Navy commander faces court martial

Commander Richard Farrington will face a hearing in Portsmouth

A Royal Navy warship's commanding officer is to face a court martial after his vessel crashed into rocks off the coast of Australia.

Commander Richard Farrington, and three of his former colleagues from HMS Nottingham, will attend a disciplinary hearing at Portsmouth Naval Base.

The other officers facing court martial are second-in-command Lieutenant Commander John Lea, navigator Lieutenant Andrew Ingham and officer of the watch Lieutenant James Denney.

Repair work

The navy has not yet announced what charges the four will face at the hearing.

HMS Nottingham, a Type 42 destroyer worth £78m, ran onto rocks off Lord Howe Island in July last year, leaving a 100ft scar down its side.

HMS Nottingham was carried back to Britain

It was carried back to Portsmouth by a Dutch rescue vessel for repairs, arriving back in Britain just before last Christmas.

Repairs to the hull were completed this July, which involved the removal and replacement of 100 tonnes of steelwork as well as the removal of the ship's turbines.

But work, which has cost £42m, is still being carried out to repair wiring and other internal structures affected by the water.