Drunken Navy sailors arrested in Florida
Crew on first voyage of HMS Queen Elizabeth spend shore leave in drunken fights in bars
Six Royal Navy sailors were arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour after HMS Queen Elizabeth docked in Florida on its first transatlantic voyage. Three were also charged with resisting arrest and two were Tasered by local police amid claims that sailors were seen urinating from a pub balcony into the street and fighting each other. The £3 billion, 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, nicknamed Big Lizzie, docked at Mayport naval base on Wednesday and will undergo trials ahead of its first deployment in 2021.
SIX Royal Navy sailors were arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour just hours after HMS Queen Elizabeth docked in Florida following its first transatlantic voyage.
Three were also charged with resisting arrest and two were Tasered by local police amid claims that sailors were seen urinating from a pub balcony into the street and fighting each other.
The £3billion, 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier, nicknamed Big Lizzie, docked at Mayport naval base on Wednesday and hundreds of its crew spilt out into local pubs and bars.
Keith Doherty, the owner of Lynch’s Irish Pub in Jacksonville, said: “We need a modern-day Paul Revere to let us know that the British are coming,” referring to the 18th-century US patriot who warned local forces of the imminent arrival of British troops. Sgt Larry Smith of the Jacksonville Beach Police Department said most of the sailors were taken into custody on drunk and disorderly charges, with three charged with resisting arrest.
One refused to put his hands behind his back and had to be stunned with a Taser before he was arrested, he said. Another refused to stop fighting when tackled, and was reportedly Tasered by a female officer.
Sgt Smith told The Florida Timesunion that the sailors had not got into drunken fights with locals – they were fighting each other. “They beat the mess out of each other and fight each other more than anything,” he said. “But once they pick up their teeth off the ground they are best friends.”
He said one of the six arrests was at Lynch’s, when a sailor was asked to leave the bar but returned and was arrested on a trespassing charge.
Some bar managers suggested that there were problems with the sailors not tipping well, although they admitted they understood the custom was different in the US.
Haleigh Snow, a manager at Poe’s Tavern in Atlantic Beach, said: “They tipped a little under 10 per cent, and I don’t think they knew they were doing anything wrong. Other than that, we haven’t had any trouble.”
Mr Doherty told The Daily Telegraph the sailors had visited his bar each night of shore leave last week and that although they “would get a bit boisterous” it was “nothing out of hand”.
“There was only one incident when we refused to let someone who was too drunk in and he ended up trying to climb over a wall and banged his head.”
The six sailors were detained overnight and appeared at a Florida court on Thursday before being released.
It is unclear whether they face any further criminal action in the US but they may face sanctions under UK military law.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “We can confirm that a number of naval personnel are assisting US police with their inquiries.
“The Naval Service places great importance on maintaining the highest possible standards of behaviour from its personnel at all times.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth left Portsmouth Naval Base on August 18 and will undergo trials with F-35B fighter jets before its first operational deployment in 2021.