‘Tired’ officer was reason behind Royal Navy warship coming within ‘hair’s breadth’ of terrifying crash with oil tanker
A “fatigued” officer who left a junior colleague in charge has been blamed for the near miss of a collision between a Royal Navy warship and an oil tanker, a court martial heard.
HMS Penzance came within just 360 metres of crashing into a Norwegian tanker in Scottish waters.
Lieutenant Euan Playford-Johnston left an inexperienced officer in control of the ship in a busy shipping lane at night.
A military court heard that the captain of the oil tanker was forced to slow down to avoid a collision – with the consequences of a potential crash described as “unthinkable”.
On April 17 last year, Lt Playford-Johnston was tired after working on the bridge of the HMS Penzance – a minesweeper based at Faslane – the Judge at Bulford Military Court was told.
As the ship passed through the Firth of Clyde on Scotland’s west coast, he continued with other work while leaving an “untrained” junior officer responsible of navigating the ship.
The 30-year-old Lieutenant was said to be “keeping an eye” on the officer.
However, the officer changed the course of the warship to avoid a tugboat and unknowingly set course for the path of the oil tanker – the Sten Baltic.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Royal Navy warship crews could be reduced by three-quarters as machines may replace humansNavy surgeon operated on schoolboy’s penis during surgery because it ‘didn’t look normal’Royal Marines to get new ships that fire LASER weapons
Prosecutor Lieutenant Commander Edward Hannah told the court: “Neither Lt Playford-Johnston or the second officer – or the other two on the bridge – noticed the Sten Baltic.”
The oil tanker told the HMS Penzance to speed up as he reduced his vessel’s speed to avoid a collision.
Lt Playford-Johnston then took control of the ship which is believed to have come within 400 yards of the tanker.
The court heard, the Navy officer tried to cover his actions by not reporting it to the ship’s captain.
As a result of the serious breach of Navy rules, Lt Playford-Johnston lost his seniority and was fined £3,600.
He admitted to negligently hazarding a ship and two counts of breaching standing orders.
During sentencing, assistant Judge Advocate John Atwill said: “That hazard almost paid out. There was a real risk of a collision. The consequences would have been unthinkable.
“Your actions on that day brought that ship within a hair’s breadth of disaster and your career within a hair’s breadth of ending. It brought you within a hair’s breadth of prison.”