Submarine crash captain failed to spot obstacle

Grounded: Commander Steven Drysdale crashed in the Red Sea
12 April 2012

A Royal Navy commander crashed his nuclear-powered submarine into an underwater obstruction he failed to spot on navigation charts, a court martial heard today.

Steven Drysdale, officer of the watch Lieutenant Commander Andrew Cutler and navigation officer Lieutenant Lee Blair all admitted neglecting to perform their duty at a previous hearing.

The court martial in Portsmouth was told that the charge related to the grounding of HMS Superb in the Red Sea in 2008.

Captain Stuart Crozier, prosecuting, said: "The submarine collided with the underwater obstacle reducing its speed from 16 knots to three in a very short time. There was a significant amount of damage to the forehead of the submarine." All three were reprimanded.

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