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Royal Navy officer in charge of submarine nuclear weapons arrived ‘drunk’ for duty

Lieutenant Commander Len Louw said to have been drinking the night before and arrived at naval base carrying bag of leftover grilled chicken

Tom Batchelor
Monday 19 October 2020 19:57 BST
HMS Vigilant, which carries the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent
HMS Vigilant, which carries the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent
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An officer in charge of nuclear missiles onboard a Royal Navy submarine was sent home from work after he arrived unfit for duty.

It is understood that Lieutenant Commander Len Louw had been drinking the night before and arrived at the naval base carrying a bag of leftover grilled chicken from a barbecue, multiple news outlets reported.

He is facing an investigation after being sent back to Faslane in Scotland following the incident in the US last month.

Colleagues raised concerns when the weapons engineering officer arrived for work at HMS Vigilant while it was docked at the US navy's Kings Bay base in Camden County, Georgia for maintenance.

He was declared unfit for duty and was sent home pending an investigation following the incident more than a month ago.

The weapons engineering officer is responsible for all weapons and sensors on board the vessel.

A Royal Navy spokesman said: “An investigation is under way therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further.

”However, where an individual's conduct falls short of the high standards we expect, we won't hesitate to take the appropriate action.

“While we don't comment on the detail, there are numerous safety checks and processes to protect the safety and use of weapons aboard all submarines.”

HMS Vigilant is one of the four submarines, each of which is armed with up to eight Trident nuclear missiles, which make up the UK's nuclear deterrent.

What is Trident?

The submarine was reportedly at the centre of a suspected Covid-19 outbreak following a recent port visit to the US Navy Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia.

In 2017, the then-captain of the vessel was removed from his post after allegations of an “inappropriate relationship” with a female crew member.

And that same year in a separate incident, nine British servicemen were removed from HMS Vigilant after testing positive for cocaine while on duty.

The Independent contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.

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