Abandon ship!
Captain quits after losing command of our new aircraft carrier for using Navy car in spare time
A ROYAL NAVY captain stripped of his command of HMS Queen Elizabeth over misuse of the ship’s official car has resigned.
Nick Cooke-Priest, 50, handed in his notice last week, with friends citing the way he was treated and personal reasons for the move.
He was accused of using the Navy’s car – which was only meant to be used for official duties – ‘like it was his own’.
After news of his removal broke, it was revealed Commodore Cooke-Priest was still in command as the carrier sailed from Rosyth, Fife, to Portsmouth. The Royal Navy then flew the captain off the ship.
He was reportedly told he would not be allowed at the helm of a ship again and was resigned to desk duties.
A friend told the Daily Mail: ‘Nick has had an extraordinarily varied and successful career.
‘However, recent events have forced him to take stock of his options. This is a sad moment for both him and the Navy, but he will certainly make a success of whatever he does next.’
Further sources said he quit due to ‘the way he was treated and for personal reasons’.
His removal from the ship sparked a row in the military, with officials accused of a heavyhanded approach. Major General Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando during the Falklands, called it a ‘ridiculous overreaction’.
He said: ‘A slap on the wrist would have been sufficient. It was a mistake and a silly thing to do. We live in a different age than the one I served in. We were far more bothered about defeating the enemy.’
Cdre Cooke-Priest – who received an OBE in 2016 – was accused of treating the car like a ‘taxi service’, with his wife apparently using it for the school run. But there was no allegation of fraud and the officer, who joined the Navy in 1990, paid for his own petrol.
A defence source insisted the decision was ‘proportional and the correct thing to do’ because the captain of the warship needs to be seen by its crew as ‘whiter than white’. A Ministry of Defence source added: ‘You have to be beyond reproach. You cannot stand there and demand the highest standards if you don’t follow the rules yourself.’
It was also claimed that Cdre Cooke-Priest had never been warned that using the Ford Galaxy for personal journeys was in breach of rules.
In line with all military officer commissions, Cdre CookePriest will have to serve a oneyear notice period. He is on leave, awaiting his final assignment. It is unlikely he will serve the full year once his leave entitlements and periods of resettlement are taken into account.
Cdre Cooke-Priest, who has three sons, specialised as a Lynx helicopter observer after joining the Navy.
He was flight commander of HMS Exeter and was promoted to commander in 2009 and that year in HMS Kent escorted the Queen during a royal tour.
On HMS Iron Duke, he was deployed to the Arabian Gulf and to Libya in 2011. He took command of HMS Bulwark in January 2015.
In October last year he became captain of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, a 900ft, 65,000-ton vessel, described by the Navy as an ‘awe-inspiring warship’. He said at the time: ‘It’s an immense honour to have taken command of HMS Queen Elizabeth and week one has been fabulous... I’m thrilled to be leading the QE team.’
He has now been succeeded by HMS Prince of Wales commanding officer Captain Steve Moorhouse. A Navy spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on personnel matters, we can only confirm that management action regarding Cdre Nick CookePriest has been completed and the matter is resolved.
‘Any further decisions are a matter for the individual.’