Nuclear Submarines Research Articles

Growth rates of juvenile green turtles Chelonia mydas from three ecologically distinct foraging habitats along the east central coast of Florida, USA

A generalized additive mixed modeling approach was used to assess somatic growth for juvenile green turtles Chelonia mydas at 4 sites in 3 ecologically distinct foraging habitats along the east central coast of Florida, USA. The 3 habitats were a man-made nuclear submarine turning basin (Trident Submarine Basin), an estuary (Indian River Lagoon), and oceanic sabellariid worm rock reefs (Sebastian Inlet and St. Lucie Power Plant). Turtles from the Indian River Lagoon site grew significantly faster than turtles from the Trident Submarine Basin and sabellariid worm rock reef sites. There were no significant differences in growth rates between the sabellariid worm rock reef and Trident Submarine Basin sites. Non-monotonic or dome-shaped growth rate functions reflecting an immature peak in growth rates were observed for all 3 habitats. Growth rates peaked in 1998 for turtles in the Trident Submarine Basin and sabellariid worm rock reef habitats; since then growth rates have declined. This temporal decline in growth rates may reflect density-dependent effects on growth as more juveniles recruit to Florida for aging grounds, a direct result of increases in nest production at the primary rookeries (Costa Rica, Florida and Mexico). Developmental habitats are important for the survival of juvenile marine turtles. This study illustrates the degree to which juvenile growth rates vary among developmental habitats, which ultimately can affect the rate of growth and recovery potential of nesting stocks.

Is There Still a Benefit to Operate Appendiceal Abscess On Board French Nuclear Submarines?

Appendicular abscess occurred in 14.2% of patients presenting acute appendicitis. Management of these patients remains controversial, ranging from an emergency appendectomy to a nonoperative treatment. On board French nuclear submarines, the usual treatment for all cases of appendiceal masses, including both appendicitis and appendiceal abscess, is an appendectomy. In the past 5 years, the introduction of ultrasonography (US) on board has enabled the diagnosis of appendiceal abscess with a high rate of accuracy, and the latest studies show that nonoperative treatment is an alternative approach. This nonsurgical treatment, based on intravenous administration of antibiotics, is successful in about 93% of the patients. Failure of nonsurgical treatment is a reliable indication of percutaneous drainage. The proportion of adult patients who need percutaneous drainage of abscesses is about 27%. A successful primary nonoperative treatment may or may not be followed by interval appendectomy at the conclusion of the patrol. Nonsurgical treatment is associated with a significantly lower morbidity than surgery. Considering that the on-board surgical facility is limited, nonsurgical treatment appears to be the best approach for treating a sailor with an appendiceal abscess during a submarine patrol mission.

Mapping the values in B2B relationships: A systemic, knowledge-based perspective

The management of an enduring relationship between provider and supplier has at its heart an implicit interaction between the valuation systems of the counterparts. We take the view that this interaction is conveniently understood through the lens of knowledge management. Knowledge management informs our treatment of business to business relationships through two mechanisms. It helps us manage better the dissemination and co-creation of knowledge in an organisation and new work in the mapping of knowledge allows us to represent the knowledge aspects of a relationship in a way which allows us to manage it better. We present, therefore, an approach to allow the specific representation of these valuation systems and their interaction, using a case study of the marketing of a nuclear submarine programme to a government. A conclusion is that structures which support the co-creation of knowledge between the companies is critical to winning the contract and we indicate how this co-creation can be engendered.

The ‘Hallmark of a First-Class Navy’: The Nuclear-Powered Submarine in the Royal Navy 1960–77

This article examines the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines into the Royal Navy and the images of national power that this generated, and indeed the images the Navy sought to present. It argues that from the Second World War onwards, the British slowly began to see the submarine not as a threat to their naval power and great power status, but as a means of shoring it up in the face of huge challenges to Britain's position in the world during the 1960s and 1970s. The article concludes that the imagery that surrounded the submarine indicates how important this type of vessel was to perceptions of the British naval power.

