Sailors on a Royal Navy nuclear submarine were forced to share their food rations after their supplies nearly ran dry during a six-month patrol at sea.
Medics onboard the Vanguard-class vessel feared a ‘serious loss of life’ from fatigue and concentration lapses as the crew members split packets of sweets and hunted for leftover food.
The submarine was forced to patrol for half a year because of a shortage of vessels and plans to resupply at sea were scrapped for unknown reasons.
Chiefs asked the crew to hand in their sweets and chocolate and submariners searched for leftover food packets and cans.
Caffeine tablets were handed out amid fears of tiredness, which could have led to a critical mistake and the serious loss of life at sea, as off-duty sailors were also urged to sleep to save energy.
Medics onboard the Vanguard-class vessel feared a ‘serious loss of life’ from fatigue and concentration lapses as the crew members split packets of sweets and hunted for leftover food
Chiefs asked the crew to hand in their sweets and chocolate and submariners searched for leftover food packets and cans
The honesty shop in the canteen was also closed over fears of hoarding.
A source told The Sun: ‘It was miserable. If you weren’t on watch your movements were limited to conserve energy and you were encouraged to sleep to burn less calories.
‘Medical staff raised concerns about a serious loss of life due to fatigue and people either not concentrating or falling asleep on critical duties.’
Britain has a fleet of four Vanguard-class vessels, which act as the country’s ultimate weapon of last resort, able to rain down a devastating barrage of nuclear warheads from thousands of miles away.
Each of the 491ft behemoths can patrol undetected for months at a time, gliding silently beneath the waves.
But the shortage of working subs has led to longer patrols in recent times.
The boats can make their own air and water, so the only limit on their range is ‘the amount of food on board’.
In March, HMS Vengeance made her return home to His Majesty’s Naval Base in Clyde after an epic 201 days underwater.
Britain has a fleet of four Vanguard-class vessels, which act as the country’s ultimate weapon of last resort, able to rain down a devastating barrage of nuclear warheads from thousands of miles away (file image)
HMS Vengeance returning home to Faslane on March 17 after 201 days at sea
For the duration of the patrol, crew members were unable to contact their families, see sunlight or eat fresh food. Defrosted oranges and dried egg powder featured prominently in their staple diet.
On what was one of the longest Royal Navy submarine operations ever undertaken, their lives were measured out in six-hour shifts – while their days and nights were spent squeezed into a 491ft-long metal tube.
They had their sleep disrupted, were deprived of fresh air and many suffered vitamin deficiencies.
The Navy always remains tight-lipped about the movements of the vessels, as they are the last line of our defence.
MailOnline have approached the Roval Navy for a comment.