Nuclear Weapons in the Heart of Plymouth: Devonport Nuclear Safety Lecture, John Large (July 2002)

Devonport Nuclear Safety Lecture - (DVD/VHS, i-Contact, recorded July 2002, published Oct 2002).
John Large is a nuclear consultant. For many years he worked at the heart of Britain's nuclear industry, now he is hired by governments around the world to give an expert independent view on all issues radioactive. This 2 hr. talk was recorded July 2002 in the run-up to the review of safety measures round the Royal Navy's Plymouth dockyard. Devonport is worthy of attention, its a major nuclear base in the middle of a city. Large explains, in the public interest, the real dangers of Devonport which have been hushed up by DML and the Royal Navy. (from £3.00)
John Large goes into several accident scenarios: BR1; BR2; BR3, put forward by the UK Ministry of Defence and examines how realistic they are. He comes to the conclusion that these scenarios tell only half the story of real accident situations and seem to be designed to fit the confines of the Devonport dockyard boundary. Could it be that the owners and managers of Devonport, DML, don't want to have to pay for proper safety measures for the people of Plymouth?
The idea of having nuclear submarines based in a city with 200,000 people is questioned. One of the reasons these submarines are still based in Plymouth is because the Scottish parliament will not accept any expansion of facilities in Scotland, even though these bases, Faslane, Coalport, Rossyth are all further away from centres of population.
Large then explains another accident scenario which has not been revealed to civilian emergency planners: BR6. In BR6 the Ministry of Defence envisage a major accident with meltdown of the nuclear reactor core within minutes. This would allow a massive release of radiation.
This talk was only necessary because Devonport Management Ltd, who own and run the nuclear dockyard, have been using the excuse of 'military secrecy' to hide the real dangers of their operations from elected officials, civilian safety agencies and the public at large. They hoped, for financial reasons that no-one would penetrate the wall of secrecy when preparing the new DEVPUBSAFE emergency plan for the city. Someone even managed to persuade Plymouth City Council's Chief Executive Alison Stone to write to all Councillors in the City asking they stay away from this 'unofficial' lecture, even though she is supposed to be overseeing safety for the public.
All this... and the authorities have refused to take into account the threat of terrorist attack since the September 11th WTC attacks. Despite the fact that Devonport is likely to be one of the main terrorist targets in the world.
This talk was organised by Plymouth UNISON and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and ends with a question and answer session with campaigners and members of the public cross-examining Mr. Large. It took place on Tuesday 2nd July 2002 and is an i-Contact video production.

John Large and Associates, Review of Nuclear Safety Procedures Relating to the Berthing, Refitting and Refuelling of Royal
Navy Nuclear Powered Submarines at Devonport Royal Dockyard
https://www.nuclearinfo.org/library/2023/john-large-and-associates-review-of-nuclear-safety-procedures-relating-to-the-berthing-refitting-and-refuelling-of-royal-navy-nuclear-powered-submarines-at-devonport-royal-dockyard/

Devonport nuclear base warned over safety
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-33051905

Devonport contractor Babcock International refits Britain's nuclear submarine fleet
Devonport naval base has been warned of legal action after a worker received a dose of radiation amid a series of safety breaches.
Radioactive cooling water was also mistakenly discharged into a submarine reactor compartment, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) reported.
Reporting of safety incidents at the base, which refits Britain's nuclear submarines, was "below standard".
Devonport naval base has been warned of legal action
The ONR said five other incidents broke safety rules between October and December last year.
They were:
Radioactive coolant was mistakenly discharged into a submarine reactor compartment
Torpedo tubes on a docked submarine were found to be "configured in contravention of safety instructions aimed at keeping the boat watertight"
A nuclear evacuation alarm was tested "at the wrong time"
A forklift truck carrying oil gained "unauthorised access" to a dock
Safety maintenance of a dockside crane was delayed beyond the "maximum tolerance date"
Nuclear engineering consultant John Large, who has advised the government and environmental groups on nuclear issues, said: "These are not uncommon incidents in a complex operation like Devonport.
"But the level of detail is not good enough. For instance what is the connection with the torpedo tubes and a radiological incident on the submarine?"

Nuclear Submarines, Tritium Release and Plymouth by Jim Carey, Red Pepper
https://tinyurl.com/3mehe7an