Sino-Japanese Relations

The 2008 commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the peace and friendship treaty between Japan and the People's Republic of China coincided with much optimism about the healthy development and prosperous future of this bilateral relationship. Observers around the globe are welcoming the end to the frosty relations that existed under former Japanese Prime Minister Jun'ichiro Koizumi (2001-06), while news articles and reports tend to reproduce the official line that the between the countries has been and melting, and that the relationship is now experiencing period of spring.The recent signs of detente in Sino-Japanese relations should indeed be welcomed, but this should not amount to turning blind eye to the substantial problems that remain unsolved - problems that could, moreover, be repoliticized by nationalist forces in both countries. Continuing with the officially sanctioned ice metaphor, one could argue that the present breaking and melting are only occurring at the tip ofthe iceberg, most of which is yethidden under water. It is still highly uncertain that the current spring will be succeeded by summer; the risk of sudden relapse to what may be likened to autumn, or perhaps even winter, is considerable.Based mostly on recent interviews with Japanese decision-makers and academics, this article aims to unsettle the idea that Sino -Japanese relations are nearing stability. As one Japanese informant stated, very succinctly, [t]he official view of Japan's relationship with China. ..is almost so good it is scary. The leaders talk about the breaking and melting of ice but it is almost as if they are throwing hot water on the ice. The gap between the earlier tension and present positive statements is all too big.1A SINO-JAPANESE COLD WARWith Koizumi's ascent to power in April 2001, mistrust and mutual apprehension on both sides ofthe East China Sea came forcefully to the fore and produced what some observers called cold in Sino-Japanese relations.2 One could argue that major underlying reason for the strained relationship was structural changes in the 1990s: the shared enemy - the Soviet Union - disappeared and, as Japan sank further into economic decline, China rose as an economic powerhouse. However, most of the Japanese interviewees quoted in this article tend to agree that it was Koizumi's annual pilgrimages in 2001-06 to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours the memory of Japanese war dead, including 14 class-? war criminals, that led more directly to bilateral animosity in the early- and mid2000s.According to China's Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and others, the relationship became particularly frostbitten in 2005, when it reached an alltime low since the two countries normalized their relationship in 1972. 3 Apart from Koizumi's recurring visits to Yasukuni, the slippery slope towards new ice age involved, in short, ongoing disputes over economic rights in the East China Sea, riots in Beijing after Japan beat China in the Asia Cup finals in August 2004, the intrusion into Japanese territorial waters of Chinese nuclear attack submarine in November of the same year, the Japanese identification of China as a concern alongside North Korea in the national defence program guidelines of December 2004, and the alleged collection of 44 million signatures for Chinese petition against Japan's bid for permanent seat on the United Nations security council. It also involved US-Japan joint statement in February 2005, which could be interpreted to include the security of Taiwan in the alliance's affairs; and the Japanese ministry of education's approval in April the same year of controversial history textbook that was perceived to gloss over Japan's wartime atrocities in the 1930s and 1940s, and which provoked mass demonstrations in various Chinese cities in the last week of March and the first weeks of April 2005. In December 2005, then-Foreign Minister - at the time of writing in January 2009 Japanese Prime Minister - Taro Aso went so far as to call China a considerable threat. …

China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force (review)

