MIKE HOWELL (174-LIFE-1986) sent a clipping that is really weird. This news is a few months old, but it shows a trend. It says:

“A single German submarine is on lone patrol in British waters after the withdrawal from service of the entire hunter-killer Royal Navy submarine fleet.

The German U-boat had been hired for 6,500 British pounds (about $10,000) per hour according to the SUN, which attributed this unusual move to the withdrawal of 12 British submarines after a fault was found in the cooling systems of their nuclear reactors.

Military officers contacted by the newspaper expressed disgust at the thought of the 22-man S-191 sailing into Portsmouth Sound flying the German Flag.”

Disgust at a German submarine in Portsmouth Harbor? Okay, but what about concerns that the guys aboard the British boats who were exposed to possible radiation exposure? Perhaps those naval officers need to get their priorities in line. Having a top of the line submarine force without such nasty problems would be a nice idea.

This is not the first time that the Royal Navy has had to pull some of their nuclear submarines out of the line for faulty reactor shields and faulty cooling lines/systems. “Back to the drawing board” is taking on a whole new meaning with the Royal Navy.