MoD 'failures' led to deaths of two submariners killed by exploding oxygen flask
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:20 PM on 24th March 2009

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An explosion which killed two men on board a nuclear submarine while they were on exercise under the Arctic ice was caused by 'systemic failures,' a coroner said today.
Anthony Huntrod, 20, and Paul McCann, 32, died when an oxygen generator exploded two years ago while HMS Tireless was on a war games operation.
Coroner Derek Winter gave a narrative verdict saying 'systemic failures led to the contamination and damage' of the oxygen generators on board 'which in turn caused the explosion'.
During the seven-week inquest the coroner heard a batch of almost 1,000 Self Contained Oxygen Generators (Scogs) left in a hazardous waste depot in Devonport were returned to Royal Navy service in 2006.
Victims: Paul McCann, left, and Anthony Huntrod died after the oxygen flask exploded, buckling the doors of their compartment and filling it with smoke
Mr Winter said it was 'a significant possibility' that the Scog which exploded was one that had originally been sent to the dump.
But it was impossible to say because the method of tracking and accounting for Scogs was incomplete.
Mr Winter was critical of the way the oxygen generators were handled, stored and managed.
He said: 'There was a culture of complacency regarding the risks posed by Scogs and a tolerance of practices likely to increase those risks.'
He said at Devonport the practices were much less rigorous than at the UK's other main nuclear submarine base at Faslane, Scotland.
The inquest heard the explosion happened 8,000 miles from the UK, 170 miles north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, when Tireless was on an exercise with an American sub USS Alexandria.
Fury: Alan Huntrod and Brenda Gooch, parents of Anthony Huntrod, who was killed with Paul McCann in an explosion aboard HMS Tireless
It happened in a forward escape compartment shortly after an oxygen generator was activated.
The 1.5kg flask contained a chemical briquette which would normally release oxygen when fired.
But the inquest heard they could burn with 'ferocious violence' if contamination had occurred, or the casing was damaged.
The blast happened in the cramped compartment which quickly filled with smoke.
The explosion caused hatch doors to buckle trapping the men inside for almost three quarters of an hour while fellow submariners tried desperately to reach them.
It was only when a crowbar was found that access was gained but Mr Huntrod, an Operator Mechanic, had already suffered fatal injuries, while Mr McCann, a Leading Operator Mechanic, succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Anger: (R to L) Sharon McCann, Pauline McCann, Brian McCann, Commodore Jake Moores, Julie Huntrod, Brenda Gooch and Alan Huntrod after the inquest
Their colleague Stores Accountant Richard Holleworth was injured in the blast and passed out having tried to rescue the fatally injured men.
He gave evidence to say the thought of his unborn son helped him survive and he was later airlifted to hospital.
The nuclear submarine was not badly damaged in the explosion and remained seaworthy.
It punched a hole through thin ice and the dead submariners were taken to a nearby base and flown home.
The coroner said Christopher Clark, a civil servant with the Marine Environment Survivability and Habitability Project, decided to bring back into use the Scogs from the hazardous waste depot because he wanted to cut costs for the MoD.
Mr Winter said: 'He did not give any consideration to the safety implications of returning Scogs which had been selected for consignment to a hazardous waste store and actually stored in the conditions of such a store.
'His decision was inappropriate.'
Anthony Huntrod died from multiple injuries while leading mechanic operator Paul McCann, 32, from Halesowen, West Midlands, was poisoned to death by carbon monoxide
After the verdict, Mr Huntrod's mother, Brenda Gooch, said: 'Anthony was a vibrant young lad who at only 20 years old had a promising future ahead of him but his life was wrongly taken away from him.
'He is sorely missed and leaves a huge void in our lives.
'In our opinion the coroner's verdict today does not do Anthony's death justice.
'We believe the disregard which the MoD and its employers had shown towards the safety of our son can only be justified as unlawful killing.
'Two young men died through a lack of duty to care for their safety. The complacency across the whole chain of acquisitions, storage and handling is unforgivable to us.
'When will this Government and the MoD realise they are not above the law and that all Forces personnel regardless of at-war situations or peacetime operations, their safety must be paramount at all times.'
Outside Sunderland Coroner's court, Commodore Jake Moores expressed his sympathy on behalf of the Royal Navy to the bereaved families.
Enlarge    Daily Mail graphic showing HMS Tireless, the nuclear submarine on which two British sailors, Anthony Huntrod and Paul McCann, were killed
War games: HMS Tireless, pictured in polar ice, was taking part in a military exercise in the Arctic when the explosion happened
He said new, safer Scogs had been brought into use on all submarines.
He said: 'All of us are committed to doing everything we can to avoid such a tragic incident happening again.'
Commodore Moores led a Board of Inquiry on behalf of the Navy before the inquest took place.
He said: 'We assured the families from the very outset that our investigation would be impartial and as thorough as possible, and that we would leave no stone unturned to ensure we got the answers to as many of their questions as possible.
'I hope we managed that.
'Paul and Anthony will not be forgotten.'
Outside the inquest, the families thanked the crew members of HMS Tireless for their rescue efforts.
The coroner also praised their bravery, saying: 'The rescue efforts of the other submariners, including Richard Holleworth, were valiant and cannot be faulted.
'The rescue operation was managed well and those in control of the submarine acted with consummate skill and professionalism.'

