Drunken Royal Navy sailors attack Gulf War warship with hammers and crowbars
DRUNKEN Royal Navy sailors went on a wrecking spree after storming on to a warship armed with hammers and crowbars.
Half a dozen drunken sailors dodged security guards to board the giant RFA Diligence at the Navy’s headquarters.
Drunken Royal Navy sailors went on a wrecking spree after storming on to the RFA Diligence armed with hammers and crowbars[/caption]The men armed with hammers and crowbars “destroyed everything they could” onboard the 10,000 tonne vessel, which first saw action in the Falklands War.
The ship, which also served in the First Gulf War and helped save lives after the 2005 Tsunami, had been earmarked for scrap.
A Navy source said all the sensitive military kit – including radars, sonars and communications equipment – had been removed.
But the sailors, who were caught on the base’s CCTV, smashed portholes, furniture and timber structures and “anything that would break”.
“It’s a disgraceful way to treat an old ship,” a source said. “At first they thought it was vandals who had broken into the base, but now it looks like it was sailors on a rampage.”
The ship, which served in the First Gulf War and helped save lives after the 2005 Tsunami, had been earmarked for scrap at HM Naval Base Portsmouth[/caption]Most read in UK News
The ship still had two large lifeboats and satellite navigation systems on onboard.
A Royal Navy Spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident on board the former support vessel RFA Diligence while it was berthed in HM Naval Base Portsmouth awaiting disposal.
“As an investigation is underway it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
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