EFM Searle
Captain Royal Navy
for Naval Base Commander
NBC
PORTSMOUTH
NAVAL BASE COMMANDER PORTSMOUTH
Semaphore Tower
HM Naval Base
Portsmouth
Hants
PO1 3LT
Tel: 01705 7/Tel No 22007
Fax: 01705 7/Fax No 24041
Southampton City Council
Civic Centre
Southampton
SO14 7LY
(for Emergency Planning Officer)
SOUTHAMPTON NUCLEAR SUBMARINE Z BERTH
Reference:
A. Southampton City Council Fax dated 26 May 99
The purpose of Z berths is to provide submarine crewmembers with an opportunity to make occassional operational or recreational visits to port. Where circumstances permit, they can also be utilised to give the general public the opportunity to look round a nuclear powered submarine.
It is not and never has been MOD policy to use Z berths to carry out maintenance or repair of the submarine reactor or to provide a safe haven for a damaged nuclear powered warship. Entry with a leaking or damaged reactor would most certainly not be permitted.