According to information published by the Sun on January 30, 2023, workers use super glue to repair the Royal Navy's Vanguard-class submarine HMS Vanguard.
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Vanguard class submarine HMS Vanguard. (Picture source: UK MoD)
The eleventh HMS Vanguard is a submarine of the Royal Navy's Vanguard-class, equipped with Trident ballistic missiles. It was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (now BAE Systems Submarine Solutions), launched in March 1992, and commissioned in August 1993 with the attendance of Diana, Princess of Wales. The submarine is based at HMNB Clyde in Scotland.
In February 2023, the Royal Navy began investigating allegations that the broken bolts for the reactor chamber on the HMS Vanguard had been insufficiently repaired with glue during its seven-year refit.
It was claimed that workers for defense firm Babcock had glued the heads of the over-tightened bolts back on instead of replacing them. The glued bolts were found to hold insulation in place on the coolant pipes for the nuclear reactor shortly before its activation.
Technical data sheet about the HMS Vanguard
The Vanguard-class submarine is a type of nuclear-powered submarine in the Royal Navy. It has a displacement of 15,900 tonnes when submerged, and is 149.9 m in length with a beam of 12.8 m and a draught of 12 m.
The propulsion system of the submarine is powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor, 2 GEC turbines with a total power output of 27,500 shp (20.5 MW), a pump jet propulsor, 2 auxiliary retractable propulsion motors, 2 Allen turbo generators (6 MW), and 2 Paxman diesel alternators with 2,700 shp (2.0 MW) power output.
The submarine is capable of speeds in excess of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) when submerged, with its range being limited only by food and maintenance requirements. The crew complement of the Vanguard-class submarine is 135.
The submarine is equipped with a range of sensors and processing systems, including BAE Systems SMCS, Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band navigation radar, Thales Underwater Systems Type 2054 composite sonar suite, Marconi/Ferranti Type 2046 towed array sonar, Type 2043 hull-mounted active and passive search sonar, Type 2082 passive intercept and ranging sonar, Pilkington Optronics CK51 search periscope, and Pilkington Optronics CH91 attack periscope.
The electronic warfare and decoys system includes 2 SSE Mk10 launchers for Type 2066 and Type 2071 torpedo decoys and RESM Racal UAP passive intercept.
The armament of the Vanguard-class submarine includes 4 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes for Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes, and 16 ballistic missile tubes for 16 Lockheed Trident II D5 SLBMs, which are capable of carrying up to 48 nuclear warheads.
