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UK Govt sacks Nuclear Submarine Medics, While Spending Up Big on Weapons

Submariners sacked at sea despite MoD promise, Swathes of sailors on submarines have been sacked at sea despite Ministry of Defence promises that no servicemen would be made redundant. Daily Telegraph, By , Defence Correspondent :04 Oct 2011

 A fifth of submarine medics serving on board Trident nuclear deterrent and hunter killer submarines have been axed, including one who cared for the wounded on the HMS Astute after a crewman went on the rampage.

It is understood that several sailors were told they were losing their jobs while conducting covert operations after their captains received a signal at sea from the Ministry of Defence.

The Navy sacked the personnel despite a previous promise that no-one from the overstretched and undermanned Submarine Service would be among the 5,000 sailors being made redundant.

Senior officers have condemned the MoD as “cack handed” for sacking the sailors while they were serving at sea.

Medical Assistants (Submariners), known as MASMs, play a key role as they have to give both primary and secondary care to personnel on board when the boats are many miles from land.

They also provide the main radiation checks and radiological safety on the Navy’s 11 nuclear powered submarines.

Their role is so important that if there are less than two on a Vanguard nuclear deterrent boat it cannot sail.

One of the medics sacked among the first tranche of 1,020 sailors axed on Friday was due to board a Vanguard-class boat at high readiness to sail from Faslane in Scotland….

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8804246/Submariners-sacked-at-sea-despite-MoD-promise.html

October 4, 2011 - Posted by | UK, weapons and war

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