Devonport Dockyard loss of power 'had nuclear' implication - Case Study Example

CONTEXT ANALYSIS] CONTEXT ANALYSIS The news story “Devonport Dockyard Loss of Power Had Nuclear Implication” is about the potential of electric power failure to affect nuclear or radiological safety (Plymouth Herald, 2013). It also emphasizes the role of electric power on the reactors of nuclear submarines in the dockyard. According to Wolf & Medikonda (2012, p, 7) and Christley (2007), nuclear submarines use an onboard nuclear power reactor to allow long voyages. Nuclear-powered submarines are extremely reliable.

The power that drives the propellers on the submarine comes from an electric motor. Failure of power can have serious implications (Sarkisov & Du Clos, 1999, p, 43). Greenpeace (2013) indicates that such failures can be disastrous such as what happened in Fukushima in 2011. The story was posted online by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on october7, 2013, for its readers, who access this particular media online. The sources of the content of this story include a report from a Ministry of Defense (MoD) (BBC, 2013).

Another source for this article’s content was a nuclear analyst who said that the 90-minute power loss, at Devonport in Plymouth, could have been catastrophic. Also, the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) contributed to the content of the story by issuing an Improvement Notice (Office for Nuclear Regulation, 2013). The report from internal investigation done by Babcock Marine has also been used in this article (Maritime Security, 2013). The online post of this news article has included pictures showing nuclear submarines in the dockyard and Babcock Marine.

These two pictures represent the objects that are important to the story. According to Gilbert (2009, p, 32), in addition to having news leads, articles should have description leads that set the scene of a story and show a picture of someone or something that is important to the story,. The incident has been compared with the Fukushima incident (Mullen & Ogura, 2013). The story is of extreme interest to the readers because of their need to know the possible implications of the event. It has also been given priority because it occupied almost three-quarters of the web page.

Headlines are bold and noticeable, and photographs have been included. However, according to the article, past events were revealed involving safety measures. The Devonport Royal Dockyard was served with an Improvement Notice and claimed that there was no immediate safety impact. Devonport Royal Dockyard Limited was aware of the loss of electrical power, and it was satisfied that investigations and subsequent corrective measures were appropriate (BBC, 2013). Devonport Dockyard Limited took action to remedy some of the problems identifies, and it was satisfied that there was no immediate impact on safety.

No one from the operating firm has been available for comment (BBC, 2013).The online article has included views from various stake holders and their concerns. For instance, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, Oliver Colvile’s comment about his concerns about the situation has been included (BBC, 2013). The article has also indicated that the MP intended to speak to Babcock Marine about the actions it was taking to ensure the highest levels of safety at the dockyard, as expected (BBC, 2013).

References BBC., 2013, October 7. Devonport Dockyard Loss of Power Had Nuclear Implications. [online] Available at: [Accessed 21st October 2013].Christley, J., 2007. US Nuclear Submarines: The Fast Attack. Oxford: Osprey Publishers .Gilbert, S., 2009. Write Your Own Article: Newspaper, Magazine, Online. Minneapolis: Compass Point Books Press.Greenspace., 2013. Push for No New Nukes. [online] Available at: [Accessed 21st October 2013].Maritime Security., 2013, October 7. Devonport Dockyard loss of power.

[online] Available at [Accessed 21st October 2013].Mullen, J., & Ogura, J., 2013, August 28. Japan Fukushima: Toxic Water Leak a Level 3 Serious Incident. [online] Available at: [Accessed 21st October 2013].Office for Nuclear Regulation., 2013, September 26. Devonport served with Improvement Notice. [online] Available at: [Accessed 21st October 2013].Plymouth Herald., 2013, October 2013. Warning for Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth After Power Loss to a Nuclear Ring. [online] Available at: http://www.

plymouthherald.co.uk/Warning-Devonport-Dockyard-Plymouth-power-loss/story-19896563-detail/story.html [Accessed 21st October 2013].Sarkisov, A. A., & Du Clos, A. T., 1999. Analysis of Risks Associated with Nuclear Submarine Decommissioning, Dismantling and Disposal . Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.Wolf, E. L., & Medikonda, M. 2012. Understanding the Nanotechnology Revolution. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Press.