The escalating problems with Britain's nuclear submarines, both operational and retired, should sound the alarm for Australia and the United States.

The British experience with nuclear submarines reveals a litany of public health risks as well as delays and cost blowouts, and it can confidently be predicted that problems will beset the AUKUS submarine programme ‒ the joint development of nuclear-powered submarines by the UK, the US and Australia.

My new report prepared for Friends of the Earth Australia demonstrates that the development of a nuclear-powered, conventionally-armed nuclear submarine (SSN) fleet entails multiple public health risks and would inevitably suffer from delays and cost-blowouts.

Operational risks of SSN deployment include radiological pollution of marine and coastal environments and wildlife; risks of radioactivity doses to coastal populations; and the serious risk of dangerous collisions between civilian vessels and SSNs, especially in the approaches to busy naval and civilian sea ways and fishing grounds.

  • DagwoodIII@piefed.socialEnglish
    3·
    3 days ago

    There are many things that are technologically possible but we don’t have them because they are seen as being impractical.

    Nuclear subs use all the tech that would be needed for a space colony.

    • Hugin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      3 days ago

      Subs have a big advantage in that they make their own oxygen from all the water around them.

        • Hugin@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          2 days ago

          Any sub could but only nuclear bother. They have the power generation to run the process and stay down long enough to need it.

          Other subs run on batteries and need to surface to recharge. So making oxygen would reduce how long you can stay down not extend it.

          • Fuse Views@infosec.exchange
            21·
            2 days ago

            @Hugin

            I’m probably wrong, but AFAIK subs (navy war vessels) don’t actually need much “new” or “introduced” oxygen when submerged.

            Us humans breathe out just as much oxygen as we breathe in - it’s just that it’s contaminated with carbon - CO2.

            I don’t think that nuclear powered subs “generate” or “create” much oxygen for the purposes of life support.

            Instead, subs use CO2 “scrubbers” that are replaced at regular intervals. (See space flight, especially Apollo 13…)

            As stated, “diesel electric” subs ALSO need to either surface or “snorkel” when running on diesel to recharge their batteries.

            @maniacalmanicmania