THE British navy has completed a discreet clean-out of the senior figures involved in the debacle over the arrest by Iranian Revolutionary Guards of 15 British sailors and marines.Those involved in the Royal Navy's humiliation at the hands of Tehran have been pushed out of their high-profile jobs as part of an attempt to sweep away any reminder of the debacle, regarded as one of the biggest humiliations to befall the navy since the failure of Admiral Byng to relieve Minorca in 1756. He was executed for his incompetence.
The victims include two vice-admirals, the captain of the ship on which the boat crews served and a senior official in the failed public relations operation that followed their return to Britain.
There was widespread anger when the 15 sailors and marines, including a woman, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, gave up without firing a shot after being left with no helicopter cover during the standoff in March last year when they were boarding suspect vessels in the Gulf to check for insurgents or contraband.
Tehran said they were in Iranian waters when seized by Revolutionary Guards. The British insisted they were in international waters.
The crew were released after 13 days' captivity and shown in front of television cameras in ill-fitting suits talking to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. They thanked the Iranian authorities for their good treatment. The seven sailors and eight marines were then given "goody bags" to take home.
The navy's embarrassment was compounded by the decision to allow two of the arrested sailors, Turney and Able Seaman Arthur Batchelor, the youngest at 20, to sell their stories to British tabloid newspapers. Batchelor made it worse when he revealed the extent of his ordeal while in Iranian custody involved his jailers flicking their fingers against his neck, calling him "Mr Bean" and confiscating his iPod.
Then prime minister Tony Blair insisted there would be "no witch-hunt" and no individuals were blamed for the fiasco or the decision to allow the sailors to sell their stories. Behind the scenes, however, senior figures have departed. The most senior was Vice-Admiral Charles Style, assistant chief of the defence staff in charge of operations, who had the job of explaining to the media what had happened. Defence sources claim he was unfairly treated. Vice-Admiral Sir Adrian Johns, the second sea lord, who publicly took the blame for approving the decision to allow Turney and Batchelor to sell their stories, was also replaced.