'Skinny dippers' in hot water
2005-05-10 12:24
London - The British navy has punished a group of officers for apparently swimming naked in the Caribbean, the ministry of defence said on Tuesday.
The group of about six men and one woman belong to the crew of the destroyer HMS Liverpool, which is helping rebuild the island of Grenada after Hurricane Ivan.
After a meal ashore, the group went for a swim. The female officer, a doctor, wore a bikini and swam apart from her fellow officers, some of whom apparently were naked, a ministry spokesperson said.
The captain of the HMS Liverpool confined the officers to their ship until June 1 and removed their entitlement to drink alcohol while aboard the vessel, he said.
"This sort of behaviour was considered to be inappropriate, and action was taken to remind individual officers of the high standards expected, especially whilst overseas," the spokesperson added.
Hurricane Ivan swept through Grenada in September, killing 39 people and damaging or destroying nearly all the island's buildings.
- AP