Vacuum cleaner costs US navy $400 million
June 11th, 2012
So much for the emerging Chinese military threat. One of the home’s most humble appliances has been discovered to be the cause of a blaze aboard a nuclear submarine in the US, causing damages of over $400 million and injuring seven people.
The fire was caused by an unplugged vacuum cleaner that sucked up a “heat source” and caused other dirt and refuse within the vacuum’s catchment to catch fire. It sparked a blaze that spread on the forward compartment of the Miami where crew, command, control spaces and the torpedo room is located, according to a press release.
Fortunately, the fire occurred in port and the ship’s nuclear propulsion plant had been switched off for two months. There were no torpedos or other weapons on board the Miami either.
According to the press release, the vacuum cleaner was used to clean worksites at the end of shifts and was a “one you would find in a typical shop environment”.
As a result of the costly incident all the shipyards have been directed to empty vacuum cleaners at the end of each shift, or remove them from the ship.
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