Following charges of pervasive sexual harassment of female personnel on submarines in a news article in the Daily Mail, the chief of the British Royal Navy has announced an investigation. A former navy lieutenant named Sophie Brook was interviewed by The Daily Mail for a report that was based on her account of a ‘continuous campaign of sexual bullying’ that included male crew members compiling a ‘rape list’ of names of female coworkers.
In support of Brooks’ account, the paper cites two unnamed whistleblowers. First Sea Lord Ben Key, the navy’s top officer, told the newspaper in a statement that he had requested an investigation be conducted by his senior staff and was ‘very troubled’ by the ‘abhorrent’ claims. Without regard to rank, anyone found guilty would ‘be held accountable’ for their actions, Key vowed, adding that sexual assault and harassment had no place in the Royal Navy and would not be tolerated.
Brooks, who is now 30 years old, was due to command a submarine. But because of the culture on board, she developed suicidal tendencies and engaged in self-harm, and the navy fired her. Women were first allowed to join the Royal Navy’s submarine service in 2011. Her male bosses frequently addressed her with a sexual slur. They put their p*****s in her pocket, according to Brooks. She discovered her position as number six on a list of female crew members who would be sexually assaulted first in the event of an emergency.
While she was sleeping, a crew member who was married to her exposed himself to her, and another crew member got into her bed and started kissing her. According to Brook, one lady who filed a formal complaint against the display of nude photographs of women in a workspace was ‘frozen out’ and unable to move forward. Just two years after joining the navy, Brooks started self-harming at the age of 21. Later, she was let go from the company.
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