Reviewed by: China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force L. H. Xavier Demián Soto Zuppa (bio) Andrew S. Erickson, Lyle J. Goldstein, William S. Murray and Andrew R. Wilson, editors. China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2007. xvi, 413 pp. Hardcover $45.00, isbn 978-1-59114-326-0. China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force is a compilation of the papers presented at the 2005 conference on China's new nuclear submarine force at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. The authors are academics who, in many cases, have served as officials on U.S. nuclear submarines (SSN) around the world. This volume is one of many efforts to assess the consequences that the impressively high and constant Chinese economic growth has shown in the last decades. The most evident results have been the People's Republic of China (PRC) increasing demand for oil and natural gas and its need to ensure its maritime trade to sustain its growing industry. These elements represent many maritime-oriented challenges that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is striving to overcome by creating a capable submarine-centered navy that would be able to defend its regional interests, as a first phase, and to develop a power projection capacity in a later phase. The modernization of the PLAN has caused great anxiety among China's neighbors and in the United States about what role the U.S. Navy should play in East Asia. These elements are analyzed and contextualized by the participants of this very specific volume that focuses on the small proportion of Chinese SSNs. It also contains data about the submarine force and the navy as a whole. Furthermore, the book offers a wide range of perspectives that provide readers with the opportunity to make their own judgments based on a meticulous analysis of data from Chinese sources. There is a broad agreement among the participants regarding the Chinese Navy focus on the accelerated development of submarines and that the SSN 093 extends the strategic reach of the Chinese Navy. A consensus was also reached by the participants that further development of the SSN force could represent China's intentions to project broadly into global waters. A consolidation of the conventional/diesel submarine (SS) force would indicate a naval force oriented to a Taiwan crisis scenario or operations in the East Asian littoral. Disagreements emerge in the volume, largely because of the scarcity of reliable information about the PLAN modernization progress, based on speculations about the possible roles of the type 094 nuclear-powered ballistic submarine (SSBN), or the possible strategies that the PRC could follow in the near future. The book expounds first upon Chinese submarine development and then the dimensions of the new submarine capabilities. It continues with a discussion of current and future SSN operations. Finally, it offers an assessment of Cold War [End Page 494] lessons in order to understand the development of the PRC nuclear submarine force and the implications for the U.S. national security. The first section is initiated by Eric McVadon's work: an assessment of the current developments in the Chinese Army and its synergies with other new Chinese military capabilities. McVadon believes that China does not want to compromise its brilliant economic and international influence by provoking a crisis with Taiwan or a confrontation with the United States. Thus, a moderated and cautious posture currently prevails. Nevertheless, by enhancing its naval and missile forces to the point that in the case the Taiwan state of affairs goes awry, the PLAN could be available to contest Taiwan and U.S. forces. This causes some concern, not just in Washington and Taipei but in Tokyo as well. The PLAN has matured remarkably in its acquisition of platforms, equipment, and weapons. However, it still needs experience in exercising its forces and developing command and control capabilities, coordinating means and intelligence, and targeting support to make that force operational. It also needs a better-educated officer corps than it now has. If China reaches these objectives, in a strait crisis it could easily subdue Taiwan and delay U.S. intervention. Other factors also have to be...

Radiation consequences of hypothetical accidents associated with transportation of spent nuclear fuel of nuclear submarines aboard floating technical base

Reload of spent nuclear fuel of nuclear submarines and its subsequent transportation for reprocessing may be carried out by the vessel – floating technical base (FTB). Up to 4–5 reactor cores (∼ 10 16 Bq) can be taken aboard, transportation can occur for long distance. In case of the accidents with infringement of protective barriers, FTB may be a significant source of radiation hazard. Two hypothetical accidents associated with explosion and fire aboard and sinking the FTB are analyzed. In the first case a source term for the release and aerial radionuclide spreading out have been estimated, in second case radiation consequences have been estimated for water way taking into account remaining protective barriers. Main task of the assessments was radiation impact on population and environment at long distances from the source.

Modeling of consequences of hypothetical accidental radioactive contamination of gulfs and bays in Murmansk region of Russian Federation

At present at coasts of Northwest region of Russian Federation there are sites of storage and decommissioning of retired nuclear submarines, their nuclear reactors, spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. Some of those sites are not isolated. There is a hazard of release of radioactivity from those sites that can lead to contamination of vast neighborhood areas. The Nuclear Safety Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences has developed the computer model of dispersion of radioactivity in the seas gulfs and bays.

