(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The British Navy faced scrutiny following a recent report that its woke hiring practices led to civilian members of a submarine crew attempting to jerry-rig a volatile and potentially hazardous piece of equipment.
An investigation has been opened into the crew of the HMS Vanguard, a submarine armed with Trident ballistic missiles, after they were discovered using super glue to “repair” a nuclear reactor chamber.
According to LBC, the civilian workers on the sub are hired out of a third-party hiring agency known as Babcock.
The outsourced staff reportedly over-tightened the bolts holding together the pipes that pump cooling solution to the nuclear reactor, damaging them beyond use. Instead of boring the pipes out and replacing them again, they opted to use super glue to keep the bolts on.
At least seven bolts fell off coolant pipes which are intended the hold insulation in place.
Human Events journalist Jack Posobiec tweeted that one of Babcock’s core tenets for hiring is “diversity, equity and inclusion.”
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 31, 2023
A bolt fell off during a routine check on the sub, leading to the discovery of the other six attempted repairs. Thankfully, this took place before the test of the full power of the nuclear reactor took place.
Furious Naval officers demanded an investigation, which eventually led to the Babcock employees.
“As part of a planned inspection a defect was found from work done when HMS Vanguard was in dry dock. It was promptly reported and fixed,” said the Ministry of Defence in a statement. “In light of the issue, the Secretary of State spoke with the chief executive office of Babcock to seek assurances about future work.”
As a part of nuclear safety protocols, staff on the submarine always work in pairs.
There is no indication of whether or not employees faced any discipline for their actions, but the defense contractor at Babcock called the issue “a huge disappointment.”
Twitter users had several theories on the situation surrounding the impromptu fix.
Glueing a broken bolt to hold insulation on submarine nuclear reactor is obviously stupid – clearly a job for Duct tape!
The investigation shouldn't be "was it glued" (established in 10sec) but into "why did the bolts shear?" &/or "use a torque wrench?"
https://t.co/BrWU0MnqE7— Bryan Smith #RejoinEU (@BpsmithUk) February 1, 2023
If it’s Gorilla rather than a Pritt-stick, I don’t see a problem.
— Cassandra Gallese (@Cassand84739361) February 1, 2023
Sure hope that crew has some Flex Tape at the ready before they dive. pic.twitter.com/OVt2CpfIdJ
— Miyamoto Musashi (@musashi_1600) January 31, 2023
This is no big deal. I saw an old episode of McGuiver where he fixed a nuclear reactor with a chocolate bar and some gum.
— David Lister (@Lister38) February 1, 2023
