Fresh inquiry into alleged ’sex with female sailors’ scam aboard Oz Navy ship

CANBERRA - A fresh inquiry has been called to ascertain whether some sailors aboard Australian Navy ship, HMAS Success, were running a sex ring last year, after the initial investigation was found to be biased.

In May 2009, four sailors aboard the HMAS Success were sent home for allegedly staging a contest to see how many women sailors they could bed during an extended sea voyage.

They reportedly detailed their contest in a document called The Ledger, where dollar values were placed on each potential conquest.

Larger amounts were offered if the sailors could sleep with a female officer or a lesbian and sailors challenged each other to have sex in various locations, including on top of a pool table.

The arrangement was discovered while HMAS Success was visiting Singapore.

The Australian Defence Force Investigative Service conducted an independent inquiry, but Defence Force chief Angus Houston said he was very disappointed, as problems had been found in the initial inquiry, which did not hand down any findings.

In announcing the inquiry, Australian Defence Minister John Faulkner said a retired senior judge would be appointed to head the fresh investigation.

No details about who will lead the inquiry were given although retired High Court justice Michael Kirby is a possibility.

Faulkner has declared the issue of navy culture to be one of his priorities, and said: “Ensuring that my personnel behave appropriately, ashore and at sea, is fundamental to the cultural reform that I am driving.”

Meanwhile, Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said that he regretted the need for a new inquiry into the allegations, but admitted that problems with the initial investigation had been identified.

“It is imperative that serious matters such as this are dealt with thoroughly,” News.com.au quoted Houston, as saying in a statement. (ANI)