Lieutenant Samuel Hanney was convicted at Bulford Military Court for neglecting his duties on the HMS Sutherland. The Royal Navy officer left an unqualified trainee alone on the bridge during a voyage in April 2025.
The 21-minute gap on the HMS Sutherland bridge
The incident occurred on April 3, 2025, while the HMS Sutherland, a £143 million Type 23 anti-submarine frigate, was traveling from Plymouth to Lyme Bay, Dorset. According to the report, Lieutenant Samuel Hanney left his post for a period that computer data suggests lasted from 04:09 am to 04:30 am. This 21-minute absence left the bridge without a qualified offficer of the watch.
During this window, Lieutenant Samuel Hanney retreated behind a curtain designed to block computer light from obscuring the crew's night vision. While he claimed he was producing meteorological charts and was only gone for 14 minutes, the prosecution argued that any such duration was an unacceptable breach of safety protocols for a vessel of the HMS Sutherland's size and complexity.
Lieutenant Thomas McNally's 100-hour qualification gap
The vulnerability of the ship was exacerbated by the lack of experience of the remaniing crew member. Lieutenant Thomas McNally, who was acting as the second officer of the watch, had completed only 100 of the 600 hours required to qualify for the role. As reported, Lieutenant Thomas McNally was technically shadowing Lieutenant Samuel Hanney and was not authorized to maintain the watch independently.
Testimony from the Bulford Military Court revealed a breakdown in the chain of command.. Lieutenant Thomas McNally described feeling "nervous and scared," stating that he froze when he realized no one was looking out the window. Although he eventually reported the lapse to another crew member and the captain, he admitted in court that he lacked the confidence to insist that Lieutenant Samuel Hanney return to his post immediately.
Commander Thomas Boeckx's five-minute limit
The severity of the negligence was framed by the strict operational standards of the Royal Navy. Commander Thomas Boeckx,a fleet navigating officer,testified that officers of the watch are typically permitted to be away from the bridge for only two to three minutes. According to the report, Commander Thomas Boeckx stated that five minutes is the absolute maximum allowable absence.
The court heard that any unintentional absence of 14 minutes would be classified as professional incompetence requiring retraining. However, because the absence on the HMS Sutherland was deemed deliberate, it was categorized as negligence. This distinction underscores the Royal Navy's expectation that a fully qualified officer, like Lieutenant Samuel Hanney, must prioritize the safety of the ship over administrative tasks.
From Russian shadow fleet intercepts to bridge negligence
This lapse in discipline occurs against a backdrop of heightened maritime tension. The HMS Sutherland had recently been deployed to support operations intercepting a Russian shadow fleet vessel off the south coast of Britain. The transition from high-stakes geopolitical intercepts to a basic failure of bridge watchkeeping highlights a concerning inconsistency in operational readiness .
The Royal Navy relies on the rigid adherence to watchkeeping protocols to prevent collisions and ensure security in contested waters. When a £143 million asset is left under the sole supervision of an unqualified trainee, the risk extends beyond a single voyage to the broader strategic capability of the fleet in the English Channel.
The pending sentence for Lieutenant Samuel Hanney
While Lieutenant Samuel Hanney has been found guilty of negligent performance of a duty, the Bulford Military Court has not yet handed down a sentence... It remains unclear whether this incident was an isolated lapse in judgment or if it points to a wider culture of complacency among officers on Type 23 frigates.
Furthermore, the court documents do not specify if the Royal Navy has implemented new supervisory checks to ensure trainees like Lieutenant Thomas McNally feel empowered to challenge senior officers. the final sentencing will likely serve as a signal to the rest of the fleet regarding the consequences of abandoning a primary lookout responsibility.
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