Efforts to free a British nuclear-powered submarine are under way today after it ran aground in shallow waters off the west coast of Scotland.
HMS Astute was on sea trials when the rudder of the vessel is thought to have become stuck on a shingle bank near the Isle of Skye at about 8am today.
The incident happened at the Kyle of Lochalsh near the bridge between the mainland and the island.
There were no reports of any injuries and the Ministry of Defence said it was not a “nuclear incident”.
The coastguard was at the scene and an earlier attempt to tow the submarine failed, according to eye witnesses. Royal Navy vessels and a tug will help free the submarine at high tide later today.
It is believed a crew transfer from the shore to the submarine was being carried out when the incident happened. The rudder will be inspected once the vessel is freed.
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a tug was on the scene and it was hoped there will be some movement of the vessel on the rising tide this evening.
Eyewitness Rachel Browett, who runs the Bright Water Visitor Centre on Skye, said: “It’s not too far from the shore and clearly visible from the bridge.
“I could see steam or smoke coming from the top and about half the sub was visible. A few boats were around about it in the water and a helicopter went overhead at one point, though I don’t know if it was involved.”
The commanding officer of the submarine may find himself in front of a court martial as a result of the incident.
Royal Navy experts have launched a detailed investigation, known as a service inquiry, into why the incident occurred. Military prosecutors will then consider whether the submarine's, Commander Andy Coles, or any of his crew was negligent.
The £3.5 billion nuclear-powered HMS Astute was named and launched in June 2007.
The submarine weighs 7,800 tonnes, equivalent to nearly 1,000 double-decker buses, and is almost 100m long. Its Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles are capable of delivering pin-point strikes from 2,000km with conventional weapons.
The submarine’s nuclear reactor means that it will not need refuelling once in its entire 25-year life and it makes its own air and water, enabling it to circumnavigate the globe without needing to surface.
Built by defence giant BAE Systems at Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, it is the first in a fleet of six which will replace the Trafalgar class submarine.
As the base port of all the Navy’s submarines from 2016, Faslane will be home to the whole Astute class.
Scottish CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) expressed concern at the incident.
“This is just the latest in a long line of incidents involving nuclear submarines off the west coast of Scotland. These vessels are regular visitors to the seas around Skye,” said co-ordinator of Scottish CND John Ainslie.
“The Navy has several submarine trials areas near Raasay and Applecross,” he said. “Inquiries into previous incidents have shown an appalling lack of common sense and basic navigation skills on these hi-tech submarines.”
The incident happened almost exactly 50 years after the UK's first nuclear submarine was launched. HMS Dreadnought was launched on October 21st, 1960.
PA