Accumulation and migration of137Cs in the tundra landscapes (North-West of Kola Peninsula

The scope of the paper is the current radioecological situation on the Kola Peninsula. Activity of existing enterprises in the region increases the potential danger of radioactive contamination. One of such enterprises is the ship reparation yard Nerpa specializing in the disposal of decommissioned nuclear submarines of the Russian Federation Navy since 1992. The aim of the study is to determine the degree of Nerpa influence on the environment by investigation of spatial distribution of 137 Cs in the upper soil horizons and lichens as the most reliable indicator of radioactive contamination.

Models for radioactivity dispersion assessments in Andalusian coastal waters: Gulf of Cádiz and Alborán Sea

Rapid response models for the assessment of the consequences of a radioactive spill in the coastal waters of Andalusia (south of Spain) have been developed. These waters comprise the Gulf of Cadiz, GoC, (Atlantic Ocean) and the Alboran Sea, AS, (Mediterranean Sea) and two models are described, covering both sectors. This subject is of high relevance since these waters are the only connection between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Thus, there are intense shipping activities that for instance include the transit of nuclear submarines. The models include hydrodynamic sub-models appropriate to describe the water circulation in each area. Results from the hydrodynamic models have been carefully tested through comparisons with observed tides and currents. The dispersion models are based upon a particle-tracking technique. Thus, the radioactive spill is simulated by a number of discrete particles, each one equivalent to a number of units, whose paths are computed. Turbulent diffusion and radioactive decay are calculated using a stochastic Monte Carlo method. The radionuclide concentrations may be obtained at the desired time from the density of particles per water volume. Some applications and examples of results are given.

Evaluation of consequences of the potential accidents in the Norwegian coastal waters

Potential accidents with modern operative nuclear submarine and with transport of spent nuclear fuel along the Norwegian coastal line have been under evaluation. Hypothetical release scenarios which include immediate discharge of release fraction and constant release of fuel corrosion products, were developed. Modelling work has been done using a compartment model developed at NRPA which includes the dispersion of radioactivity in marine regions, processes of water-sediment interactions and dose assessment modules. Collective dose-rates to man, concentration of radionuclides in biota/sea-foods and doses to marine organisms were calculated. Results from the calculation of concentrations of radionuclides in marine organisms as well as doses to man and biota are discussed.

Search for the Bonhomme Richard Using Computer Modeling and Submarine Technologies

The Ocean Technology Foundation and Naval Historical Center have been searching for the remains of the Bonhomme Richard, which sank in the western North Sea as a casualty of the American Revolution. Historical information about the ship's final resting place is lacking, but its activities up until the sinking are well documented. The results of many years of historical research have been incorporated into computer modeling programs, and a Geographic Information System (GIS) map was created to document all known information on shipwreck locations, seabed geology, and other pertinent information to enable the most effective survey. A recent survey expedition utilized the U.S. Navy's nuclear research submarine NR-1 to search nearly 400 square nautical miles of the North Sea. This paper focuses on the technological tools used in the search for the Bonhomme Richard: computer modeling, GIS, and submarine technologies. It also discusses the benefits and drawbacks of using a submarine to conduct marine archaeological surveys. The expedition yielded insights into the strengths and limitations of computerized drift modeling, especially when used to reconcile empiric environmental data with conflicting eyewitness accounts.

Radiological protection regulation during spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastemanagement in the Western Branch of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise ‘SevRAO’

The site of temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, situated atAndreeva Bay in Northwest Russia, was developed in the 1960s, and it has carried outreceipt and storage of fresh and spent nuclear fuel, and solid and liquid radioactive wastegenerated during the operation of nuclear submarines and nuclear-powered icebreakers.The site is now operated as the western branch of the Federal State UnitaryEnterprise, SevRAO. In the course of operation over several decades, the containmentbarriers in the Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste storage facilities partiallylost their containment effectiveness, so workshop facilities and parts of the sitebecame contaminated with radioactive substances. This paper describes work beingundertaken to provide an updated regulatory basis for the protection of workers duringespecially hazardous remediation activities, necessary because of the unusual radiationconditions at the site. It describes the results of recent survey work carried outby the Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre, within a programme ofregulatory cooperation between the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority and theFederal Medical–Biological Agency of Russia. The survey work and subsequentanalyses have contributed to the development of special regulations setting outradiological protection requirements for operations planned at the site. Within theserequirements, and taking account of a variety of other factors, a continuing needarises for the implementation of optimisation of remediation at Andreeva Bay.

