Navy criminal investigators are looking into who secretly filmed female officers of a submarine crew while they were showering and changing clothes aboard the boat’s unisex bathrooms, a U.S. Navy official confirms to CNN.
An incident report filed with the Navy last month alleges at least three female officers were videotaped at various times over a year long period. The recordings might then have been distributed to some members of the crew.
The incidents took place on board the USS Wyoming, which is currently on deployment, The Navy does not discuss the exact locations of its submarines when they are at sea. For now, no one has been taken into custody or removed from the boat, the official said.
In a letter obtained by CNN, Navy Vice Adm. M.J. Connor wrote that “an investigation is in progress.” He also noted the women affected were provided assistance and the alleged perpetrators were removed from the ship pending the investigation’s results.
“Incidents that violate the trust of our sailors go against every core value we hold sacred in our naval service,” he wrote. “We go to war together with the confidence that we can rely on each other in ALL circumstances, and incidents of sailors victimizing other sailors represent an extreme breach of that trust!”
Connor wouldn’t elaborate on the specifics of the case since the investigation is ongoing.
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On board submarines, when women are using bathroom facilities they typically post a sign the area is in use by females. The navy believes the hidden camera may have also captured video of men using the facility at other times, but only the video of the women was distributed.
The first women were eligible to serve on submarines starting December 2011.
“The Navy has successfully integrated women into our aviation, surface warfare and expeditionary warfare communities,” Connor wrote in the letter. “It would be inaccurate to say that we achieved this without incident, but I can say unequivocally that we are a better force because of that integration.”
CNN’s Justin Peligri contributed to this report.
This story was updated to contain additional reporting
