Furious navy chiefs order investigation after Trident submarine workers 'glue broken bolts' during refurb
31 January 2023, 08:59
Navy chiefs have ordered an investigation after workers on a Trident submarine turned to super gluing broken bolts in a nuclear reactor chamber.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The faulty repairs were only discovered when a bolt fell off during checks on HMS Vanguard.
It had come off through over-tightening, with staff resorting to gluing the heads back on as a quick fix.
The incident was reported as a procedural glitch but details of what happened were kept under wraps, according to the Sun.
It happened during a dry dock refurbishment and refuel at Devonport, Plymouth - work which began in 2015 and is nearly four years late being completed.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has since called for a meeting and “assurances about future work”.
Read more: Government has 'hollowed out and underfunded' the British army, defence secretary Ben Wallace admits
There were at least seven bolts glued down on coolant pipes intended to hold insulation in place, it is understood.
They were found in January ahead of initial tests using the reactor on full power for the first time.
Staff always work in pairs as part of nuclear safety protocols.
The Ministry of Defence said: “As part of a planned inspection a defect was found from work done when HMS Vanguard was in dry dock.
“It was promptly reported and fixed.
“In light of the issue, the Secretary of State spoke with the chief executive office of Babcock to seek assurances about future work.”
Defence contractor Babcock said: “Any quality related issue is a huge disappointment, but our own robust inspection processes discovered the issue.
“There was no safety or operational impact from the work."
