§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information is in his possession which would indicate whether any naval ships from countries other than the United Kingdom were in the proximity of the Ocean Hound when it sank off the Kent coast on 10–11 August; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonRecords of the movements of non-United Kingdom naval ships in and around United Kingdom waters are not maintained unless they are operating in conjunction with Royal Navy vessels. There were no such joint operations in the vicinity of the Ocean Hound on 10–11 August.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether he has arranged for all records held by his Department with regard to the location of naval vessels in the area where the Ocean Hound sank on 10–11 August, to be made available to the marine accident investigation branch of the Department of Transport;
(2) if he will make available all records indicating which naval vessels were in the area off the Kent coast in which the Ocean Hound sank on 10–11 August; and what evidence there is that none of the naval ships in the area collided with the Ocean Hound.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThere were no Royal Navy ships or submarines at sea within 300 nautical miles of the area at the estimated time of the loss of the Ocean Hound. The marine accident investigation branch has been advised accordingly.