UK Submarine Service report uncovers misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours
The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours had taken place in the Submarine Service.
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, said he had accepted all 37 recommendations of the investigation in full.
Adm Sir Ben apologised to the whistleblower who raised the alarm about alleged sexual harassment and abuse on board the UK's submarines.
He ordered an internal inquiry into the claims made in a newspaper interview in October 2022 by Sophie Brook, a former naval officer, and other women about their treatment while serving in the elite Submarine Service.
Adm Sir Ben confirmed that misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did happen and described it as intolerable.
He accepted all of the recommendations in the report including the formation of a new Head of Culture team and a review of submariner leadership training.
The First Sea Lord also commended the courage of Ms Brook in coming forward.
'We must be better'
Adm Sir Ben said: "As the Head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel – past or present – that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service.
"I am truly sorry."
The Royal Navy chief alluded to how the service would go forward to improve the experiences of personnel in the Royal Navy while understanding "there is more to be done".
He added: "Poor practices and behaviours in the past that may have been normalised in some quarters should never have been considered acceptable, and they have no place today.
"We must institute a culture that does not allow space for this behaviour to exist, and we must deal with perpetrators swiftly, without fear or favour, which I can confirm we have now done.
"Internal action has been taken against a number of individuals, up to and including discharge from the service."
Adm Sir Ben concluded his statement by saying: "We must be better than this and do better than we have."
The allegations
BFBS Forces News understands some of the allegations were reported to the MOD's serious crime unit, but there was insufficient evidence to bring prosecutions. However, it is also understood that three people were discharged as a result of the investigation.
The investigation's report has now been published, but much of it is heavily redacted.
The allegations included several reports of sexual misconduct, including the assault of a woman in her bed by a man of higher rank who tried to kiss her. She was then discouraged by the XO from reporting it.
Another of the allegations made was that a "crush depth rape list" is common across the service in which women and men are marked in the order they would be raped in a catastrophic event.
The specific allegation made to the investigation, their consideration of the evidence and their conclusion on the balance of probabilities were all redacted.
But the report does say the allegation led to several recommendations, one of them being administrative action as a result of the findings.
Another allegation was that bras were stolen from the laundry, leading to a recommendation that personnel be given the resources to wash their own underwear.
Sky News
Fri 4 October 2024
A whistleblower says she feels relief after the Royal Navy apologised for misogyny, bullying and unacceptable behaviour that she experienced while serving.
A long-awaited investigation into sexual harassment and abuse on board the UK's nuclear-armed submarines found "intolerable" behaviour - and it said more needs to be done despite the Royal Navy's recent attempts to improve the experience of personnel.
Sophie Brook - who raised the alarm in 2022 - spoke to Sky News following a meeting with the head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Ben Key.
She said she welcomed the Navy's apology to her but she wants to see meaningful changes.
"I am appreciative of the full and unreserved apology that the First Lord Sea has given me," she said.
"That means a lot to have had that both verbally and in a written letter and acknowledgment of everything that happened.
"I have relief that it's finally come to an end."
Ms Brook first spoke to Sky News in October 2022 when she detailed misogynistic abuse and bullying that she said led her to self-harm, including finding a serving officer naked in her bed and having an officer stick his tongue in her ear while she looked through a periscope.
Describing her ordeal, she said: "I was punched in the kidneys while I was on the periscope, I had someone lick my ear while I was again on the periscope and the same person put their penis in my pocket.
"It ranged from quite minor to serious incidents but even the minor ones - when they're repeated or sustained over a number of months or years, actually they start to weigh you down."
Ms Brook previously told Sky News she initially raised concerns internally about her alleged mistreatment. But she claimed that the Royal Navy turned on her, accusing her of fraud and of revealing information about the movement of a submarine.
She was formally dismissed from the service in June 2022 and handed a five-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. By that time, she had already resigned and left the navy.
On the fraud charge, Ms Brook said she decided to plead guilty at court-martial because she had not been allowed more time to produce bank records that she claimed showed she had made car journeys that she had claimed petrol money for.
On the litigation, a Royal Navy spokesperson said previously: "All court martial trials are independent and presided over by a judge advocate, who is appointed in the same way as judges in other courts and ensures that matters are handled fairly and in compliance with the law."
Admiral Key ordered an internal inquiry into the claims made by Brook and other women about their treatment while serving in the elite Submarine Service.
In a statement, Admiral Key said: "The conclusion of the investigation into misconduct in the Submarine Service marks an inflection point for the Royal Navy.
