In the wee hours of Tuesday, after a night on the town, Josh Gayton was last seen on surveillance footage wearing little more than a T-shirt and pants.
Later that day, he was reported missing after failing to show up for duty at Faslane Naval Station.
Mr. Gayton’s loved ones made online pleas, posting descriptions and photos of the young submariner, and his shipmates began their search after he went missing.
An anonymous serving military commander has questioned the force’s decision not to inform military police.
He was last spotted in the Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, region; the 21-year-old from Worcestershire was likely not acquainted with the area.
The discovery of a body during the hunt for the sailor serving on one of the UK’s top secret nuclear submarines has cast doubt on his survival.
The lifeless body of the man was recovered in the sea off Helensburgh at about 6.20 pm on Sunday, according to a police spokesperson from Scotland.
Although the death is not being viewed as suspicious, a post-mortem examination is still scheduled.
They have alerted the family of Joshua Gayton, who was last seen in Helensburgh on Tuesday, April 16, although formal identification has not yet taken place.
Officers from Police Scotland communicated with Mr. Gayton just before his last known whereabouts, according to the force.
Mr. Gayton had been questioned by the police only one hour before his enigmatic disappearance.
According to a spokeswoman, the 21-year-old male was handed a fixed penalty notice in connection with a public urinating offense at 12:05 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, in West Clyde Street, Helensburgh.
Even though he was a serving member of the Royal Navy, his fellow servicemen are perplexed as to why they allowed him to go out into the night when he was drunk, poorly clad, and no one knew his whereabouts.
After the yet-to-be-identified corpse was found, the Navy announced last night that it was coordinating with Police Scotland.
