Conqueror and Courageous stored afloat in 3 Basin, Devonport Dockyard

Decommissioned Nuclear Submarines

Decommissioned Nuclear Submarines

"The Admiralty decided - God bless it - to go into nuclear propulsion for submarines in the early 1950's... There were quite enough problems to contemplate at that time without thinking too much about what on earth we should do with it when we were finished with it."  MoD spokesperson, House of Commons Select Committee 1988.

Since the early 1960’s, the British Royal Navy have operated the following nuclear powered hunter/killer and nuclear powered ballistic submarines:

First Operational Nuclear Powered Submarine
HMS Dreadnought - decommissioned at Chatham, towed to Rosyth
Valiant Class - Hunter/Killer
HMS Valiant - decommissioned Devonport
HMS Warspite- decommissioned Devonport
HMS Churchill- decommissioned Rosyth
HMS Conqueror- decommissioned Devonport
HMS Courageous- decommissioned Devonport
Resolution Class - Ballistic, carrying Polaris Nuclear Missiles
HMS Resolution - decommissioned Rosyth
HMS Renown - decommissioned Rosyth
HMS Repulse - decommissioned Rosyth
HMS Revenge - decommissioned Rosyth
Swiftsure Class - Hunter/Killer, First Submarine Squadron based at Faslane, Scotland
HMS Swiftsure - decommissioned Rosyth
HMS Sceptre
HMS Spartan
HMS Splendid
HMS Sovereign (next to be decommissioned)
HMS Superb
Trafalgar Class - Hunter/Killer, Second Submarine Squadron based at Devonport, Plymouth
HMS Trafalgar
HMS Turbulent
HMS Tireless
HMS Torbay
HMS Trenchant
HMS Talent
HMS Triumph
Vanguard Class - Ballistic, carrying Trident 2 (D5) Nuclear Missiles
HMS Vanguard
HMS Victorious
HMS Vigilant
HMS Valiant - under construction

When they are decommissioned, they are docked afloat. Any non radioactive components are stripped out for scrap or re-used. The reactor is left to cool and decrease in radioactivity for up to 18 months to two years. The fuel core is then removed (around 200-220kg of highly enriched uranium-235) and stored in cooling ponds at the dockside for a further period of about six months before being taken by rail to BNFL Sellafield . The spent fuel cores are too contaminated to reprocess, so they are stored in special cooling ponds indefinitely. The Navy say they can be reprocessed, but as yet there are no facilities to do this (and not likely to be). They must be stored in controlled conditions for ever (c.40 cores currently in storage).

The reactor left on board remains intact (apart from the removal of the spent fuel modules). It is highly radioactive and classified as Intermediate Level Waste. The estimated amount of ILW is 850 tonnes per vessel (at Devonport total of 3,400 tonnes of radioactive waste in reactor compartments, at Rosyth 5,950 tonnes - combined total 9,350 tonnes). ILW include radioactive carbons, tritium, cobalt-58, zirconium-95, and cobalt-60.  The radioactive coolant is also left on board as processing this through the ion-exchange system normally undertaken during refit would only give workers unnecessary doses of radiation. The 'removable' radioactive waste is around 160 tonnes.

Other toxic and environmentaly harmful waste substances to be removed include CFC's, PCB's, heavy metals, plastics, acids, diesel sludge, oil deposits and lubricants.

The Navy preferred to sea dump the reactor and hull, but through international treaty that has been banned. As there is no current disposal route for the decommissioned submarines, they are stored afloat until a later date when their fate will be decided. This was the last governments stated ‘Wait and See’ policy. It was envisaged that eventually after several decades, the hulls and reactors would be cut up and disposed of in the proposed national deep radioactive waste depository at Sellafield. Now that option has been removed, there is no clear long term disposal route. However, according to a letter from the MoD in June 1997, they are still looking at deep disposal. Recently (Dec97) the Commodore at Plymouth has suggested that in due time, the non-radioactive fore and aft sections may be cut off and used as scrap and the  reactor compartments stored on site.

The decommissioned subs at Devonport are stored afloat in 3 Basin side by side Valiant is still in 5 Basin). For some reason, Warspite’s conning tower or ‘fin’ was removed just after decommissioning. They are painted with an anti-corrosion paint, partially sealed and left. It is planned that every year they will be inspected and every ten years, dry docked and re-painted. It is estimated that this will cost �180 million over about 16 years. Roughly �1 million per sub per year according to Navy estimates.

Early in 1997the Navy told DIG they expected all decommissioned subs to come to Devonport. However, a letter from the MoD currently states there are no plans to move the Rosyth decommissioned subs to Devonport “at this time”. However, we do expect all decommissioned subs will come or be towed to Devonport in due course.

For an excellent report on the state of Britain's nuclear submarine fleet including accidents, fires, collisions, defects etc, see 'Cracking Under Pressure' written and compiled by  The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Faslane Peace Camp

SCRAPPING OF NUCLEAR SUBMARINES AT PLYMOUTH. DIG QUIZ NEW LABOUR GOVT.

Plymouth nuclear Dump Information Group has written to the Government's new Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson MP, asking if there will be a review of the MoD's current practice of scrapping nuclear powered submarines and reactors in the city of Plymouth.

Four scrapped nuclear submarines are currently stored afloat at Devonport Dockyard (Warspite, Conqueror, Courageous and Valiant). Three of the submarines have had their spent fuel removed with Valiants still in place, leaving their highly contaminated reactors intact, with radioactive waste remaining on board.

The Navy have recently confirmed to DIG that all subsequent decommissionings will be undertaken at Devonport and moving the 7 scrapped submarines from Rosyth, including the now redundant Polaris boats, has not been ruled out. Plymouth could end up with over 20 scrapped nuclear submarines dumped in the city.

It has been estimated that each scrapped submarine, not counting the spent fuel, contains around 160 tonnes of radioactive waste (850 tonnes including reactor compartment).

This will make Plymouth the MoD's national radioactive waste dump and DIG want assurances from the new Labour administration that long term storage within the city is not going to be allowed to continue without a review of all the options.

Last year, Defence Minister Michael Portillo gave assurances that the national NIREX deep radioactive waste depository at Sellafield would be available to take the waste arising from the scrapped submarines by 2012. Since the NIREX plan was rejected just before the general election, it is unclear what the Government now intend to do with the growing number of worn out nuclear submarines.

DIG favour removal of the submarines to a secure remote coastal site with the prospect of storing the reactor sections of the submarines intact in dry, above ground, monitorable conditions at either a new designated site or at an existing civil nuclear location well away from any centre of population. DIG want the Government to instigate a study to examine the options for the long term disposal/storage of the Navy's nuclear legacy.

"The old governments attitude was one of dithering uncertainty over the eventual fate of these radioactive relics. When their plans to sea dump these hulks was blocked by international treaty, their only alternative was to dump them in Plymouth and Rosyth in the forlorn hope that NIREX would come up with a solution. This short sighted and unlikely plan represented a sad dereliction of responsibility to the people and environment of Plymouth. Now, we expect this problem to be faced head on by the new Government and we will be seeking a resolution as soon as possible." Kevin Owen, Chairman DIG

LATEST : New Labour Government say there are no current plans to remove scrapped subs. from Rosyth to Devonport (June 1997)

BBC Radio 4 'The World This Weekend' Sunday 15th December 1996.  Decommissioned nuclear submarines- what to do with them.  Focus on Rosyth and proposed deep repository at Sellafield.  We have audio tape of programme (approx 15 mins).