The botched job reportedly sparked an urgent investigation as defense chiefs demanded assurances about future work
UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace has reportedly called for an urgent investigation after The Sun revealed that a routine inspection of one of Britain’s Trident nuclear submarines found evidence of bizarrely botched repair work.
According to a detailed report by the outlet, workers allegedly used super glue to fix a number of broken bolt heads used to hold together cooling pipes in the nuclear reactor of the HMS Vanguard.
Engineers from defense contractor Babcock appear to have originally damaged the bolts, but instead of replacing the them, they simply glued the heads back on.
The Sun details that at least seven bolts, all of which held insulation in place on coolant pipes which prevent reactor meltdown, were treated this way.
The potentially catastrophic repairs were only noticed earlier this month when one of the bolts fell apart during a routine check ahead of a scheduled first firing of the reactor at maximum power.
The incident reportedly sparked outrage among defense officials. Wallace has demanded a meeting and “assurances about future work,” The Sun reported.
A Navy source told the outlet that he was furious that Babcock had failed to inform defense officials about the botched repairs. “It’s a disgrace. You can’t cut corners with nuclear. Standards are standards. Nuclear standards are never compromised,” he told The Sun.
Repair work aboard the HMS Vanguard is being done as part of dry dock refurbishment at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, which is already four years behind schedule and around £300 million ($370 million) over budget.
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The Empire of Chaos is relentless. Lawfare, destabilizations, sanctions, kidnappings, color revolutions, false flags, annexations: 2025 will be the year of BRICS – plus BRICS partners – as choice targets under fire.
Inestimable Prof. Michael Hudson coined “chaos” as official US policy. That’s bipartisan – and it runs across all silos of the Deep State.
In the absence of long-term strategic vision, and amidst the progressive imperial expulsion from Eurasia, all that’s left for the Hegemon is to unleash chaos from West Asia to Europe and parts of Latin America – a concerted attempt to Divide and Rule BRICS and thwart their collective drive affirming sovereignty and the primacy of national ...
While NATO may be yearning to take on Russia in the Arctic, many of its troops lack the necessary expertise for survival in such extreme conditions.
Although NATO forces regularly participate in drills in the region, many remain unprepared for the harsh realities of Arctic life.
Though NATO forces routinely participate in the bloc’s drills in the region, many of them are still not prepared to survive in the Arctic’s harsh conditions, The Sun reports citing Minna Alander, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
"Not all NATO allies have the capabilities that are needed and that work in the Arctic environment and climate,” Alander said.....more below
