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OIL PUMP FAILURE DAMAGES ASTUTE
Published on 23/08/2007
DAMAGE: The arrow marks the section of Astute where the failure occured
BARROW’S new £1.2bn submarine Astute has been damaged after a test went badly wrong.
Two turbo generators ran metal on metal for more than a minute when an oil pump failed.
BAE might now have to cut a hole in the 7,400 tonne sub to fix the problem with the difficult to access turbo generators, which supply all power for on board systems, at the back.
Bearings which encase wide shafts were damaged and an investigation is still taking place to see if the shafts were affected as well.
There is no nuclear material in the sub which is moored in Devonshire Dock. The turbo generators were being powered by the BAE steam barge at the time.
BAE says parts of the extensive system are still being stripped a week after the incident to assess the extent of the damage.
Despite claims by shipyard sources that BAE will have to cut a big hole into the sub to fix the damage, the company said that was only the most extreme of several options being looked at.
The setback is a disappointment for yard managers and workers who have successfully turned around the once troubled Astute programme and who launched it ahead of its revised schedule in June.
But BAE Systems Submarine Solutions chief executive Murray Easton said: “We are confident that, despite this incident, Astute will be delivered as per our schedule on August 2008, three months ahead of the November 2008 agreed with the Ministry of Defence in 2003.â€
A joint investigation has been launched by BAE working with the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy and equipment suppliers to assess damage and plan recovery.
Although problems with first of class ships and subs are not uncommon, and tests like those being run now are designed to expose them
BAE said that despite the setback other commissioning tests on Astute are continuing as normal including dummy torpedo firing next week and a trim dive in the dock basin in September.
The damage will be repaired when the boat makes its planned return to dry land and the Devonshire Dock Hall at the end of September.
A BAE statement on the incident said: “During turbo generator trials on the first-of-class Astute submarine on August 7 a lubrication pump failed to operate during testing.
“Once this failure had been identified (less than one minute) testing was immediately stopped, although both turbo generators sustained damage because oil had ceased to circulate.
“There was no nuclear material on the submarine at the time of the incident and the reactor itself was not affected.â€
Myers said the accident is under investigation.
Published on 23/08/2007
DAMAGE: The arrow marks the section of Astute where the failure occured
BARROW’S new £1.2bn submarine Astute has been damaged after a test went badly wrong.
Two turbo generators ran metal on metal for more than a minute when an oil pump failed.
BAE might now have to cut a hole in the 7,400 tonne sub to fix the problem with the difficult to access turbo generators, which supply all power for on board systems, at the back.
Bearings which encase wide shafts were damaged and an investigation is still taking place to see if the shafts were affected as well.
There is no nuclear material in the sub which is moored in Devonshire Dock. The turbo generators were being powered by the BAE steam barge at the time.
BAE says parts of the extensive system are still being stripped a week after the incident to assess the extent of the damage.
Despite claims by shipyard sources that BAE will have to cut a big hole into the sub to fix the damage, the company said that was only the most extreme of several options being looked at.
The setback is a disappointment for yard managers and workers who have successfully turned around the once troubled Astute programme and who launched it ahead of its revised schedule in June.
But BAE Systems Submarine Solutions chief executive Murray Easton said: “We are confident that, despite this incident, Astute will be delivered as per our schedule on August 2008, three months ahead of the November 2008 agreed with the Ministry of Defence in 2003.â€
A joint investigation has been launched by BAE working with the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy and equipment suppliers to assess damage and plan recovery.
Although problems with first of class ships and subs are not uncommon, and tests like those being run now are designed to expose them
BAE said that despite the setback other commissioning tests on Astute are continuing as normal including dummy torpedo firing next week and a trim dive in the dock basin in September.
The damage will be repaired when the boat makes its planned return to dry land and the Devonshire Dock Hall at the end of September.
A BAE statement on the incident said: “During turbo generator trials on the first-of-class Astute submarine on August 7 a lubrication pump failed to operate during testing.
“Once this failure had been identified (less than one minute) testing was immediately stopped, although both turbo generators sustained damage because oil had ceased to circulate.
“There was no nuclear material on the submarine at the time of the incident and the reactor itself was not affected.â€
Myers said the accident is under investigation.