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HMS Tireless Inquest
24/03/2009
Criminal Regulatory & Environmental
James Maxwell-Scott (instructed by Hill Hofstetter LLP) represented the manufacturer of a self-contained oxygen generator (SCOG) which exploded onboard the Royal Navy nuclear submarine, HMS Tireless, killing Anthony Huntrod and Paul McCann in March 2007.
HM Coroner for Sunderland returned a detailed narrative verdict following a 6 week inquest. He found that the SCOG exploded because it had become contaminated whilst in the custody of the MoD.
The narrative verdict stated that the SCOG which exploded had been manufactured in accordance with the manufacturer's production procedures, which were satisfactory. It also stated that the SCOG would not have exploded if it had been handled, inspected, stored and stowed by the MoD in accordance with the manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet, which contained proper warnings as to the risk of explosion and fire.
