[IonImplantGuru]

When a sub runs aground with a water-cooled nuclear reactor, doesn't the reactor's cooling system start sucking mud into the reactor instead of sea water? I'm pretty sure mud doesn't have the same heat transfer and flow characteristics as sea water. I suspect there is a downplay of the threat to the reactor in this article.

To allay your suspicions:

1. The cooling water (not directly connected to the reactor!) intakes are at the aft (rear) end of the boat; they ran into something with the pointy end (bow).

2. The intakes are NOT on the bottom, but rather 'up the sides' quite aways - visualize viewing the sub from aft; the seawater intakes would be at about 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock on the stbd and port sides respectively.

3. The intakes are located as in 2 above precisely to avoid your scenario.

- Ex-submarine nuke RO (reactor operator)

[IMRight]

1. The cooling water (not directly connected to the reactor!) intakes are at the aft (rear) end of the boat; they ran into something with the pointy end (bow).

Thanks for your service!

For the record... the "back end" of a 688 is "pointier" than the "part in the front".