nuclear subs 2k away from my school

[Barry]

chances of something bad happening is very small, i have lived around MOD land for the last 5 years in plymouth and we have nuclear subs passing down to the MOD docks every month

[spazman]

I think youll find our nuclear subs each carry enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world several times over. Read somewhere that a trident submarine carrys 3,200 times the explosive power of one of the bombs dropped on Japan.

[shiato storm]

Originally posted by Alan
The main Nuclear Submarine base is in Scotland, at Faslane...

and its also known as 'vulcan'...no not that place in star trek but the MOD's name for where there's a 'secret' sub pen in the north. there's a load of them stuffed up one or several lochs...

The submarines aren't routinely loaded with nuclear weapons anyway so the only radiation source is the reactor in the boat. Nuclear reactors do not explode, they are designed not to. The fools at Three Mile Island in the USA, years ago demonstrated that fact. They did every wrong move in the book and it still didn't explode. Even Chernobyl didn't.

no, chernobyl only had a severe malfunction that caused a fall-out cloud of several miles, quite a bit probably hit edge of england - like norfolk, but lets face it - who'd notice the difference?

Could it lock you up in a school for a month sucking on toxic potassium tablets - someone would have to be really stupid.

once more I can only state how stupid someone would have to be to put children in a position where they'd have the choice of a hideously painful and difigured death, or a pill - which kills them anyway.

oh and yeah, portsmouth may have subs but its not the Sub base. yes it may be no.1 Naval centre (in the world?) but sub's only go in there periodically and pretty much cerimonially. I forget the numbers of subs we have but its more than you think - its (as stupid as it sounds) classified. we have the capability to launch on russia is all I really know, and there's no way of knowing how many subs we actually own as you don't know who's up in the loch or where - it may surface somewhere but it could be one of dozens out there or one of three!!!

Does anyone know what the Potasium pills actually do? If it was for death then I would have thought they would have given them scienide (sp) pills. Though I do know what happens when you put potasium in water.....

Potassium balance, and sodium balance, is critical for cell survival. go and look up any physiology textbook and it will tell you the concentrations of extra/intracellular levels. its all to do with the solubility of membranes, ion pumps and electrical potential across the cell membrane. to cut it short if you upset the balance by introducing too much potassium outside the cell then what is inside the cells leaves to attempt to corect the concentration gradient...
also vital is a correct balance around nerves and every type of sensory/effector mechanism in the body. so too much potassium - kills nerves, muscles spasm and lock and you die reasonably quickly; provided the dose is high.

your body can filter out potassium throught the kidneys - as with sodium - but if you inject potassium straight, you'll kill someone. almost indetectable in an autopsy too as when you die potassium builds up a bit anyway
arent i nice...

[Punky]

Originally posted by shiato storm
and its also known as 'vulcan'...no not that place in star trek but the MOD's name for where there's a 'secret' sub pen in the north. there's a load of them stuffed up one or several lochs...

i'll ask me grandad, he was in the navy up there in WW2, and he most likely knows which loch(s) they are in.

[shiato storm]

Faslane and Holy Loch...i believe are the names.
nuclear components come from Aldermaston nr. Reading in the south...there's a BIG underground base around there that you're not really supposed to know about, but now you do.
its not on any maps and it has no visible entrances, a very well kept secter cause very few people know about it. its hidden in some woods the really just look like an over-grown area of scrubland...lots of bracken and birch trees, you know the sort. anyway - thats where nuclear stuff comes from. bet you didn't know that!

i'm not sure whats scarier, that nuclear components are assembled just outside reading or that they have to transport them up to scotland to be fitted to the subs...thats ALL THE WAY THROUGH ENGLAND, just so long as they don't slip, eh...!

[Pete]

ill try and find the letter for u guys to see theres one from the council of portsmouth for the general public and one for the school.
nuclear reactors dont explode they melt my phisics teacher told me and the power stations sink into the earth...i think?
Pete

[Colonel Ames]

Going back to the potasium thing..... i just so happen to be a fountain of completely useless info so.............. Pottasium (when ingested) temporarily stops the growth of all cells in the body! then, as shiato storm said the kidneys then dispose of it via the urinary system. The cells then, after a curtain period of time (depending on the dose), resume normal growth. Only a growing cell can be mutated, therefore if the cells are not growing they cannot be! Therefore the pottasium pills are a very good idea! And another thing.... Pottasium molecules are too large to difuse through the walls of either capillary, artery, or vein! So it's perfectly safe if you have a healthy body! As shiato storm correctly pointed out it is one of the most lethal things known to man when injected!...................................... What can i say but i read a lot!!!!

