[BITList] NEAR MISS !

[michael J Feltham]

Royal Navy submarine in near-miss with a passenger ferry

A passenger ferry has been involved in a near-miss with a nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine.

The previously unreported incident, which occurred in the Irish Sea on November 6, has now been open to a safety investigation.While the Royal Navy refused to confirm which of its 10 submarines was involved, it acknowledged a submarine had been operating at periscope depth at the time of the incident. Of all the Royal Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines, only four carry Trident nuclear missiles.


The STENA SUPERFAST VII moored in Belfast Photo : Lourens Visser www.navcom.org ©
The ferry has been confirmed as the STENA SUPERFAST VII, which operates between Northern Ireland and Scotland, and has a capacity for 1,300 passengers and 660 cars. A spokesman for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the “close-quarters incident” had been the subject of a preliminary assessment, with a wider investigation to come. “We have carried out a preliminary assessment of the evidence in this case and the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents has decided to open a safety investigation,” the MAIB said in statement, reports Belfast Live. The Royal Navy said it was assisting with enquiries into the matter. “We can confirm the sighting of a Royal Navy submarine between Belfast and Stranraer on 6 November 2018. We are co-operating with the MAIB’s investigation,” it said in a statement. A spokesman for Stena said while the submarine came in close proximity, at no stage were the vessel, passengers or crew in any danger .

 
The HMS AMBUSH arriving in Gibraltar after the incident July 2016 Photo : Francis Ferro ©
This isn’t the first time a Royal Navy submarine has been involved in an incident, with the $A1.8 billion HMS AMBUSH damaged when it hit a merchant ship off the coast of Gibraltar during a training exercise in July 2016. Commander Justin Codd later pleaded guilty to hazarding the ship, with the collision causing $A2.16 million worth of damage. He was stripped of a year of seniority by a panel of senior officers at a court martial at Portsmouth Naval Base. Source : Nine Digital


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