Gary Walsh

**Gary Walsh** is a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy. He is a Marine Engineering Submariner assigned to the *Vanguard* class submarine HMS *Vigil*.

## Background

### Personal

Walsh was born on 27 May 1988 in Scotland. Both he and his brothers were in and out of the foster care system their entire childhoods, due to their abusive father and home life. One brother, Sam Walsh, became a heroin addict and user. His younger brother, Douglas Walsh and he joined the Royal Navy to escape, however Douglas was dishonourably discharged after being involved in a bullying incident, which later resulted in him committing suicide.

### Professional

Walsh enrolled in the Royal Navy on 12 April 2010, becoming a member of the Royal Navy Submarine Service. As an enlisted Marine Engineering Submariner (MESM) he works under the command of Engineering Officer Lt. Simon Hadlow.

## Series 1

### Episode 1

Walsh is asleep in his bunk when Lt. Simon Hadlow and LtCdr. Mark Prentice discover CPO Craig Burke apparently dying of a heroin overdose. After Burkes death, he and CPO Tara Kierly observe his body being carried out of the bunk room.

During her preliminary investigation into the death of CPO Craig Burke aboard HMS *Vigil*, DCI Amy Silva disturbs Walsh whilst he is sleeping when off watch.

### Episode 2

Having been rendered unconscious by the nitrogen and impact, Walsh is rescued by his colleague CPO Adams and another member of the engineering team, who enter the reactor chamber and put a mask on him before carrying him out. He is then taken to the medical bay and attended to by Surgeon Lt. Tiffany Docherty.

When questioned by DCI Amy Silva, he denies killing Burke but makes no attempt to hide that he disliked him due to what happened to his brother. It is later revealed through Silva's investigation, and questioning of Walsh by Coxn. Elliot Glover, that Burke smuggled heroin onboard *Vigil* in order to try and frame Burke for possession, and get him discharged from the navy. However, when he reported Burkes alleged drugs possession to LtCdr. Mark Prentice, the XO saw through his attempt and deduced he was trying to frame his shipmate. He confiscated the drugs and wrote Walsh up (although did not specify what for), and further elected not to inform Cpt. Neil Newsome. Prentice refers to this as a "judgement call", and he ultimately thought Walsh was a good sailor and didn't want to see him discharged and Burke remain enlisted. When this comes to light, Walsh is confined to his quarters by Newsome, and is told he will be court martialled.

### Episode 3

Confined to his quarters after confessing to bringing the heroin on board to frame Burke, Walsh is seen becoming unstable as Burkes memorial is played over the tannoy, and he begins drinking from a hidden bottle of whiskey. Prior to this, however, he is assured by colleague PO Tara Kierly that he has the crews support.

Inebriated, Walsh confronts Cpt. Neil Newsome on the boats bridge and asks to speak with him privately. He asks Newsome if he is still due to be discharged, and then goes on to mention "what happened at Port Havers". This infuriates Newsome, who accuses him of threatening him and dismisses him back to his cabin, warning him to keep his mouth shut. Walsh later sneaks into the unattended officers wardroom and obtains the keys to a weapons locker, arming himself with a Glock 17 pistol.

In a standoff with DCI Amy Silva and Coxn. Elliot Glover, a distraught and drunk Walsh briefly threatens Silva before threatening to take his own life, noting he has no prospects outside the navy should he be discharged. He also makes passing references to the incident at Naval Base Port Havers and someone named Harmison. Silva is eventually able to talk him down by telling him about her own struggles, primarily the fact that her partner Iain drowned when she prioritised saving her step-daughter Poppy, however as the two were not married she has been forbidden from seeing the little girl she raised by Iain's parents. Walsh drops the pistol and it is made safe by Glover. Inside Glover's office, Walsh freely speaks with Silva and reveals a conspiracy, and a considerably more concerning incident that almost occurred in Florida other than the crew of the *Vigil* becoming drunk and taking drugs on shore leave and test results being forged by Surgeon Lt. Tiffany Docherty.

He reveals that whilst the boat was docked at Port Havers, LH Ross Harmison, a junior mechanic in the engineering section, returned to *Vigil* whilst still drunk to relieve the duty watch monitoring the boats nuclear reactor that was on cooldown. However, whilst on watch he fell asleep due to his inebriated state, and didn't notice the cold water hose failing. This caused the reactor temperature to skyrocket, sending over-pressurised steam throughout the submarines old and corroded pipes. In the turbine room, two local American contractors from Davies Marine Services were working, and one of the pipes burst. This shot the highly pressurised steam into the room, cooking the two men alive and killing them. Walsh witnessed the immediate aftermath of this incident, after running to the location when he heard the mens screams. He and Harmison then contacted the Engineering Officer to initiate cooldown procedures on the reactor.

Walsh notes that if the temperature had become a few degrees hotter it could have caused a nuclear meltdown, resulting in a massive hydrogen explosion that would have killed untold numbers, comparing it to Fukashima. He confirms that Cpt. Neil Newsome knew about it, and all crew who were aware of the incident were sworn to silence, with Harmison being transferred to HMS *Riffa* naval base in Bahrain. The deaths of the two contractors were covered up to make it appear they had drowned. Walsh remarks that although Harmison messed up, the real reason disaster almost struck is due to the *Vanguard* class submarines being "on their last legs", old and not fit for purpose due to lack of appropriate safeguards, something that the Royal Navy does not want to admit to given their Trident payload.

## Trivia

* On certain Scottish Police Service and Royal Navy records, his title is incorrectly given as a Weapons Engineer Officer (EWO).