29/04/2020
Today, my attention was drawn to the case of the Royal Navy nuclear submarine captain, who has been relieved of his command for allowing his crew to enjoy a barbecue whilst docked for repairs.
This is a crew of sailors who had been working in the close confines of their vessel; at sea for months. They had come into the Devonport base at Plymouth for repairs and were due to return to sea after a short maintenance period. The crew were not permitted to return to their homes to see their families, so were effectively quarantined together before going to sea again.
The submarine captain decided that, whilst his crew were in lockdown in the port and prevented from mixing with others, but would be good for them to be able to relax with a social barbecue.
These personnel had been locked in a tin can for months; literally breathing the same air as each other. Social distancing doesn't work in a Royal Navy submarine. There really isn't the room to allow the sailors to conduct their duties in such a confined space, whilst also maintaining the social distancing guidance.
So, prevented from being close to their own families, they were instead allowed to enjoy some downtime with the colleagues they had been working closely with, night and day, for months.
Given that these are naval submariners; serving Queen and country, where was the harm?
Did anyone get relieved of their post when members of the public and emergency services stood shoulder to shoulder on Westminster Bridge the other week, clapping for the NHS whilst doing exactly what they had been asked not to do? Those people on the bridge were not co-habitants. The submarine crew were.
The submariners had to work in very close contact, but they had no COVID-19 infections reported. So, surely, having a bit of a party in the open air in the port next to their vessel did not constitute a threat to them or others., the captain is being pulled over the coals about it, and no one is kicking up a stink in support of them so I am, These These Tthe These submariners had to work in very close contact inside the confined space of the tin tube they worked in, but they had no COVID-19 infections reported. So, surely, having a bit of a party in the open air on the dockside next to their vessel did not constitute a threat to them or others.
Their captain is being pulled over the coals about it. Some people are expressing anger about this, which is how I became aware of the situation. But, not enough people are kicking up a stink in support of the captain and his crew; so I hope people will read this and share it.
This wasn't a case of friends who live separately deciding to flout the rules and get together with people they are not normally in close contact with.
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