These are unbelievable accusations: officers on board British submarines apparently keep "rape lists" in case of a disaster. Insults, beatings and more should also be part of everyday life for female crew members. A former lieutenant unpacks.
The British Navy is dealing with serious allegations of sexual harassment and abuse on board its submarines. Former lieutenant Sophie Brook reports in the "Daily Mail" as a whistleblower of regular insults and beatings by male comrades. A high-ranking crew member is said to have "enthusiastically" put his genitals in her pocket. Another comrade exposed himself to her, Brook reports in the newspaper. Another kissed her without being asked.
In the event of an underwater disaster, the officers on board are said to have drawn up "rape lists". It recorded the order in which they would rape their comrades before they die.
According to Brook, the conditions in the cramped submarines underwater were so bad that she began to self-injure and developed suicidal thoughts. Just like other comrades, she is said to have tried to break limbs so as not to have to go on board on an exit.
"The best thing I ever did was leave the Navy," Brook said in the report. "But I worry about the women I left behind. There has been a constant campaign of sexual bullying." The Navy is a "hostile and misogynistic place". Another informant, who was a manager in the British submarine fleet but, unlike Brook, wished to remain anonymous, confirmed in the "Daily Mail" that there were regular cases of sexual harassment on board.
The Royal Navy's chief of staff, Ben Key, called the allegations "disgusting" in a statement. Sexual violence and harassment has no place in the British Navy and will not be tolerated. "Anyone guilty will be punished."
(This article was first published on Saturday, October 29, 2022.)
