First Female Commander Sent Home!

 

The first female commander of a Royal Navy warship has been sent home after allegedly having an affair with another officer.

Commander Sarah West, 42, took charge of the frigate HMS Portland in May 2012, but has been sent home from duty after claims she was having a relationship with a male officer on the same ship.

This would breach the Armed Forces’ Code of Social Conduct, which prohibits personnel from having relationships with subordinates if they compromise ‘operational effectiveness’.

While the Royal Navy is investigating the affair, Cdr West, from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, retains her position as commander of HMS Portland.

It is not known whether the male officer is married.

Cdr West recently described herself as ‘single’, having been married to a former Royal Navy pilot in 1998. The pair later separated.

The military’s policy on relationships between servicemen and women is that they are permitted but that they must not undermine ‘trust and cohesion’ or damage ‘operational effectiveness’.

The types of disciplinary action that can be taken when military personnel breach the Code of Social Conduct include formal warning, official censure or the re-assignment of those involved.

In particularly serious cases, those who have breached the code can be sacked.