How long does the reactor in a nuclear submarine remain intact on the sea bed

In a brief report from a conference held by OECD in Hamburg on the safety of nuclear powered ships, the need for international conventions in this field was stressed by a representative of the Ministry of Research and Technology of the FRG. It was also maintained that nuclear ships are the safest in the world. A representative of the FRG's reactor safety dept. said, however, that nuclear warships will never become subject to international control and that the safety of such ships was not reassuring. At a press conference a U.S. Coastguard representative refused to reply to a question on how long it would take before radioactive materials ieaked from the wreck of the 'Thresher', as this was classified information. A German worker maintained that the oxygen content in the water was too low at that depth for corrosion to take place, while another maintained that there was evidence that the reactor was already leaking. (JIW)