'NAVY TREATED THEM LIKE DIRT' Death sub families' fury.

Byline: BY JEREMY ARMSTRONG

THE devastated families of two sailors killed in an explosion on a nuclear submarine angrily blamed the Ministry of Defence yesterday for their deaths.

Their comments came after a seven-week inquest into mechanics Anthony Huntrod and Paul McCann concluded they were killed due to the "systemic failings" of the MoD.

Anthony, 20, of Sunderland, died from multiple injuries while Paul, 32, was poisoned by carbon monoxide when the recycled oxygen generator they were using blew up on HMS Tireless hundreds of metres beneath the Arctic ice off Alaska.

Coroner Derek Winter said the Navy's failure to see the dangers in using second-hand generators to save money had cost the men their lives.

Anthony's dad Alan, 49, later warned military personnel would continue to die due to poor equipment.

"The Army, Air Force and Navy treat their personnel like dirt," he said. "They are just a number to the Ministry of Defence. They are giving them recycled, second-hand equipment and expect them to do a job."

The self-contained oxygen generator, known as a Scog, which caused the tragedy is believed to have been from a supply of almost 1,000 found in a Hazardous Waste Store close to the Royal Naval port in Plymouth, the inquest in Sunderland heard.

Civil servant Christopher Clark sent them back into service and the coroner stated: "He was keen to make a cost saving by returning unused Scogs. He did not give any consideration to the safety implication."

The two men were trapped for 44 minutes as crew mates frantically tried to reach them through buckled doors - but even the rescue was hampered by lack of proper training, with sailors unaware a crowbar was available.

It would have been too late for Anthony but Paul, of Halesowen, West Mids, may have been saved, the hearing was told.

The coroner's narrative verdict stated "systemic failures led to the contamination and damage" of the generators.

Anthony's mum Brenda Gooch, 47, said later: "Two young men died through a lack of duty to care for their safety."

Paul's parents Brian, 67, and Pauline, 62, also warned of more needless deaths.

Commodore Jake Moores, who wept as he comforted Paul's sister Sharon, 38, after the hearing, apologised for the role the Navy played in the 2007 tragedy.

And last night Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said: "I would like to unreservedly apologise to the families for the avoidable failings, for which this department is responsible, which brought about this tragic incident."

The Navy says it has now replaced oxygen generators to ensure it does not happen again.

They are giving them recycled and second-hand equipment

ANTHONY'S FATHER ALAN HUNTROD

CAPTION(S):

ANGUISH Anthony's parents Alan Huntrod and Brenda Gooch after the verdict yesterday; VICTIMS Anthony, left, and Paul died in blast; TRAGEDY HMS Tireless was in the Arctic; GRIEF Navy's Moores and Paul's dad Brian