Soldier from Prince William and Harry's regiment was 'killed in violent explosion' on first patrol
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:00 PM on 21st April 2009

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Trooper Ratu Babakobau was killed after the tank he was travelling in was hit by a mine
A Fijian soldier who served with the British Army in the same regiment as Princes Harry and William was killed in a 'violent explosion' on his first patrol in Afghanistan, an inquest heard today.
Trooper Ratu Babakobau, 29, died and three other soldiers were injured last May when their vehicle hit a mine in the Nowzad area of northern Helmand.
An Afghan national was also injured.
The four soldiers were all members of the Household Cavalry Regiment, and Trooper Babakobau was part of the same 60-strong squadron as Prince William.
The inquest at Wiltshire Coroner's Court, in Trowbridge, heard Trooper Babakobau, of 5 Troop, D squadron, was deployed on his first tour in Afghanistan and arrived at FOB Edinburgh, in Nowzad, on April 29.
Trooper Babakobau was out on his first patrol on May 2 in the rear of a Spartan - an armoured personnel carrier - when it approached a dry riverbed, referred to as a wadi.
Opening the hearing, coroner David Masters said: 'They needed to cross the wadi.
'Before that was done, because it was at a vulnerable point, the route needed to be established and searched for mines.'
Mr Masters said members of the troop searched the wadi for three and a half hours using two devices designed to detect mines.
He continued: 'There was one part of the route which had not been searched with that mine detecting equipment, but was proven to be safe by a Scimitar (Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle) being driven over one limited part of the route. No mines were found.'
Mr Masters said Trooper Babakobau's vehicle was the third to pass over the wadi when it was 'subjected to a violent explosion' under the left rear of the vehicle - where the Fijian soldier was sitting.
'He sustained multiple injuries in the blast. Medics attended but he was found to be unresponsive and it was evident he had died,' Mr Masters said.
Deeply saddened: Princes William and Harry paid tribute to Trooper Babakobau following his death
The coroner said the inquest will hear Trooper Babakobau was not wearing a helmet at the time of the blast, and was found to have suffered devastating head injuries.
Capt Roland Spiller, who was a lieutenant at the time, commanding and travelling in the same vehicle as Trooper Babakobau, relived the moment the devastating blast tore through the Spartan.
He told the inquest the impact of the explosion severely injured his own leg and threw one of his men 30 feet from the Spartan.
Capt Spiller said: 'I felt a blast. The vehicle lurched forward. I fell into the vehicle. I didn't feel much, I had a few confused seconds.'
He said he heard one of his men - Trooper Timothy Baker - groaning in agony and realised another soldier - Lance Corporal Anthony Todd - had been 'blown clear' from the Spartan.
'He had been blown 30ft down the track. He was staggering around dazed. I shouted at him to stand still,' he said.
Capt Spiller said all he could see of the truck was twisted 'metal and smoke'.
'The first I heard about Trooper Babakobau was when I overheard someone say "cover him with a blanket and protect his dignity".
'When I heard that I was not in much doubt that he was dead.'
Trooper Babakobau left behind his wife Camari and two sons, Ratu Seru, four, and Ratu Sakeasi Sucumailodoni Selamu, one.
His parents and widow attended the inquest.
After his death, a Clarence House spokesman paid tribute to Trooper Babakobau on behalf of Princes William and Harry.
He said: 'Together with the rest of the regiment both Prince William and Prince Harry are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Trooper Babakobau and their thoughts are with his family and the families of those injured at this difficult time.'
The inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall is expected to conclude tomorrow.

Written Ministerial Statements
Tuesday, 5 May 2009What are written ministerial statements?
Justice
Service Personnel (Inquests)All Written Ministerial Statements on 5 May 2009
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Bridget Prentice (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Lewisham East, Labour) | Hansard source

My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces and I wish to make the following statement to the House about the inquests of service personnel who have died overseas. Our sincere condolences go to the families of the 13 service personnel who have lost their lives in service of their country since the last statement, and our thoughts and prayers remain with all the families whose loved ones have died on operations.

Today, we are announcing the progress that has been made since the Written Ministerial Statement on 2 February 2009, Hansard, column 37WS, with information about the conduct of inquests by the Wiltshire and Swindon and other coroners. This statement gives the position at 27 April.

The tables which accompany this statement again include information about those cases which involve a board of inquiry or a service inquiry.

Progress with inquests

At the time of the last statement, we reported that 220 inquests had been held since June 2006: 206 into the overseas deaths of service personnel and 14 into the deaths of civilians in Iraq whose bodies were repatriated via RAF Brize Norton or RAF Lyneham.

Since 27 January a further 10 inquests have been held into the deaths of service personnel who died in operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. This makes a total of 230 inquests held since June 2006.

