The captain of a British warship at the centre of last year’s debacle in the Persian Gulf was reported to have been removed from his post. Commander Jeremy Woods has been transferred from Type 22 frigate HMS Cornwall because of an ‘internal administrative matter’, the Ministry of Defence was quoted saying. His removal comes after sailors and marines from HMS Cornwall were detained after straying into Iranian waters of the Persian Gulf in March 2007. The incident was described as a ‘national embarrassment’ for Britain by MPs after holding a parliamentary inquiry. Criticism was also voiced at the MoD for allowing the naval personnel to subsequently sell their stories to newspapers. Nobody was court-martialled, but in their report last December, the MPs said ‘formal administrative action has been taken against a number of service personnel across a wide spectrum of ranks’ but gave no further details. News of the removal comes as HMS Cornwall was turning to its base near Plymouth this week to undergo ‘maintenance and training’ in readiness for her redeployment later this year. A new commander was also being appointed.
BRITISH CAPTAIN REMOVED FROM POST AFTER PERSIAN GULF DEBACLE
The captain of a British warship at the centre of last year’s debacle in the Persian Gulf was reported to have been removed from his post. Commander Jeremy Woods has been transferred from Type 22 frigate HMS Cornwall because of an ‘internal administrative matter’,