Regulatory supervision of sites for spent fuel and radioactive waste storage in the RussianNorthwest

In the 1960s two technical bases for the Northern Fleet were created in the Russiannorthwest at Andreeva Bay in the Kola Peninsula and Gremikha village on thecoast of the Barents Sea. They maintained nuclear submarines, receiving andstoring radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. No further waste was receivedafter 1985, and the technical bases have since been re-categorised as temporarystorage sites. The handling of these materials to put them into a safe conditionis especially hazardous because of their degraded state. This paper describesregulatory activities which have been carried out to support the supervision ofradiological protection during recovery of waste and spent fuel, and to supportregulatory decisions on overall site remediation. The work described includes:an assessment of the radiation situation on-site; the development of necessaryadditional regulatory rules and standards for radiation protection assurance forworkers and the public during remediation; and the completion of an initial threatassessment to identify regulatory priorities. Detailed consideration of measuresfor the control of radiation exposure of workers and radiation exposure of thepublic during and after operations and emergency preparedness and response arecomplete and provided in sister papers. The continuing requirements for regulatoryactivities relevant to the development and implementation of on-going and futureremediation activities are also outlined. The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authoritysupports the work, as part of the Norwegian Government’s plan of action to promoteimprovements in radiation protection and nuclear safety in northwest Russia.

Radiological criteria for the remediation of sites for spent fuel and radioactive waste storagein the Russian Northwest

In the 1960s, two technical bases of the Northern Fleet were created in NorthwestRussia, at Andreeva Bay in the Kola Peninsula and Gremikha village on thecoast of the Barents Sea. They maintained nuclear submarines, performing receiptand storage of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, and are now designatedsites of temporary storage (STSs). An analysis of the radiation situation at thesesites demonstrates that substantial long-term remediation work will be requiredafter the removal of the waste and spent nuclear fuel. Regulatory guidance isunder development to support this work. Having in mind modern approaches toguaranteeing radiation safety, the primary regulatory focus is on a justification of doseconstraints for determining acceptable residual contamination which might lead toexposure to workers and the public. For these sites, four principal options forremediation have been considered—renovation, conversion, conservation and liquidation.This paper describes a system of recommended dose constraints and derived control levelsformulated for each option. The unconditional guarantee of long-term radioecologicalprotection provides the basis for criteria development. Non-exceedance of these doseconstraints and control levels implies compliance with radiological protection objectivesrelated to the residual contamination. Dose reduction below proposed dose constraintvalues must also be carried out according to the optimisation principle. The developedcriteria relate to the condition of the facilities and the STS areas after the termination ofremediation activities.The proposed criteria for renovation, conversion, conservation and liquidation are entirelywithin the dose limits adopted in Russia for the management of man-made radiationsources, and are consistent with ICRP recommendations and national practice inother countries. The proposed criteria for STS remediation and new industrial(non-radiation-hazardous) facilities and buildings on the remedied sites had, until now, noanalogues in the Russian system of regulation of radiation-hygienic standardisation. Theproposals made here may serve as a basis for corresponding standards at othersites.

The Evaluation of Structured Communication Tools in Healthcare

Suboptimal communication between health professionals has been identified as a significant causative factor in incidents compromising patient safety. The use of a structured method of communication has been suggested to improve the quality of information exchange, particularly with inexperienced practitioners. One structure that has been suggested to improve communication is the situational briefing tool SBAR. This tool was developed by the US Navy for standardizing important and urgent communication in nuclear submarines. Despite its widespread uptake in some areas of healthcare, its effectiveness has until recently been unproven. This paper describes the benefits and pitfalls of methods we have used to prove the effectiveness of these communication tools.

