Royal Navy officer in charge of submarine nuclear weapons arrived ‘drunk’ for duty
Lieutenant Commander Len Louw said to have been drinking the night before and arrived at naval base carrying bag of leftover grilled chicken
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An officer in charge of nuclear missiles onboard a Royal Navy submarine was sent home from work after he arrived unfit for duty.
It is understood that Lieutenant Commander Len Louw had been drinking the night before and arrived at the naval base carrying a bag of leftover grilled chicken from a barbecue, multiple news outlets reported.
He is facing an investigation after being sent back to Faslane in Scotland following the incident in the US last month.
Colleagues raised concerns when the weapons engineering officer arrived for work at HMS Vigilant while it was docked at the US navy's Kings Bay base in Camden County, Georgia for maintenance.
He was declared unfit for duty and was sent home pending an investigation following the incident more than a month ago.
The weapons engineering officer is responsible for all weapons and sensors on board the vessel.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “An investigation is under way therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further.
”However, where an individual's conduct falls short of the high standards we expect, we won't hesitate to take the appropriate action.
“While we don't comment on the detail, there are numerous safety checks and processes to protect the safety and use of weapons aboard all submarines.”
HMS Vigilant is one of the four submarines, each of which is armed with up to eight Trident nuclear missiles, which make up the UK's nuclear deterrent.
The submarine was reportedly at the centre of a suspected Covid-19 outbreak following a recent port visit to the US Navy Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia.
In 2017, the then-captain of the vessel was removed from his post after allegations of an “inappropriate relationship” with a female crew member.
And that same year in a separate incident, nine British servicemen were removed from HMS Vigilant after testing positive for cocaine while on duty.
The Independent contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.