A ceremonial cut is made on ex-HMS Swiftsure to mark the start of its final stage of dismantling. (Crown Copyright)
The first of the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) decommissioned nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) to undergo dismantling and recycling at Babcock's facilities in Rosyth has officially entered the final phase of the project, the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) has confirmed.
Ex-HMS Swiftsure, which retired from service in 1992, will be the first UK SSN to be fully dismantled by the end of 2026. Swiftsure is being used as a demonstrator for the Submarine Dismantling Project, which aims to incorporate lessons learned to improve the process for all future submarines.
Announcing the latest milestone on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on 15 October, the SDA said a ceremonial cut was made on ex- Swiftsure the previous week at Rosyth shipyard to mark the start of the third and final stage of its dismantling process.
Following public consultations in 2012 and 2015 the MoD adopted a three-stage approach to dismantling that meets safety and regulatory standards and is in line with government policy. The first stage involves the removal of the less radioactive parts of a submarine's nuclear reactor, which contain only low-level radioactive waste (LLW).
This is followed in the second stage by the complete removal of all intermediate-level radioactive waste (ILW) as well as larger components such as the reactor pressure vessel that holds the reactor core. The process also includes ensuring that the submarine has been completely cleared of all radioactivity and radioactive material as well as removing any remaining elements that are classified.
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