A naval nuclear port: the costs to Rosyth

This report is part of Greenpeace's Nuclear Free Seas Campaign. Previous publications have detailed the global inventory of the growing naval nuclear arsenals, the increasingly dangerous maritime strategies, and the UK's role in the naval nuclear arms race. The purpose of this research is to bring to the public's attention the environmental dangers that threaten Rosyth as a result of its role in the infrastructure that supports the UK's nuclear navy. The dockyard is used for replacing the fuel (refuelling) and maintenance (refitting) of nuclear powered submarines. It is also home port to four Type 42 Destroyers which are capable of carrying nuclear depth bombs for their helicopters. The presence in Rosyth of HMS Dreadnought, the first of Britain's nuclear powered submarines to be decommissioned, raises the additional question of the final destination of this and the nine other nuclear submarines scheduled to have their nuclear fuel removed in the next 12 years. The report considers the likelihood of a serious accident involving a nuclear reactor or nuclear weapon in Rosyth 'Public Safety Scheme' which is supposedly designed to cope with a nuclear reactor accident. The study looks at the dangers inherent in the 'normal' activities of nuclear powered submarines in Rosyth. It considers the adequacy of the present monitoring of the radiation that comes with their presence, looks at the health implications for workers and examines the high level of leukaemia in the under 25 age group that have been recorded in the area. (author)