The head of the Royal Navy has ordered an investigation into allegations of sexual assaults and harassment in the submarine service. It follows reports that a "rape list" of female personnel was drawn up.
Admiral Sir Ben Key, the First Sea Lord, said the allegations were "abhorrent". And he vowed that anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable regardless of rank.
The abuse is said to have been rife throughout the submarine service since the branch lifted its long-standing ban on female recruits in 2011, the Daily Mail reported. The paper quotes Sophie Brook, 30, the first female warfare officer in the service and once tipped to captain a sub, as saying the fleet is "no place for women" and claiming she was harassed by senior officers.
The Mail also reported the alleged existence of a "crush depth rape list" detailing the order in which women on board were to be raped in the case of a catastrophic event on the vessel. And it said two other whistleblowers had backed up Ms Brook's allegations.
Writing on Twitter, Sir Ben said: “I am deeply disturbed to hear of allegations of inappropriate behaviour in the submarine service. I want to reassure our people, and anyone who is reading this, that any activity which falls short of the highest of standards the Royal Navy sets itself is totally unacceptable and not a true reflection of what service life should be.
“These allegations are abhorrent. Sexual assault and harassment has no place in the Royal Navy and will not be tolerated.
“I have directed my senior team to investigate these allegations thoroughly. Anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their rank or status."
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has acknowledged that, while most Royal Navy personnel enjoy rewarding careers, for some, predominantly women, their experience has been affected by inappropriate sexualised behaviour. It accepts that more needs to be done and is improving reporting mechanisms for sexual offences.
Earlier this year, the MoD announced a zero-tolerance policy to sexual offences aligning the Royal Navy, RAF, and Army under one approach to dealing with incidences with the aim of enabling services to better support victims and secure justice for them.
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