The Government will await the findings of a British investigation into the grounding of a nuclear submarine off the coast of Scotland yesterday.
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| The nuclear submarine, HMS Turbulent, its sister ship the Trafalgar ran aground off Scotland yesterday. The vessel is capable of firing Tomahawk Missiles, Spearfish and Tigerfish Torpedoes and is fitted with collision-avoidance radar. |
Responding to a question from Green Party TD, Mr Ciaran Cuffe in the Dáil today, Government minister Mr Joe Walsh said the British government had been contacted and asked to clarify whether there was any implications for Ireland. Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two crew members on board the
HMS Trafalgar
suffered minor injuries in the incident on the north-west coast of the Isle of Skye.The submarine was taking part in a joint maritime training exercise and surfaced immediately after the incident. One of the crewmen suffered a broken nose and the other strained his back.An MoD spokeswoman said: "There is no damage to the pressure hull and a core integrity assessment of the nuclear reactor has been conducted. "There is no risk to the public or crew." She said an investigation was under way.
HMS Trafalgar
, which was commissioned in 1983, is making its way back to the Faslane naval base on the Clyde.The Fine Gael foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell TD, had earlier today asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen to ask the British Government to explain the implications for Ireland."The Government should not accept this statement on face value and should seek detailed information on the accident which involved a 'hunter-killer' submarine," he said.The Department of Foreign Affairs were this evening unable to confirm if the submarine had been in Irish waters but said if the Royal Navy were conducting manoeuvres in Irish waters, then the British were obliged to inform the Department.