Glimpses of Arctic Ocean shelf–basin interaction from submarine-borne radium sampling

Evidence of shelf-water transfer from temperature, salinity, and 228Ra/ 226Ra sampling from the nuclear submarine USS L. Mendel Rivers SCICEX cruise in October, 2000 demonstrates the heterogeneity of the Arctic Ocean with respect to halocline ventilation. This likely reflects both time-dependent events on the shelves and the variety of dispersal mechanisms within the ocean, including boundary currents and eddies, at least one of which was sampled in this work. Halocline waters at the 132 m sampling depth in the interior Eurasian Basin are generally not well connected to the shelves, consonant with their ventilation within the deep basins, rather than on the shelves. In the western Arctic, steep gradients in 228Ra/ 226Ra ratio and age since shelf contact are consistent with very slow exchange between the Chukchi shelf and the interior Beaufort Gyre. These are the first radium measurements from a nuclear submarine.

Operational and accident survey of Russian nuclear submarines for risk assessments using statistical models for reliability growth

In this study, 165 safety related events involving Russian nuclear submarines from 1959 to 2007 are surveyed with respect to vessel generation, reactor type, various types of initiating event (loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA), transients, common cause initiators (CCI)), safety significance and the release of radioactivity. The survey of vessel operations shows that the accumulated number of vessel operating years (VOY)/reactor operating years (ROY) from 1959 to 2007 is 4991/9335. With respect to the survey of safety related events, out of the 165 events registered, there have been identified 17 accidents, 133 incidents and 15 deviations. As to event characteristics, 14 LOCA and 7 criticality events have been identified. The accident rates for each of the vessel generations exhibit the usual characteristics of a technological system under development, gradually going from a high accident rate to a stable lower level – however, with clear differences between reactor technologies (PWR versus LMC) and vessel generations. The mean-time between failures (MTBF) for various types of safety related events for the Russian nuclear submarines has been calculated for various events using the non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) power-law model. When applied to the complete set of events, this model fails due to a cluster of safety related events that occurred between 1984 and 1987. With respect to releases of radioactivity, the MTBF has been calculated to 893 ± 138 VOY. All safety related events identified as part of this study are given in Appendix 1.

Innovation and Learning in High-Reliability Organizations: A Case Study of United States and Russian Nuclear Attack Submarines, 1970–2000

Given their complexity and tight coupling, one of the most serious challenges high-reliability organizations (HROs) face is how to innovate, learn, and adapt without upsetting the internal processes that lead to their reliability. This paper describes the success of the United States Navy in using a ldquoplatform strategyrdquo to facilitate modular innovation in its attack submarine program while maintaining high reliability. We compare the United Statespsila submarine development program against that of the Soviets, who innovated by building a number of different types of nuclear attack submarines to test their new design concepts and thereby aggressively push both manufacturing and performance limits. We illustrate that, by adopting a platform strategy, the U.S. development program was able to sustain reliability by controlling factors that derived from four classes of concern: (1) operational; (2) manufacturing and design; (3) resource limitations, and (4) cultural constraints. The use of a platform strategy assists in maximizing system-wide organizational learning, which helps enrich a culture of reliability. However, at the same time, a platform strategy can hinder revolutionary and architectural innovation and reduce operational flexibility. Finally, we consider whether an HRO's innovation strategy is partially shaped by its decision-making process.

Mass Casualty in an Isolated Environment: Medical Response to a Submarine Collision

On January 8, 2005, the U.S.S. SAN FRANCISCO (SSN 711), a nuclear-powered submarine, collided with a seamount in a remote Pacific Ocean location. The high-speed impact resulted in injuries to 90% of the crew. Subsequent emergency medical response is described as well as the 3-month physical and psychological morbidity. Recommendations for medical training, equipment, and policy for workers in isolated environments are discussed.