UK nuclear submarine grounded

LONDON - A NUCLEAR-POWERED British submarine was grounded on Friday in an accident off the coast of Scotland, though officials say the incident was not serious and no one was injured.

The vessel involved was the HMS Astute, one of Britain's fleet of submarines powered by nuclear reactors and launched in 2007. The 328-foot-long (100-metre-long) vessel grounded on rocks off the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland.

'This is a not a nuclear incident,' Britain's defence ministry said in a statement. 'We are responding to the incident and can confirm that there are no injuries to personnel and the submarine remains watertight. There is no indication of any environmental impact'.



Defence workers were at the scene to assist the submarine's crew, the ministry said.

The submarine is armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. It is powered by a nuclear reactor that will never need refueling during in its 25-year operational life, according to the ministry.

A crew of around 100 are typically aboard the ship. -- AP