Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Royal Navy sailors hospitalized after drinking water on ship

A Royal Navy warship has returned to port in Britain after several sailors got sick from the vessel’s drinking water

Via AP news wire
Saturday 04 February 2023 10:02 GMT
Britain Navy Frigate
Britain Navy Frigate (AP2008)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Royal Navy warship has returned to port in Britain after several sailors got sick from the vessel’s drinking water, officials said Saturday

The navy said frigate HMS Portland had returned to its base at Portsmouth on England’s south coast on Friday “as a precautionary measure, following an issue with one of the ship’s fresh water systems.”

It said “a small number of personnel were taken to hospital as a precaution.”

The Daily Telegraph reported that a crew member put the wrong chemicals into the system that converts sea water to drinking water, but quickly realized the mistake and reported it to their superiors.

In recent months HMS Portland, a Type 23 frigate, has tracked Russian submarines in the North Sea, and helped monitor a Russian frigate and accompanying tanker as they sailed in international waters near the U.K.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in