Body armour, weapon sights and a smoke grenade were among the items stolen from Faslane naval base.
In an exclusive, the Lochside Press reports here that the thefts have been revealed following a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Defence.
“The MoD said that during the 12 months ending on September 13, 2021, the following items were reported stolen from HM Naval Base Clyde, which includes the Coulport armaments depot as well as Faslane:
- A head-mounted night vision system ‘and other MoD equipment’, classed as having ‘only a nominal value’
- Body armour, a stab-proof vest, a hand-fired illuminating rocket and a smoke grenade, with a total value of £629.80
- A laptop computer, said to have only a nominal value
- And two common weapon sights, with a combined value of £4,087.26″
You can read more on the specifics here.
A Royal Navy spokesperson was quoted as saying:
“Security is of paramount importance. We investigate every incident to ensure we learn from experience and continuously improve our security practices, procedures and culture.”
What is Faslane?
Faslane is one of the Royal Navy’s three main operating bases, alongside HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth. It is best known as the home of the UK’s four Vanguard-class nuclear-armed submarines, which carry Trident II D-5 ballistic missiles.
Faslane is also the second largest single-site employer in Scotland, after the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
Figures unearthed last year by Deidre Brock, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, reveal that just over 6,000 people are directly employed at Faslane and Coulport. The figures came to light after Member of Palriament Deidre Brock asked a series of questions relating to employed at HMNB Clyde.
Deidre Brock, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, asked via a Parliamentary written question:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of uniformed Royal Navy personnel based at (a) Faslane and (b) Coulport are Scottish taxpayers.”
James Heappey MP, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Defence, responded:
“At 1 January 2021, 3,624 uniformed Royal Navy Service personnel were stationed at locations in Argyll and Bute, comprising the Faslane and Coulport sites. Of these, 1,393 personnel were Scottish taxpayers, which translates to 38.4% of the total.”
Brock also asked:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of civilian employees who are not contractors based at (a) Faslane and (b) Coulport are Scottish taxpayers.”
Heappey responded:
“At 31 December 2020, 1,015 civilian employees who are not contractors were employed at Faslane. Of these, 925 were Scottish taxpayers, which translates to 91% of the total. At 31 December 2020, 475 civilian employees who are not contractors were employed at Coulport. Of these, 425 were Scottish taxpayers, which translates to 89% of the total.”
Brock also asked:
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of uniformed contractors based at (a) Faslane and (b) Coulport are Scottish taxpayers.”
Heappey then responded:
“At 31 December 2020, 535 uniformed contractors were employed at Faslane. Of these, 470 were Scottish taxpayers, which translates to 88% of the total. At 31 December 2020, 419 uniformed contractors were employed at Coulport. Of these, 370 were Scottish taxpayers, which translates to 89% of the total.”
The figures show that of the 6,068 civilian and military personnel working at Faslane and Coulport, 4,583 are Scottish taxpayers.
It still doesn’t beat the theft of £250,000 of fuel intended for HMS Bulwark and 40 anti-tank mines in 2012. What was the outcome of the fuel theft?
Fuel theft has an intuitively obvious rationale, but I can’t recall the last time I felt a compelling need to acquire anti-tank mines. 🤔😁
Hmmm…based on the list of missing equipment, are Sherlock Holmes and Watson on the trail of aggressive and well supplied deer hunter(s)? “Watson, the game is afoot!” 😁
Probably not stolen, more likely lost and then bluffed that they must have been stolen on the next QMs audit! As for the smoke grenades, after doing a bit of time as an SPSI with the reserves, I can tell you shit can be kept, bluffed, stolen or sold! Not due to the reserve lads, mostly, but the systems in place (or not) which rely on the integrity and honesty of PSIs and SPSIs! Not all are naughty, but some are very lazy and accounting for consumables (ammunition, rations, fuel etc) are not as thorough as regular Battalions! Just my observations and not definitive. Cheers.
I would have thought that people would be searched on the way out.
