Y2K Computer Glitch Reported at Tennessee Nuclear Weapons Plant

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Jan 2, 2000 - 05:38 PM

The Associated Press

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - The Y2K bug infested a computer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Y-12 nuclear weapons plant but it did not affect operations or workers, Energy Department officials said Sunday.

The exact nature of the malfunction was not disclosed because the computer controls a classified function. It was corrected in about three hours, said Department of Energy spokesman Frank Juan.

Juan said it is the first of the plant's 280 systems to experience a Y2K problem. Officials will continue to monitor all systems at the plant next week, Juan said.

The Y-12 plant makes warhead components for the MX missile system and is the primary uranium storage site for the nation's nuclear arsenal.

AP-ES-01-02-00 1735EST ) Copyright 2000 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@AOL.COM), January 02, 2000

Answers

Yeah.....that fit's right in with some "Pollies" assessment of Y2K that we have held all along......that they would find problems that were not corrected on time and lo and behold, they would fix them......

Just like this one, it took 3 hours to fix.......wasn't TEOTWAWKI though .......

We'll probably even see a few deaths and injuries and business failures before it's all over in 2 or 3 months but will get through it without the collapse of society.........

It's called life....you get problems......you fix them.

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), January 02, 2000.

Unless I'm mistaken, there already were injuries (or deaths?) associated with this same weapons plant, following an explosion about 2-3 weeks ago -- explosion curiously reported as the result of ... help me here ... Anyway, this "glitch" is subsequent to a major event at the Oak Ridge lab, which event was of course NOT Y2K related.

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-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), January 02, 2000.

WHITE HALL, Ark. (AP) -- A worker transferring dangerous white phosphorous between two storage tank at the Pine Bluff Arsenal suffered serious burns on about a third of his body Sunday, officials said.

Rickey D. Myers was in serious condition Sunday evening at the burn unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, according to officials at the U.S. military arsenal, where Myers has worked for 16 years.

White phosphorous ignites when it comes in contact with oxygen and produces white smoke that the military uses to obscure operations.

An initial investigation showed possible mechanical failure in the transfer.

``We will do everything possible to find out exactly what caused the accident so it doesn't occur again,'' said arsenal Cmdr. Steven T. Chapman said.

Other items stored at the arsenal include nerve gases GB and VX and two varieties of mustard gas.

-- Nikoli Krushev (doomksday@y2000.com), January 02, 2000.