Nelson & His World

The Royal Navy's new £1 billion nuclear submarine HMS Astute is stuck aground on the rocks off Skye, having come 'several hundred metres' too close to the shore.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-h ... s-11605365

It happened all the time in Nelson's day of course, but aren't things are supposed to have moved on? Mind you, there was the time I read the chart without putting on my reading glasses - those little X's are awfully small...

I think this may well have taken over the limelight of the auction Tony.

The tides are getting shorter at the moment, so if they don't get it off this evening, it could be there a while!

Not only that, but a defence expert said that the lower the water gets, the more of the submarine's secret's may be revealed!

I believe someone (I think he was an ex-submariner) who had lived locally for some years, and who took pictures of the stranded sub, said that this happened occasionally as it was a training area. He believed the RN when they said there was no danger from the nuclear power plant and that well rehearsed proceedures would have been put in place.

This was naturally a bit of embarrassment for the RN, but these things happen - not being helped by tidal currents and even the wind. Of course there is always human error, even in highly-trained organisations.

Alternatively, perhaps the helmsman had just heard the latest news of the defence review? Dare I ask what happened to you Tony, or would you rather not talk about it... ?