British nuclear submarine crew ‘nearly boiled to death’ in Indian Ocean Read at Western Daily News

The crew of a British nuclear submarine nearly boiled to death after its air conditioning system became clogged up – by crabs and barnacles, it emerged yesterday.

HMS Turbulent was on a secret mission in the Indian Ocean when the cooling systems suddenly packed up.

Crew members started collapsing at their controls as temperatures on board rocketed to 60C (140F). Eight became seriously ill and a further 18 were suffering from heat stroke with no prospect of getting to land for help.

The only way to get air was to surface and open the hatches but when the casualties were taken out on deck they faced sweltering exterior temperatures of 42C.

Faced with a “catastrophic” loss of life commanding officer Ryan Ramsey decided the only way to save his 130-strong crew was to dive as quickly as possible.

His plan worked and the 5,000-tonne Trafalgar Class sub began cooling down in the deeper and colder water.

Repair crews meanwhile had identified the problem – the ship’s air conditioning plants were completely blocked with a cocktail of “crustaceans” – such as crabs and barnacles