Storm over carrier’s captain and the female sailors in his cabin
ONE of the Royal Navy’s most senior officers has been suspended over claims he invited lone female sailors into his private quarters for ‘mentoring’.
Captain Steve Higham, a former defence adviser to Boris Johnson, is alleged to have behaved inappropriately towards women on the aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales.
Claims that junior servicewomen felt ‘ uncomfortable’ following the private discussions with Captain Higham are being investigated.
Captain Higham completed his nine-month tour as commander of the carrier in May and was being primed to take over as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff – a jump of two ranks. But the promotion is on hold following the allegations, and he has been placed on ‘directed leave’.
Irrespective of rank and status, all naval officers are made aware that fraternising on a ship with fellow officers is forbidden.
While working at Downing Street as a defence adviser, Captain Higham was caught up in the Partygate scandal.
It emerged in January that his leaving- do was among the events being investigated.
Mr Johnson is said to have briefly attended to pay tribute to Captain Higham before he left Westminster to take over as commander of HMS Prince of Wales. In January this year, the 65,000- tonne carrier was appointed the command ship of Nato’s Maritime High Readiness Force at a ceremony in Portsmouth. The ship is spending this year supporting Nato exercises in the Arctic, Baltic and Mediterranean.
The carrier’s first exercise was Cold Response 22 in the Arctic Circle, just before Captain Higham completed his tour. He said at the time: ‘As we continue to operate in and around the Arctic with our allies and partners, the sailors on HMS Prince of Wales are continuing to learn the skills, and build the experience that allow the Royal Navy to push the boundaries of UK carrier operations in the cold, harsh environment.’ The 900ft long HMS Prince of Wales, which has a crew of 1,600, is based at Portsmouth. Alongside its sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth, it makes up part of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group and can be pressed into action for various work such as high-intensity fighting or providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
However, HMS Prince of Wales has been beset with technical problems and spent just 87 days at sea during its first two years in service. It was stranded in Portsmouth in December 2020 after water poured into its engine room and damaged the electrics. The vessel was banned from setting sail until an estimated £ 3.3 million repairs were made.
The Royal Navy said last night: ‘An investigation is under way and it would be inappropriate to comment further.’
‘Women felt uncomfortable’