Captain sacked for making sex video on nuclear submarine

A nuclear submarine captain has been sacked after making a sexually explicit video.

When he made the video, the officer was in command of a Vanguard-class nuclear submarine armed with Trident Two weapons.

The captain, who was fired after his superiors saw the footage, had shared it with a junior sailor who served aboard the same submarine.

According to The Sun, crewmates claimed the pair had a physical relationship while the submarine was at sea.

The officer, whose identity has not been revealed but who, according to The Sun, was awarded an OBE for his work, was also accused of sending explicit selfies.

He had moved to a desk job when the footage and ­photographs were revealed and was sacked under the Ministry of Defence’s zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable sexual behaviour.

The Navy has been blighted by a series of allegations of rape and inappropriate behaviour on its submarines. In Oct 2022, Adml Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord, was forced to launch an investigation into “abhorrent” claims of bullying, misogyny and sexual harassment against female submariners.

Sophie Brook, one of the first women to join the service after it lifted its ban on female recruits in 2011, warned that the fleet was “no place for women” and claimed she was assaulted as she slept in her bed by a colleague of a higher rank.

Earlier this month, a court martial heard that Able Seaman Liam Pritchard, a Navy chef, lured a sailor into a warship’s scullery before locking the door and sexually assaulting him.

Defence sources said the welfare of military personnel was its “highest priority” as they stressed reporting mechanisms had improved to allow personnel to feel safe and supported when raising issues.

A Royal Navy spokesman said it would be “inappropriate to comment” on the case due to common law and the Data Protection Act.

The source added: “All forms of unacceptable behaviour are taken extremely seriously and anything which falls short of the highest standards will not be tolerated. Anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their rank or status.”