Today I am going to blog about problems with the military handling of nuclear materials in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, the MoD reported that there had been sixteen crashed involving U.K. nuclear submarines since 1988 with half of the accidents occurring in the waters off Scotland. Critics in Parliament demanded to know why there were repeated groundings of nuclear submarines and suggested that the MoD was not learning from its failures. In addition to the submarine crashes, the report discusses the handling of over two hundred Trident warheads which has been "plagued by confusion, shortcomings and non-compliance with regulations" according to MoD internal safety agents.
The reports were produced between 2005 and 2006 and the MoD had been trying to keep them secret. They cover dozens of problems "ensuring the safety of the weapons program." The worst problems were at the Faslane nuclear submarine base and the Coulport nuclear bomb storage facility in Argyll. Shortage of resources were mentioned as well as "an apparent lack of understanding of the needs of regulators." There were difficulties with replacing key warhead components and the use of a controversial lift system for raising submarines out of the water.
A recent report from the Ministry of Defence mentions on two hundred and sixty two safety incidents that have been reported at the Clyde naval bases on the coast of Scotland over the past five years. The reported incidences occurred at the Faslane nuclear submarine base and the Coulport nuclear bomb storage facility in Argyll. More than three quarters of the incidence involve human error. Although the MoD report does not give details on the incidences, previous reports have mentioned radioactive contamination, small fires, and failure to follow safety rules. The report does not give any numbers for incidences directly involving nuclear weapons. However, the report does mention "false alarms and systems failures" with an "environmental hazard detection system" for the warheads.
The Scottish National Party (SNP) which supports independence from the United Kingdom and is strongly opposed to nuclear weapons jumped on the report to bolster their call for the removal of the Clyde naval bases from Scotland. A spokesman said that the report was "chilling" and "shocking." He said that it showed that the report showed that safety at the naval bases was not sufficient. He criticized plans to increase the number of submarines at Faslane by seven Astute-class subs as irresponsible in view of their inability to safely deal with the submarines that are already based there. If Scotland votes for independence, the SNP will demand that the Clyde naval base be shut down and all nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons infrastructure be removed from Scottish soil. The MoD has warned that that would be very difficult.
United Kingdom Astute Class nuclear submarine:
