueling once in its entire 25-year life.” The newspaper added that a local official, Mike Taylor, said that residents are not worried about a nuclear accident since, “We have lived with nuclear subs up here for 30 to 40 years.”

The accident has, however, drawn attention to plans to save money in the area by taking sea-going tugboats, like the one trying to pull the Astute to safety, out of service, another local official told the Guardian.

That the stealth submarine is currently so hard to miss brings to mind the mocking Serbian apology offered in 1999 after its military shot down an American F-117A stealth fighter during NATO’s bombing campaign on behalf of Kosovo’s Albanian population: “Sorry, we didn’t know you were invisible.”

 

[Donatello]

Haha, Billions in money, and they couldn't get it sailing correctly?

 

[Safriz]

The damage will depend on the sea bottom.If its muddy or sandy,the sub will go float without any damage,may be a few dents due to abnormal pressure on hull.In case the sea bed is rocky the hull may well.,but since these nuclear subs are normally twin hull,If the outer shell gets breached,the inner shell still keeps the water out.The reactor has very heavy steal platings on all side,and upto 50g of shock resistence and a mere grounding cannot generate that much g forces.

 

[GUNNER]

Britains’ Newest Nuclear Submarine Runs Aground

LONDON, Oct 22, 2010 - Britain's newest nuclear submarine ran aground off a Scottish island on Friday, in an embarrassing blunder just days after the government announced sweeping cuts to the Royal Navy.

The defence ministry said there was no environmental damage after the rudder of HMS Astute -- billed as the country's most powerful hunter-killer submarine -- got stuck on rocks near the Isle of Skye.

Tugboats were waiting until the next low tide to try to free the 3.5-billion-pound (3.94-billion euro, 5.5-billion-dollar) sub, which only entered service in August, the ministry said.

"The submarine is stable in calm waters. Normal safety procedures are being undertaken. There is no risk to the public or to those on board," Defence Secretary Liam Fox said.

Television footage showed the stranded vessel emitting clouds of steam and lying half submerged in a stretch of shallow water against a backdrop of dark green hills several hours after the incident.

Two tugs were waiting nearby.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said it was "not a nuclear incident".

"Whilst conducting a personnel transfer HMS Astute grounded her rudder in the vicinity of the Isle of Skye. She was initially unable to free herself and we are waiting for the next high tide," the spokesman told AFP.

"No part of the Astute's nuclear propulsion system is damaged or in danger of being damaged. We can confirm there are no injuries to personnel and there is no environmental damage."

Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was sending a tug to the scene of the incident to be on standby, but added that the defence ministry was in charge of the salvage operation.

"The submarine is on the rocks off the Isle of Skye. Apparently you can see it from Skye bridge," said agency spokesman Mark Clark.

Local residents and campaigners expressed worries.

"It's a concern. Anything with the word nuclear in it is obviously a worry," said witness Rachel Browett, who runs a visitor centre on the island.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) said the incident "highlights the dangers of the large number of nuclear submarine movements around Britain's shores."

The accident comes just days after the government announced sweeping cuts to Britain's armed forces including the scrapping of the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier, the Ark Royal.

The BBC reported that one of the tugs -- the one sent by the coastguard -- was also set to be taken out of service in 2011 under the sweeping austerity measures announced on Wednesday by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.

Astute was named and launched by Prince Charles's wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2007 and was commissioned into the navy less than two months ago after intensive sea trials.

Weighing 7,800 tonnes and almost 100 metres (328 feet) long, it is equipped with special noise reduction technology enabling it to "operate covertly and remain undetected in almost all circumstances," the ministry said.

It is armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles and its nuclear reactor is supposed to mean that it will not need refuelling once in its 25-year lifespan.

Two British and French nuclear submarines, HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, collided in the middle of Atlantic in February 2009, leaving both vessels damaged but still seaworthy.

The subs are so stealthy that their crews did not realise they had hit each other until their governments got in touch over the incident.

 

[Mughal-Prince]

YouTube - HMS Astute stranded off the Isle of Skye

Breaking News - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.comUpdated | 11:13 a.m. For all the talk about which high-tech weapons systems the British military might have to do without as the country slashes budgets to reduce its debt, officers in the Royal Navy must be glad they still have tugboats and ropes at their disposal, since those were what they were using Friday to try to dislodge a nuclear submarine that ran aground just yards off the coast of Scotland.

Video of the HMS Astute, and the tugboat that was trying to pull it to deeper water, was shot and posted on YouTube by Paul Yoxon, a wildlife biologist on the Isle of Skye, who normally uploads images of rescued and rehabilitated otters being released into the wild.

The BBC reports that the new nuclear submarine has been described as Britain’s “stealthiest” because of “39,000 acoustic panels which cover its surface mask its sonar signature, meaning it can sneak up on enemy warships and submarines alike, or lurk unseen and unheard at depth.”

Right now, though, the Astute would have a hard time sneaking up on an otter, as Helen Birch, a colleague of Mr. Yoxon’s at the International Otter Survival Fund on the Isle of Skye, confirmed in a telephone interview with The Lede minutes ago. After explaining that Mr. Yoxon had shot the video of the beached submarine uploaded to YouTube, Ms. Birch was kind enough to put the phone down, go to an upstairs window of the otter group’s offices and look to make sure that the Astute was still stuck. It was.

Britain’s defense ministry posted a short statement on its Web site, assuring the public that the stranded Astute posed no danger:

We are aware of an incident involving one of our submarines off the Isle of Skye. 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.
Another resident of Skye, Ross McKerlich, told the BBC that he was surprised to see the submarine outside his home when he awoke this morning. He added:

There was a helicopter hovering over the top — it’s now gone back and there are two Naval vessels from the local base, Kyle of Lochalsh, standing off to the north of her. Earlier in the day they did have ropes and they were trying to tow but now the tide has gone back and they’re just standing off.
The Guardian notes, “The submarine’s nuclear reactor means that it will not need refueling once in its entire 25-year life.” The newspaper added that a local official, Mike Taylor, said that residents are not worried about a nuclear accident since, “We have lived with nuclear subs up here for 30 to 40 years.”

The accident has, however, drawn attention to plans to save money in the area by taking sea-going tugboats, like the one trying to pull the Astute to safety, out of service, another local official told the Guardian.

That the stealth submarine is currently so hard to miss brings to mind the mocking Serbian apology offered in 1999 after its military shot down an American F-117A stealth fighter during NATO’s bombing campaign on behalf of Kosovo’s Albanian population: “Sorry, we didn’t know you were invisible.”

Ooops!

“Sorry, we didn’t know you were invisible.”

 

[naumananjum]

ohhhhhh 5.5 billion dollar in mud
.
i think they can push it out

 

[mjnaushad]

Thats why some were saying defence budget cut is not a good idea....

 

[Safriz]

its been freed now...Obviously it will now need a thorough inspection to check its seaworthiness,and next stop will be the dry dock.Its rudder stock got stuck in the seabed,and probably will need repairs..In addition to that any dents will have to be repaired by replacing whole sections of shell plating,and thats gona cost a lot.One thing is sure.The captain is going home.