[Big RICHARD]

Wow! There are really some uninformed views here!

HM Naval Base Clyde, in Scotland, is where the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrant is based. This consists of four Vanguard class submarines. These carry a number of Trident II launch systems and warheads which are launched using these launch systems.
The submarines are organised so that there is ALWAYS at least one Vanguard class submarine at sea, thus maintaining the UK's nuclear deterrant.

All Royal Navy submarines have a nuclear power plant. This negates the need for refuelling and means that a submarine can go for months at a time without surfacing or returning to base. In the event of a problem with a nuclear power plant in a submarine which results in the release of radioactive material into a river, the sea or the atmosphere we need to provide safety measures for those in the vicinity. I do not know the ins and outs of potassium tablets, but this will be one of those 'just in case' preparations to prevent serious loss of life and danger to civilian health. The main risk is the contamination of the water supply with heavy metals and nuclear material.

It is VERY unlikely that the submarine visiting Portsmouth will be a Vanguard class, as the information regarding to the location of the UK's Vanguard class submarines is classified and would not be handed out willy-nilly to everyone and anyone when they decide to bring one home. Besides, home for them is in Scotland.

It is likely that a fleet submarine will be docking at Portsmouth and the necessary precautions need to be taken.

BTW Alan, the Vanguard class submarines, when at sea, ALWAYS carry nuclear warheads.

[Flibb]

I just had a quick google and found a total of 16 nuclear powered subs, this includes the four Vanguard class nuclear armed ones. The others 12 are Trafalgar and Swiftsure class which are armed with tomahawk cruise missiles and are primarily sub and ship hunters. Any idea if any surface ships are nuclear powered, or if the planned large aircraft carriers are nuclear? Will trawl then net see what I can find.

Flibb

[Flibb]

Just found out the new carriers are going to be gas turbine. These will then power electric motors possibly mounted in movable pods, allowing the vessel to move sideways.

Flibb

[3Dfx]

radioactive poisoning.

cool ... ???

hmmm

[MrFlibble]

It's not a potassium pill, that would be pointless. It's Potassium Iodide. The crucial point here is the Iodine - The thyroid gland (which is in your neck) will readily take up any Iodine, including radioactive Iodine. In the event of a nuclear exposure the thyroid gland would accumulate irradiated Iodine and thus act a repository for it, increasing your effective dose.

By taking the KI pills you fill your thyroid gland up with non irradiated Iodine, meaning that there is no room for any other type.

To be honest, nothing can protect you from a hefty dose of gamma radiation (except perhaps a lead suit) but having a non-irradiated thyroid will prevent continued exposure and, dare I say it, administering these pills makes the public feel safer that the administration is 'doing something'

So, all this talk of K+ / Na+ balance Shiato - all very interesting and gives you an excuse to talk physiology, but kinda misses the point.

Google 'potassium iodide' for more info
Hope that's cleared up a few things.

linkypoos:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp

[Richie]

Originally posted by shiato storm
Faslane and Holy Loch...i believe are the names.

Faslane is just the name of the base.... The actual loch is called "Gare Loch", hence the names of the Armed Forces bases nearby in Garelochhead (top of Gare Loch)


I remember passing the base all the time when I used to scuba dive in nearby Loch Long and, on the other side, Loch Fyne.

[Anders]

Pete, did you get handed this letter through your school, i.e. by a teacher, or did you just receive it through the post? If you got it through the post it could well just be a hoax letter.

[Big RICHARD]

Originally posted by Richie
Faslane is just the name of the base.... The actual loch is called "Gare Loch", hence the names of the Armed Forces bases nearby in Garelochhead (top of Gare Loch)

The base is called HNMB Clyde! It is in Faslane in Scotland.

[wilsonian]

it is quite worrying how they can put WOMD so near to people, and only give em tablets to 'safeguard' against any possible disaster.

They aren't WOMD, they just use nuclear reactors for power.

i think he ment the missles on board the subs