Since operations commenced in 2001 there have been a total of 254 inquests into the deaths of service personnel who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, including four service personnel who died in the UK of their injuries. In two further cases, no formal inquest was held, but the deaths were taken into consideration during inquest proceedings for those who died in the same incident.

We remain very grateful for the efforts of all the coroners involved in conducting these inquests and unswerving in our support of the independent coronial system.

Our Departments continue to work closely together, and with the coroners, to review the way in which the system is working and to look for opportunities, prior to the implementation of the coroners' legislation which is currently before Parliament in the Coroners and Justice Bill, to make improvements for the benefit of the bereaved families.

On 17 March the Government tabled amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill, which will have the effect of enabling fatal accident inquiries to take place in Scotland into the deaths of service personnel killed on operations overseas. This reflects our commitment to support bereaved service families and will mean that families in Scotland will no longer, in most cases, have to travel to England for inquests.

Open inquests

i. Pre-31 March 2007 Fatalities

The statement in February reported that there was one remaining inquest to be held into a death where the body was repatriated via RAF Brize Norton prior to 31 March 2007—that into the death of Marine Wigley. That remains the position and the inquest will be heard for five days starting on 11 May.

ii. Post-1 April 2007 Fatalities

Since October 2007, additional resources have been provided by the Government to ensure that a backlog of inquests will not build up in the Wiltshire and Swindon jurisdiction (since 1 April 2007 fatalities are repatriated via RAF Lyneham). The coroner transfers inquests for service personnel to a coroner closer to the bereaved family, where possible. David Masters retired as the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner on 31 March but his successor, David Ridley, has appointed him as an assistant deputy coroner to ensure that his experience and expertise is retained.

There are 71 inquests to be concluded into the deaths of service personnel who died in Iraq and Afghanistan whose bodies were repatriated after 1 April 2007 (33 involving deaths in the last six months). Of these, Mr Ridley has retained 38 inquests, while 33 inquests are being conducted by coroners closer to the next-of-kin. Inquest hearing dates have been set in 11 of these cases.

iii. Inquests into the deaths of service personnel who returned home injured

There remain three inquests to be held of service personnel who returned home injured and subsequently died of their injuries.

We shall continue to keep the House informed about progress with the remaining inquests. I have placed tables in the Library of the House which outline the status of all cases and date of death of each case. Copies are also available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.

BREAKING NEWS: Inquest opened into soldier's death
Friday, March 27, 2009, 09:34Comment on this story

AN inquest has been opened into the death of Grimsby soldier Corporal Graeme Stiff.
As reported, Cpl Stiff (24) – a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer who served with the Light Aid Detachment of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (QDGs) – was one of three soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
Affectionately known as Stiffy, he and his comrade Cpl Dean John (25), from Wales, were killed in Helmand Province on March 15, when the Jackal off-road vehicle they were travelling in was stuck by an explosive device.
No date has been set for the inquest to be resumed, although the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner's office has confirmed it will be held in Trowbridge.

Inquest of Afghan blast soldier

Cpl Barnes would have died instantly in the explosion, the inquest heard
A soldier was killed as he drove a makeshift ambulance back to base after assisting in the evacuation of an injured comrade, an inquest has heard.

Cpl Jason Barnes, who lived in Exeter, Devon, died on 22 July last year when his vehicle hit a mine in Afghanistan.

The 25-year-old Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineer was attached to the Parachute Regiment.

Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a narrative verdict that Cpl Barnes was killed on active service.

The inquest at Chelmsford, Essex heard troops had been defending a hydro-electric plant near Kajaki.

Trained armourer

Major Grant Haywood told the hearing that, during clashes with the Taleban, L/Cpl Tom Neathway had been injured in an explosion.

Cpl Barnes, who was driving a military doctor, was sent to meet L/Cpl Neathway while a helicopter was called to airlift the injured soldier to safety.

While returning to base, Cpl Barnes's Vector vehicle, which was being used as an ambulance, struck a mine.

The inquest heard the family of Cpl Barnes, who was married and had been based in Colchester, Essex, had concerns about why he had been driving the makeshift ambulance.

Maj Haywood told the hearing: "The raw fact was that, in Kajaki, we were limited by numbers."

'Well looked after'

Captain Matt Boyd, of the Royal Army Medical Corp, who was treating two soldiers in the back of the vehicle when the blast happened, told the inquest the front of the vehicle had been "trashed" and that Cpl Barnes' death would have been "pretty much instantaneous".

Cpl Barnes joined the Army as a 16-year-old in 1999 and later specialised in maintaining weapons as an armourer.

After the inquest his widow Diane said her husband had been well looked after by the Army, while his mother, Beverley Barnes, said she had been able to ask the questions she wanted to and was satisfied with the answers.

"I felt sorry for the poor young men who had to relive it," she said.

Following the hearing, the MoD confirmed Vector vehicles were being withdrawn from frontline action to cope with the "evolving threat from larger improvised explosive devices".

In a statement, an MoD spokesman said: "Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family, friends and former colleagues of Cpl Barnes at this difficult time.

"We have noted the Coroner's comments and will consider these along side the findings of our own investigations, to ensure that we learn lessons from this tragic incident."