As Iran and Israel Clash Over Nukes, the US and UK Are Scrapping Theirs

The nuclear reactor for which Iran and Israel are fighting so much. Britain and America are worried about how to start the process of recycling their old nuclear submarines and warships. This work is not only expensive, but it can also take decades. The recycling of the British Royal Navy's HMS Swiftsure submarine has just begun. This is the first time that Britain has taken the responsibility of completely recycling one of its nuclear submarines.

HMS Swiftsure was retired in 1992 after entering service in 1973.  It is currently being recycled in Scotland at Rosyth Dockyard. This project is being handled by Babcock International Company. Which has to complete this project by 2026. This submarine's fin has just finished being removed, but the reactor has already been taken out. This process is part of Britain's submarine dismantling project.

What are Britain's challenges?

Britain has 22 retired nuclear submarines. Of which 15 are stored at Devonport Dockyard and seven at Rosyth. Apart from these, four more submarines are going to retire soon.  There are more retired submarines in the British Royal Navy than there are operational submarines. It may take till 2030 to dismantle all of them. According to the British Defence Ministry, the upkeep and disposal of these eight operational and 22 retired submarines will cost 7.5 billion pounds (about Rs 800 billion) over the course of the next century. 500 million pounds have already been spent on their maintenance from 1980 to 2017. This expenditure is increasing every year, as new submarines are also retiring.

America's situation is even worse

America's situation is even worse because its nuclear submarine fleet is much larger than Britain's. 116 nuclear submarines and a few nuclear warships have been recycled by the US so far. But still many ships, such as Ohio-class submarines and the USS Enterprise supercarrier, are in line for retirement. The USS Enterprise was retired in 2012, but it took more than a decade for its disposal to begin. Now it will be recycled in four to five years in Mobile city of Alabama. Which will cost $536.7 million (about Rs 45 billion). Earlier it was estimated that it could take 15 years and $1.3 billion. America's USS Nimitz, which is the lead vessel of 10 supercarriers, is on its final deployment. Its disposal can also cost up to $700 million (about Rs 58 billion). This process will last for several years and will be repeated with every Nimitz-class carrier in the future. What is the whole process of recycling?

It is not easy to recycle nuclear submarines and ships. There are three steps to it:  The less radioactive components are eliminated first at the main level. Which may contain low-level radioactive waste (LLW). In the intermediate-level, radioactive waste (ILW) is removed. In which the ship is completely cleaned. And in the last, the remaining parts are recycled. In which 90% of the material can be reused. This process is not only expensive, but it is also necessary to do it safely and environmentally friendly. Both Britain and America are facing this challenge, as the number of retired ships with them is increasing.

Retired Ships, New Challenges

Disposal of nuclear submarines and warships is a big challenge for Britain and America. It is not only an economic burden but is also important for the environment and national security. Projects like HMS Swiftsure and USS Enterprise are showing the way for the future, but this work needs to be made fast and economical. If this does not happen, both countries may have to grapple with the queue of retired ships even in the 21st century.