Sailors fall sick after drinking water on Britain’s navy ship

London, February 4

Sailors from Britain’s Royal Navy have been taken to hospital in south east England after an “issue” with the drinking water on their ship, it emerged on Saturday.

The Royal Navy confirmed that its frigate HMS Portland has returned to Portsmouth Naval base as a “precautionary measure” and another ship has been brought in to cover any naval contingencies.

According to UK media reports, the “issue” is believed to be a human error involving the cleaning of the vessel’s fresh water supply.

Human error; sailors hospitalised

• Poisoning of the water happened after a staff member put the wrong chemicals into the water
• Sailors from the ship taken to hospital after an issue with the drinking water, said an official

“We can confirm that HMS Portland has returned to HMNB [His Majesty’s Naval Base] Portsmouth as a precautionary measure, following an issue with one of the ship’s fresh water systems,” a Royal Navy spokesperson said.

“The health and safety of our personnel is of the utmost importance and we are taking a number of measures to safeguard the ship’s company whilst the issue is investigated. A small number of personnel were taken to hospital as a precaution and HMS Richmond has been stood up to cover any contingencies,” the spokesperson said.

‘The Daily Telegraph’ quoted a Navy source as saying that the “poisoning” of the water happened after the wrong chemicals were put into it. The mistake was quickly flagged by the individual involved and sources last night praised them for their “integrity” in coming forwards which “undoubtedly reduced the consequences”.

It is believed the cleaning system to the water supply could have flowed the wrong way. “The individual made a mistake and informed their chain of command. It’s really unfortunate, and their integrity should be acknowledged,” the source told the newspaper.

HMS Portland departed from its home port at Plymouth in south-west England on January 7. It underwent a major refit in 2021 and is adept at surface warfare operations as well as hunting submarines, according to the Royal Navy website.

Commanding Officer Ed Moss-Ward said at the time: “Escorting warships in UK territorial waters and the adjacent sea areas is routine activity for the Royal Navy.

“By maintaining a visible and persistent presence, the Royal Navy ensures compliance with maritime law and deters malign activity to protect our nation’s interests.