By Mark Nichol For The Mail On Sunday
Published: 01:35 BST, 14 April 2019 | Updated: 01:35 BST, 14 April 2019
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HMS Talent, pictured, lost seven members of its crew after they tested positive for cocaine as the submarine was about to deploy
Seven sailors have been kicked off a Royal Navy ‘hunter killer’ nuclear submarine after being caught taking cocaine, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
In one of the worst scandals to hit the Navy, the crew members from HMS Talent – which is armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles – were ordered off the submarine after testing positive while on duty.
The sailors attended a drug-fuelled party after the 5,300-ton boat docked at Devonport Naval Base. They failed a compulsory drugs test when they returned to the sub the next day to prepare for a sensitive mission to track Russian submarine movements in the North Sea and the Arctic Circle.
When Royal Navy doctors confirmed the results last week, senior officers ordered that they be handed over to military police.
Defence sources said HMS Talent had been due to sail from Devonport on Friday, but the 280ft-long boat was last night still at the Plymouth base.
The reason for the delay is unclear, but subs require a full complement of crew before going to sea. Typically HMS Talent sails with a crew of 120 to 130 personnel, including 20 officers. The Royal Navy declined to provide the ranks of those who failed the drug tests.
A Navy source said last night: ‘This is a major embarrassment for top brass. It takes years to train submariners to perform highly skilled and highly sensitive roles at sea and the Navy has just lost seven guys due to one night of stupidity.’
HMS Talent launched in 1988 and is designed to attack surface ships, other submarines and land-based enemy installations. The submarine also performs a surveillance role using cameras
