Submarines: September 22, 2000

Archives

The British nuclear attack submarine (SSN) HMS Tireless limped into Gibraltar harbor in mid-May, having suffered a leak in a reactor water cooling pipe. The Royal Navy considered towing the sub back to Britain, but decided that it would be safer to weld the cracked pipe at the Gibraltar docks. Citizens of Gibraltar protested, fearing the risk of a reactor leak if repairs went awry, but the Royal Navy insisted that it would go ahead.--Stephen V Cole