A female officer has been accused of having sex on a nuclear submarine. Sub-Lieutenant Rebecca Edwards, in her 20s, is alleged to have had an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a crew member on board the HMS Vigilant when it was stationed in the North Atlantic, reports the Metro.

Commander Stuart Armstrong, 41, who is divorced, was relieved of his duty last month after some of his crew revolted over the alleged incident. The submarine had been headed to the United States to retrieve new Trident nuclear warheads when the initial reports emerged.

A source told the Sun, ‘An investigation is ongoing but this is not good for either of them. ‘Something seriously wrong happened on HMS Vigilant and we are trying to the bottom of it.’

The submarine’s second-in-charge, Lt Cdr Michael Seal, is also alleged to have had sexual relations with another unnamed female officer. All the crew involved have been taken off the submarine while the alleged incidents are being investigated.

There is currently a ban on senior officers having relationships with subordinates and there is also a ‘no touching’ policy on UK submarines. Women were only permitted to serve on the vessels in 2011 when a ban was lifted.

A spokesman for MoD said, ‘We can confirm the Royal Navy is undertaking an investigation. ‘While this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to discuss further.’