Naval Base Port Havers

**Naval Base Port Havers** (often simply referred to as **Port Havers**) is a United States Navy base located in Florida.

## Information

The base is said to be close in location to the city of Tampa, which would place it on the west coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.

It frequently liaises with and welcomes vessels from allied navies, such as the Royal Navy, to undergo routine servicing and repairs. In addition to personnel from the United States Navy, the base employs several private contractors to assist with work, including Davies Marine Services.

## Series 1

### Episode 3

It is revealed that in 2019, the Royal Navy *Vanguard* class submarine HMS *Vigil* was docked at the base to undergo routine servicing and repairs. The vast majority of the crew were let out on shore leave, including CPO Craig Burke. CPO John Deerborne was not present, as immediately after leaving Vigil travelled to visit his sister in Tampa. Due to an abundance of drinking and drug taking, over 15 members of the *Vigil* crew were arrested by local police. They were transferred back to the custody of the Royal Navy and urine tests were performed, which came up negative. However, Burke was convicted the sailors had been taking, and he had been spiked with, LSD. Thus was later confirmed by a private DNA test he had done on a lock of his own hair once returning to HM Naval Base Dunloch. It is later revealed that Surgeon Lt. Tiffany Docherty, the medical officer of *Vigil*, falsified several of the urine tests to cover for her friends on the crew.

Whilst talking to CPO Gary Walsh, it is discovered by DCI Amy Silva that a much more significant incident took place at Port Havers that the navy would have a vested interest in covering up. He reveals that LH Ross Harmison, a junior mechanic in the engineering section, returned to *Vigil* whilst still drunk to relieve the duty watch monitoring the boats nuclear reactor that was on cooldown. However, whilst on watch he fell asleep due to his inebriated state, and didn't notice the cold water hose failing. This caused the reactor temperature to skyrocket, sending over-pressurised steam throughout the submarines old and corroded pipes. In the turbine room, two local American contractors from Davies Marine Systems were working, and one of the pipes burst. This shot the highly pressurised steam into the room, cooking the two men alive and killing them. This was observed by Engineer CPO Gary Walsh, who witnessed the immediate aftermath. He and Harmison then contacted the Engineering Officer to initiate cooldown procedures on the reactor.

Walsh notes that if the temperature had become a few degrees hotter it could have caused a nuclear meltdown, resulting in a massive hydrogen explosion that would have killed untold numbers, comparing it to Fukashima. He confirms that Cpt. Neil Newsome would have known about it, and all crew who were aware of the incident were sworn to silence, with Harmison being transferred to HMS *Riffa* naval base in Bahrain. Walsh remarks that although Harmison messed up, the real reason disaster almost struck is due to the Vanguard class submarines being "on their last legs", old and not fit for purpose, something that the Royal Navy does not want to admit to given their Trident payload.