"The investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did occur during the investigation period, and this is intolerable.
"As the head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel - past or present - that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service. I am truly sorry."
The number of women serving in the Royal Navy remains low and even more so in the Submarine Service where women were only allowed to serve from 2014.
Sky News understands in the last two years alone, there have been nearly 30 investigations into misogyny and sexual offences, and more than 20 individuals have been discharged.
Ms Brook said she hopes the Navy's response is not just a token gesture, but a starting point for real, substantive change.
She said: "I think all that really matters is that the actions in future change...
"Certainly everything that the government was saying they are doing in the Royal Navy to improve things in the submarine service sounds like they should work and should improve the lived experience of people.
"Hopefully as long as these things do happen, it will make life better."
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Royal Navy chief apologises after investigation finds ‘bullying and misogyny’ in submarine service
Jane Dalton
Fri 4 October 2024
A Royal Navy investigation found ‘misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours’ in the submarine service (Getty)
The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found “misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours” in the submarine service.
There was at least one report of rape, and women suffered lewd comments and sexual gestures, an official report has revealed.
The first sea lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, ordered an investigation two years ago into allegations made by former lieutenant Sophie Brook, who had described a “constant campaign of sexual bullying”.
The report found numerous cases of abuse, lewd comments and ‘at least’ one report of rape (Getty)
Sir Ben said on Friday: “The investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did occur during the investigation period, and this is intolerable. During the investigation process, Ms Brook made several requests for redress.
“Those that are within my gift to offer – I have. When I met with Ms Brook this morning, I apologised to her personally and unreservedly, praising her courage in coming forward.
“As the head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel – past or present – that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service. I am truly sorry.”
He added: “We must be better than this and do better than we have.”
Ms Brook said she was still concerned about ‘the navy’s commitment to delivering meaningful change’ (Getty)
Ordering the investigation in 2022, he branded the allegations “abhorrent”, promising: “Anyone who is found culpable will be held accountable for their actions regardless of their rank or status.”
A heavily redacted final report of the investigation into allegations across the submarine service listed numerous incidents of abuse and harassment by male submariners, some of whom were senior officers, against their female colleagues.
Among the most serious were at least one report of rape, while others included lewd comments and sexual gestures.
Administrative action, “up to and including discharge from the Royal Navy”, has been taken against “several individuals”, according to an executive summary published alongside the full report.
Ms Brook told Sky News she was still concerned about “the navy’s commitment to delivering meaningful change”.
She said: “It is my hope that this report is not just a token gesture but a starting point for real substantive change.
“I came forward not just to see justice for myself but to shine a light on a culture that for too long has been permitted to thrive within some of the most elite branches of the armed forces.”
The Ministry of Defence said it was improving reporting mechanisms for sexual offences and that it had a zero-tolerance policy for sexual offences.
Women in UK's submarine forces suffered bullying and abuse by male colleagues, probe finds
PAN PYLAS
Fri 4 October 2024
LONDON (AP) — Women in the submarine forces in the U.K.’s Royal Navy suffered multiple incidents of abuse and harassment by male submariners, some of whom were senior officers, including of “at least” one report of rape, according to an internal investigation published Friday.
The heavily redacted report arose from allegations by former Lt. Sophie Brook of a “constant campaign of sexual bullying” she had endured while in the service.
The head of the Royal Navy apologized to Brook personally as the investigation's findings were made public while praising her "courage" in coming forward.
Admiral Ben Key, who ordered the probe in 2022 after the allegations came to light, said the “investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable” behavior.
"This is intolerable," he said. "Today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms. Brook and to any personnel — past or present — that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behavior during their time in service. I am truly sorry.”
Brook, who has since left the submarine service, said “multiple people” had contacted her with similar concerns after she first went public with her accusations.
After leaving the Royal Navy in early 2022, Brook was subsequently given a suspended jail sentence for sharing in an email sensitive information about her experience in the submarine service.
The report stated that there have been sanctions “up to and including discharge from the Royal Navy” against “several individuals.”
In a statement provided to Sky News, Brook said she “remains concerned about the Navy’s commitment to delivering meaningful change."
“I came forward not just to see justice for myself but to shine a light on a culture that for too long has been permitted to thrive within some of the most elite branches of the Armed Forces," she said.
Women make up about 10% of full-time Royal Navy personnel and have been eligible to serve on submarines since 2011, with the first women joining three years later.
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