Sailor Sophie Brook was in charge of the periscope on the submarine when a senior officer stood next to her, put his penis in a pocket, and ended up punching her in the kidneys for "looking away from the mast". Another officer waited for her one day naked in her bunk, and another tried to slip between the sheets while kissing her. Her bras systematically disappeared from the laundry, and she frequently found naked women's photos in her locker.
A member of the medical staff once joked in front of her if she was willing to undergo a "cervical exam" in front of her colleagues. One day she was informed that her name was at the top of the so-called Crush Depth Rape List, a supposed list of violations at "crush depth" that circulated among the sailors, who occasionally "sniffed" at the passing female sailors during the long dives.
The pressure she was under, forced to spend weeks breathing a claustrophobic and testosterone-charged atmosphere, took a toll on her mental health, to the point where she ended up self-harming and requesting medical leave. In October 2022, she could not take it anymore and decided to tell everything in explosive statements to The Daily Mail.
Until then, the story that made headlines about female sailors in the Royal Navy was that of Jodie McSkimmings, dismissed from the service for sexually assaulting three male colleagues during a tumultuous survival expedition in Norway. Sophie Brook turned the news around and exposed the systematic harassment that women are subjected to, who make up only 10% of the Royal Navy personnel.
Her public complaint led to an official investigation that revealed up to 71 incidents, with 43 sailors and officers under investigation. Eighteen of them have been dismissed, four have been demoted, and six have been disciplined. Admiral Lord Ben Key recently presented the report, praised Sophie Brook's bravery, and apologized to all female personnel for the "unacceptable behavior" perpetuated on the submarines.
The investigation, which began in 2014, identified the existence of "widespread misogyny" and "a pornographic locker room culture" on the submarines, tolerated by senior officers, criticized for their "poor ethics" and "lack of leadership qualities".
Sophie Brook feels vindicated after two years, but warns that the Royal Navy must go beyond gestures and take concrete actions: "This investigation has brought to the surface a culture that has been allowed for too long in the elite bodies of our armed forces," she told the BBC, in a direct reference to the sexism scandal that has also recently shaken the Red Arrows pilots.
"We must ensure that no one is subjected to the harassment and abuse that have affected my mental health and that of countless colleagues," Brook warned. "Our fight is not over until submarine personnel are treated with respect, dignity, and equality."