No way not at all!!!!
That is not realistic at a camp of over 5000 people. Having worked at Faslane myself. Security is very tight. And the camp has different layers of Security inside the base. You can’t get anywhere near the Vangard boats unless you have the proper passes and Security clearance for example. Teams of Royal Marines are on duty 24/7 at the Trident Storage Area, and the Vangard docking area, plus armed MOD police.
I contour. I was 2/IC of that section for 9 months. Around the Vanguard pen you are more likely to get your face stomped on if not having the correct pass.
Ahh
Ammo accounting is a nightmare. It was OK when dealing with Torpedos and Missiles…Its hard to walk out of a dockyard gate with one of those in your grip… Small arms and pyros where a nightmare especially on an LPD where you kept bulk ammo and if you had RM embarked. We once had a LAW 80 appear in the honesty bin over night. How the F**k do you forget to hand back a LAW 80!
” I have no live rounds or expended cases in my possession sir…except for this huffing big anti tank rocket!”
Could have been in a vehicle or boat?
Found when cleaning/maintaining?
The amazing thing is really how little goes missing. Given scale of exercises etc.
Always had to sign For any gear someone is in for a C126 along the line
They stopped C126ing some years back when a newer ‘more secure’ accounting system came online. It was rubbish as no deterrent if you loose stuff.
That’s ashame those MQs were a goldmine for 126s when you had too move out right down to losing your Doorkey C126 for £6.00p couldn’t escape those Hms Centurian made sure of that Angus
Alternatively – No rockets in my pockets or wombats in my combats sir
Ah old school 👍
😂👍 agreed, have had some random surprising shit appear over the years!
Some of this is probably down to maths, especially ammo.
Sign stuff out of a mag to a user for an exercise .Its subtracted from your book.
User brings it onto their books and its added to their account for the exercise.
Users uses the items and signs it off as expended subtracting expended from his on charge total.
ENDEX…Returns it back to the main mag for storage.
Sign it back in to the main mag where you sign in the unexpended items back onto your account and the user then accounts with the loggies for the expended stores.
Ammo like smokes and Schermullies come in multi packs. An expended rocket placed accidentally in a box of 12 rockets, a box of what you think was 6 smokes actually only having 5 in and you issued out over a dozen boxes of each… thats where mistakes happen.
Try doing it with pallets of ammo…96000 rounds to a pallet of 5.56 or 7.62 4bit. Then it really gets interesting. You spend days trying to make the figures match up.
That said …Those that saw the TV series about Bulwark doing Taurus in 2010 cast you minds back to the crossing the line ceremony ( I was the Surgeon in Neptune’s Court that day.) We appeared on deck wreathed in purple smoke from a smoke grenade. After it all finished the WEO pulled me aside and asked where it came from because we didnt have any purple smoke grenades on the books in the mag! I pointed him in the direction of the Assault Squadron RM…it was apparently sorted out after that 🙂
Ammunition conveyancing chits were order of the day alright if Box of 200 x 762 or other calibre rds was unopened if not time too use your NAMET Gunbuster
To be honest, it’s quite a surprise that employee numbers and categories are able to be published.
Stolen or missing (i.e. down the back of a cabinet)?
I have paid off 2 x T22s in the past and a T23. During the paying off period you do a compartment by compartment deep search to ensure nothing untoward ( Incriminating!) is left behind. Draws out of cabinets, check the cabinet carcass, look behind bunks and lockers etc.
I found between all of them classified documents, personnel reports, ( Very!) personal photos and a couple of rounds of 7.62. Stuff gets lost and mislaid all the time.
On a T22 we found a 40mm Bofors Auto loader in the back of the Naval Store compartment opposite the NAFFI in the 2016 flat. T22 had had twin 30mm fitted for over 15 years by then but it was still there tucked away at the back of the store , not on anyone’s books or accounts. I was the only person who knew what it was.
What is a uniformed contractor? I understand the words just if your in a uniform are you not a member of the forces?