nuclear-news

Amazingly no-one was hurt when the 9ft missile, which was not armed, was blasted out of HMS Argyll while the ship was moored in Plymouth’s Devonport Naval base.

A newly-released file shows the misfire occurred after the operator attempted the test without a mandatory list of safety precautions to hand in March 2014.

The unarmed Sting Ray torpedo flew over a jetty and into a heavy duty metal fence at the high-security dockyard, which services nuclear submarines. Nobody was hurt.

The investigation found that following the information card instructions would have averted the misfire during what was meant to be simulated testing.

It concluded: “The fact that the maintainer was not in possession of the JIC led to a lapse in correct procedure which in turn culminated in the jettison of the TVT [test variant torpedo].”

The heavily-redacted Royal Navy report, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also found that the experienced engineer had wanted to carry out an overdue test.

It reads: “It is assessed that he seized an opportunity to conduct an overdue serial whilst the system was live and available to him.

“This may be viewed as a deviation from the intended plan.”

The document recommended changes to operating procedures to prevent a repeat, including carrying out the task at sea rather than in port……. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4627702/bungling-navy-officer-accidentally-fired-a-torpedo-into-a-nuclear-base-while-doing-maintenance/