A Royal Navy investigation has been launched amid claims contractors tried to repair a Trident nuclear submarine with super glue. The repair job reportedly involved gluing together broken bolts in a nuclear reactor chamber on HMS Vanguard at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth.
The repair on crucial cooling pipes allegedly came to light when a bolt broke off during checks aboard the 16,000 tonne vessel. It had snapped off due to over-tightening but, rather than reporting the damage and boring out the broken shafts, civilian workers at defence contractor Babcock stuck the heads back on with glue, the Sun reports.
A procedural glitch - known as a process of work issue - was reported but there was no mention of the bolts and glue. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted on a meeting and sought "assurances about future work" after the news was brought to his attention.
