Captain Of Royal Navy's Largest Warship Flown Off Ship Amid Row Over Car
23 May 2019, 15:50 | Updated: 23 May 2019, 15:56
The captain of the Royal Navy's largest ever warship has been flown off the ship amid claims he misused an MoD car.
Commodore Nick Cooke-Priest, 50, was relieved of command of the warship after allegations he drove HMS Elizabeth's Ford Galaxy in his spare time 'like it was his own."
The Royal Navy confirmed the senior officer would no longer be in charge of the £3billion vessel after an investigation found he made an "error of judgement."
The Commodore was flown off the ship while it was at anchor in the Firth of Forth, a move which the Royal Navy said it was a "precautionary measure" in an "ongoing investigation".
The Navy earlier said Cdre Cooke-Priest was being "reassigned" duties, but would sail from Rosyth on the Firth of Forth to Portsmouth as planned.
Despite being removed from the ship, it is understood he remains officially in charge and will formally hand over to a new commanding officer of the £3bn carrier later this month.
Cdre Cooke-Priest was awarded an OBE in 2016.
