A Babcock employee was taken to hospital with what are understood to be serious injuries following an incident on a nuclear submarine dry docked at Devonport naval base in Plymouth
A worker was rushed to hospital with what are believed to be serious injuries after an incident on a nuclear submarine dry docked at a UK naval base.
A source told PlymouthLive the injured individual was an apprentice at engineering company Babcock, who was reportedly working on HMS Audacious in Devonport when the accident occurred. His hand and face are thought to have been injured.
Babcock has not verified these specifics but confirmed an incident occurred on April 2 and a member of staff was hospitalised.
The firm did not provide details about the nature of the incident, the worker concerned or the severity of the individual’s injuries.
An inquiry has been launched into the circumstances and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the independent regulator for workplace health and safety incidents, has been notified.
A Babcock spokesperson said: “On April 2, a Babcock colleague was taken to hospital following an incident at our Devonport site and our focus is on their wellbeing. An investigation is underway to establish the cause of the incident.
“The health and safety of everyone working across our operations is our absolute priority.”
The HSE has confirmed it is conducting enquiries into the incident.
A spokesperson said: “We are aware of this incident and making enquiries.”
HMS Audacious, part of the Royal Navy’s Astute-class submarines, reached Plymouth in 2023 and entered Devonport’s dry dock last year, according to Navy Lookout.
She represents the fourth vessel in the Astute series and was launched in April 2017.
Throughout the submarine’s 11-month deployment in the Mediterranean in 2023, divers had carried out intricate underwater repairs on partially flooded ballast tanks – essential for maintaining the sub’s buoyancy.
She subsequently arrived in Plymouth for additional maintenance work which began while Audacious was moored in a tidal berth, awaiting her refit in the dry dock.
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