Warship crew plead guilty to grounding
The captain and three senior officers of Royal Navy warship HMS Nottingham have pleaded guilty at a court martial to charges relating to the running aground of the ship off the Australian coast last summer.
Commander Richard Farrington and the three officers appeared before a disciplinary hearing at Portsmouth Naval Base on Tuesday morning.
The officers charged were second-in-command Lieutenant Commander John Lea, navigator Lieutenant Andrew Ingham and officer of the watch Lieutenant James Denney.
The four could face up to two years’ imprisonment or dismissal from the service.
The crash off Lord Howe Island led to a £42 million repair bill for the £300 million Type 42 destroyer after rocks tore a 100ft hole in the side of the vessel.
The ship was eventually refloated in July this year on the anniversary of the incident, but repairs are continuing on internal structures damaged by water and it will have to undergo strict sea trials before it can resume active service.
The warship was carried back to Portsmouth naval base on the back of the giant transport MV Swan from Australia just before Christmas at a cost of around £3 million.
