Royal Navy bids to boost morale by reinstating the ROLLNECK JUMPER!

  • Submariners want the rules relaxed so they can wear rollneck jumpers on shore
  • They can only don the traditional knitwear when at sea under current Navy rules
  • The merino wool sweaters, which cost £70, form an important part of the submariners’ image

By Mark Nicol and Nick Craven for The Mail on Sunday

Published: | Updated:

When Navy chiefs asked submariners what would improve their morale, higher pay and better equipment topped the list.

But the sailors also suggested a cheaper option likely to catch the eye of top brass: allowing them to wear their classic white roll-neck jumpers more often.

At the moment, crews can only don the traditional knitwear when at sea, but the sailors want the rules relaxed so they can wear the sweaters on shore, too.

The crew of HMS Tuna are pictured after a mission in 1943 wearing rollneck jumpers. A modern survey of submariners, designed to tackle high turnover, suggested the rules on wearing the jumpers should be relaxed

The crew of HMS Tuna are pictured after a mission in 1943 wearing rollneck jumpers. A modern survey of submariners, designed to tackle high turnover, suggested the rules on wearing the jumpers should be relaxed

And the items could even be treated as trophies, handed out to recruits after they pass their submarine training.

The merino wool sweaters, which cost £70, form an important part of the submariners’ image, not least because of their appearance in heroic war movies such as the 1955 classic Above Us The Waves starring John Mills.

Submariners suggested the rules be relaxed when quizzed as part of an internal report designed to tackle high turnover among the 5,000 members of the so-called Silent Service, which has traditionally been attributed to the isolation of spending up to 90 days at a time below the surface.

The senior officer who compiled the report, a Commander Grey, said: ‘The traditional wearing of white jumpers is perhaps seen as more popular for the submariner and its wider use is encouraged.’

He suggests that senior officers should ‘amend regulations to permit the regular wearing of white submariner jumpers within naval bases. 

Every submariner should be given a jumper on completion of their basic submarine qualification, along with their Dolphins’ – the coveted lapel badge they earn.

Cdr Grey’s report, based on three months of research and originally classified as ‘sensitive’, was released by the Ministry of Defence following a Freedom of Information request.

It suggests a number of measures to help stem the loss of personnel, including cash bonuses, tax-free pay for secret missions, better meals, handing out more medals and hiring cleaners to take out rubbish after long underwater missions.

The jumpers were also worn in heroic war films, including Above Us The Waves. At the moment, crews can only don the traditional knitwear when at sea, but the sailors want the rules relaxed so they can wear the sweaters on shore, too

The jumpers were also worn in heroic war films, including Above Us The Waves. At the moment, crews can only don the traditional knitwear when at sea, but the sailors want the rules relaxed so they can wear the sweaters on shore, too

Crews were also critical of their salaries, especially when compared with MPs’ pay hikes. 

‘The standard one per cent pay rise is always accompanied by an increase in accommodation or meal costs,’ the report states. ‘Placed alongside the higher pay rises of politicians, the negative impact on morale is clear.’

It is unknown which, if any, recommendations the MoD will adopt.

Cdr Grey was asked to look into personnel turnover after previously investigating the sex and cocaine scandals aboard the nuclear-armed sub HMS Vigilant in 2017. 

Its skipper, Commander Stuart Armstrong, was relieved of duty after it emerged that he had slept with a female subordinate, and that nine members of his crew had been caught taking cocaine.

Although Cdr Grey’s report was released by the MoD and labelled ‘Official’, the Royal Navy last night claimed: ‘This is part of an unofficial and unauthorised study and it would be inappropriate to comment.’

In the secretive world of the MoD, even a report about knitwear regulations is censored before being made public. As so much of the document has been redacted, some ideas suggested to boost the morale of submariners will remain a mystery. The paper was originally classified as ¿Official¿ and was released by the MoD after a Freedom of Information request. But absurdly the Navy now claim it is ¿unofficial and unauthorised¿

In the secretive world of the MoD, even a report about knitwear regulations is censored before being made public. As so much of the document has been redacted, some ideas suggested to boost the morale of submariners will remain a mystery. The paper was originally classified as ‘Official’ and was released by the MoD after a Freedom of Information request. But absurdly the Navy now claim it is ‘unofficial and unauthorised’

Most watched News videos

Comments 69

Share what you think

  View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

  View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.