secret designs for a $1.6 billion submarine discovered in a public lavatory

The Royal Navy has launched a probe into an incident in which the plans of the torpedo mechanism for the Royal Navy’s newest nuclear-powered submarine were found lying on the floor inside a bathroom stall in a pub. The files were marked ‘official-sensitive’, the second level in the UK government’s three-tier classification scheme. The files included a description of the submarine’s hydraulics, which control torpedo hatches, steering and buoyancy. A Navy spokesperson said the files were “generic training documents,” but added that “the circumstances of their discovery” would be investigated. HMS Anson, which joined the fleet last year, is described as “the cutting edge of the United Kingdom’s military capabilities” and “world’s most advanced hunter-killer submarine.”