The HMS Ambush ahead of its commissioning ceremony at Faslane naval base in Scotland in 2013. Photo / Getty
The HMS Ambush ahead of its commissioning ceremony at Faslane naval base in Scotland in 2013. Photo / Getty
One of the Royal Navy's most senior commanders has admitted hazarding a ship after the nuclear submarine of which he was in charge crashed into a merchant vessel.
Commander Justin Codd pleaded guilty at a court martial to hazarding the £1 billion ($2bn) vessel, one of Britain's four nuclear submarines, during a training exercise off the coast of Spain.
The 45 year-old, who is attached to the UK Maritime Battle Staff, was said to have taken "his eye off the ball' and caused a crash costing £2.1 million ($4m).
He was stripped of a year of seniority by a panel of senior officers at a court martial at Portsmouth Naval Base.
The charge relates to an incident in which HMS Ambush suffered damage to its conning tower after hitting the ship as it surfaced near the Gibraltar coast on July 20, 2016.
At a court martial today, Cdr Codd lost his seniority for a year after a panel heard he failed to prioritise the safety of the vessel, which was being operated by two sailors on the final day of the 23-week long course.
Prosecutor Captain John Atwill explained Cdr Codd, overseeing the training exercise, did not utilise a second periscope to examine his surroundings in order to 'reduce risk of detection' and relied only on the information being gathered by the students in the first periscope.
Cdr Codd 'wrongly assumed' MV Andreas, which was 'loitering' in the water and clearly visible, was not a threat. When students turned to avoid a small yacht named Katharsis the submarine was put on course to collide with the merchant vessel.
Portsmouth Military Court, Hants, heard despite this there still would have been enough time to avoid the collision by diving, but Cdr Codd failed to take action and the two vessels collided.
Cpt Atwill said: "While it may be justifiable to take risks in war situations it is not justifiable in a training exercise.
"His decision to focus on teaching and not safety compounded the errors made by the students. He believed his understanding was enough to keep the submarine safe - the very fact of the collision disproves this case."
The court heard it is not necessarily dangerous for instructors to not use a second periscope.
Cdr Codd is in charge of teaching the Royal Navy's 'Perisher' programme - a course so tough it was named Perisher because of its high failure rate.
HMS Ambush, one of the Royal Navy's 7,400-ton Astute-class vessels, carries what are described as "world leading sensors to detect other submarines and surface ships".
Despite this equipment it still managed to hit the merchant vessel, which escaped undamaged.
The Ministry of Defence released a statement at the time saying: "HMS Ambush, an Astute-class submarine, while submerged and conducting a training exercise was involved in a glancing collision with a merchant vessel off the coast of Gibraltar.
"We are in contact with the merchant vessel and initial indications are that it has not sustained damage.
"The submarine suffered some external damage but there is absolutely no damage to her nuclear plant and no member of the ship's company was injured in the incident. An immediate investigation is being conducted."
Submariners were photographed looking grim, with their heads bowed next to its badly dented turret as it limped into Gibraltar following the collision.
Its heavily gashed main tower was later seen covered by tarpaulin and surrounded by armed guards.
The Navy tried to allay fears, saying there were 'no safety concerns' as the collision had not damaged HMS Ambush's nuclear plan.
However, the incident prompted environmental concerns and once again led to heightened tensions between London and Madrid over the status of Gibraltar.
'Formidable submarine'
HMS Ambush is one of the Navy's newest and most advanced submarines and carries Tomahawk cruise missiles, along with torpedoes for targeting enemy submarines and ships.
The navy showed off the vessel during a visit to Rio in August 2014, when she helped mark the Brazilian navy's submarine forces' centenary celebrations.
Speaking at the time of the visit Commander Codd said: "HMS Ambush is one of the most capable submarines in the world and the successful deployment has proven that she is now ready for deployment anywhere.
"There was much interest in the vessel from international navies and we were delighted to be able to host senior military personnel on board and to demonstrate the capabilities of this formidable submarine."
Costly collisions
Royal Navy crews found to have been at fault for collisions in the past have faced severe reprimand and even dismissal from the service.
The damaged bow on the British warship HMS Nottingham after it ran aground on rocks off Australia in 2002. Photo / AP
The captain of the destroyer HMS Nottingham and three of his former officers were disciplined at a court martial after they pleaded guilty to causing the warship to run aground on rocks off Australia on July 7, 2002.
The collision ripped a 100ft hole in the ship, leaving a repair bill of £39 million and forcing the Navy to bring the warship back to the UK on a transporter.
Commander Richard Farrington, 43, the captain of the type 42 destroyer, pleaded guilty to failing to delegate the responsibility of command of the ship properly.
He was sentenced to a reprimand - one of the lower navy court martial sentences - as he was not responsible for the actual grounding.
But his second in command, executive officer Lieutenant Commander John Lea, 38, and the officer of the watch, Lieutenant James Denney, 28, were both dismissed from their ships after pleading guilty to negligence.
Lieutenant Andrew Ingham, 27, Nottingham's navigator, was sentenced to a severe reprimand after also pleading guilty to negligence.
