Two Royal Navy ships that collided thanks to ‘faulty wiring’ will cost a whopping £25,000,000 to repair.
HMS Chiddingfold crashed into HMS Bangor while attempting to dock in Bahrain Harbour.
Chiddingfold had been incorrectly wired, it’s been reported, causing the ship to go into reverse instead of forward. No one was hurt.
Bangor, which was lying in port, received the most serious damage, including a hole in a cabin above the waterline, while Chiddingfold only suffered minor damage.
It’s estimated costs to repair the vessels will come to around £25,000,000, Forces News reports.
A video of the embarrassing blunder was posted on X last week.
Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, defence secretary Grant Shapps insisted the accident wasn’t down to incompetence.
He added: ‘Just as in aviation or many other walks of life sometimes accidents and incidents happen, there’s a full investigation under way.’
‘It’s right to leave the investigators some time to work out exactly what’s gone wrong. Something clearly did and we need to see what it is.’
The two minehunters had been based in the Middle East to ensure the safe flow of trade through the waters after increased attacks on vessels in the region.
Rear Admiral Edward Ahlgren said: ‘ We train our people to the highest standards and rigorously enforce machinery safety standards, but unfortunately incidents of this nature can still happen.’
This isn’t the first time Chiddingfold has collided with another ship in Bahrain. In April 2021, it struck HMS Penzance when trying to berth at the UK’s naval base there causing £100,000 worth of damage.
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