Recycling nuclear submarines is costly and slow, with the UK and US facing decades-long backlogs and billions in expenses to safely dismantle aging nuclear-powered fleets.
This month, engineers at Babcock International in the UK began recycling HMS Swiftsure, the lead vessel of a class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines built for the Royal Navy. Babcock was awarded the contract last year to dismantle and recycle the boat, with the project scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
While the reactor had previously been removed, it was only this month that the fin was cut and successfully removed from the boat’s hull at the company’s Rosyth Dockyard in Scotland. This program is notable because it marks the first time that one of the Royal Navy’s SSNs has been fully dismantled and recycled.
That may not seem all that noteworthy, except that the ex-HMS Swiftsure entered service in 1973 and was decommissioned 19 years later, in 1992, rather than undergoing a second refit.
For over three decades, the boat was stored at the non-tidal basin at Babcock’s facility, awaiting dismantling, and it isn’t alone.
The War Zone reports, “All the rest of the Royal Navy’s out-of-commission nuclear-powered subs are currently sitting in docks awaiting disposal, a process that is only now starting to happen, after years of stasis.”
What Is the HMS Swiftsure’s Mission?
The submarine is now taking on a new mission of sorts. It is being used as a “demonstrator” for the UK’s Submarine Dismantling Project, which international military analyst firm Jane’s explained “aims to incorporate lessons learned for all future submarines.”
Although 90 percent of the former sub can and will eventually be recycled, it is still a highly complex process that involves three stages. The first stage involves removing the less radioactive parts of the boat’s reactor, which may contain low-level radioactive waste (LLW). The second stage consists of removing all “intermediate-level radioactive waste” (ILW) and cleaning the vessel of any remaining radioactive material.
Any components or equipment that are still classified are also removed at that stage.
Only after that work has been completed can the more routine recycling occur.
“Reaching this significant milestone sets a strong foundation for an enduring commitment that supports both national security and environmental responsibility and is testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams, as we look to provide a safe and secure solution to the dismantling of the UK’s decommissioned nuclear submarines,” Harry Holt, Babcock’s chief executive of nuclear sector, told The News.
The Royal Navy Is Retiring Multiple Nuclear Submarines
HMS Swiftsure was the first of six nuclear-powered boats that have all since been retired, with the ex-HMS Spectre being decommissioned in 2010.
At the current rate, it could take well into the 2030s for the UK to recycle the six nuclear-powered Swiftsure-class boats.
However, those aren’t even all the submarines now awaiting disposal. 22 submarines have left service, with seven at Rosyth Dockyard in Fife, Scotland, and 15 more at Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. The Royal Navy has more retired nuclear-powered submarines in storage than in active service, with four additional subs nearing the end of their service lives.
Even as it grapples with the issue, the Royal Navy’s Vanguard-class submarines will be retired and sent for disposal as the Dreadnought-class enters service in the coming decade. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) estimates that the total cost for maintaining and disposing of all 22 stored and eight in-service nuclear submarines will be £7.5 billion over the next century.
This is in addition to the estimated £500 million that the UK’s senior service spent solely on storing and maintaining its fleet of retired nuclear submarines between 1980 and 2017. That tally has undoubtedly increased over the past eight years and will continue to grow as those additional boats are retired and decommissioned.
Best estimates suggest that it could take decades for all the currently retired vessels to be recycled, by which time others in service will age. It is unclear whether there will be a point in the 21st century when the Royal Navy doesn’t have nuclear-powered subs waiting to be dismantled!
The United States Is Also Retiring Its Nuclear Submarines
The situation for the US Navy could be far worse, as it has a significantly larger fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The aging Ohio-class ballistic missile (SSBN) and cruise missile (SSGN) submarines are approaching the end of their service lives. Recent estimates from the Department of Energy (DoE) are that each boat will cost between $25 million and $50 million.
The United States has at least some experience in these matters, having already recycled 116 nuclear-powered submarines and its fleet of nuclear-powered destroyers and cruisers. However, the USS Long Beach, a nuclear-powered cruiser built in the 1960s, was decommissioned in 1995 but not sold at auction until 2012.
Where the situation is far trickier is with its nuclear-powered supercarriers.
The ex-USS Enterprise was retired in 2012, but the US Navy spent more than a decade determining how to dismantle and recycle the ship. Only recently has pre-dismantling work been handled at Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, the same shipyard that built “The Big E” between 1958 and 1961.
The ex-USS Enterprise will soon head to Mobile, Alabama, where it will be broken up over the next four to five years, for $536.7 million. That is better than a previous estimate that warned it could take as long as 15 years and cost $1.3 billion to be recycled!
The former USS Enterprise will be the first nuclear-powered supercarrier to meet the proverbial axe.
USS Nimitz, lead vessel of a class of 10 supercarriers, is on her final deployment and will head to Norfolk, Virginia, to begin her pre-recycling efforts. Last year, US shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) received a $11.7 million contract modification to support the deactivation of the USS Nimitz, which does not involve any actual recycling work.
Instead, it is for the pre-advance planning related to the defueling and inactivation, which is expected to take at least two years.
The complete recycling of the ex-USS Nimitz will be a costly and complex process, expected to take several years and cost as much as $700 million. This process will be repeated with each Nimitz-class carrier that enters service. Then, at some point, the new Gerald R. Ford-class carriers will have to undergo a similar process.
Although this is indeed the “cycle of life” for all warships, for much of modern naval history, the vessels were often sold to a shipbreaker after decommissioning. This wasn’t profitable for the former operator, but it didn’t add to the costs of an already expensive platform.
It should be noted that the last two conventionally-powered supercarriers, the ex-USS Kitty Hawk and ex-USS John F. Kennedy, were sold for one penny each to a scrapper just a few years ago. That seems like a bargain compared to the hundreds of millions, perhaps even billions of dollars, that the US Navy will spend just to retire its oldest nuclear-powered carriers.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/US Navy photo by Brian Nokell.
