A sailor of the RFA Bacchus fell asleep at the wheel and the ship deviated 104 degrees off course a Singapore Court was told on the 20 May 1957.

Able Seaman Edward Binnington who pleaded guilty to a charge of continued neglect of duty was sentenced to two weeks jail.

Chief Inspector Santa Singh, prosecuting, told the court that during his three months service with the ship Binnington fell asleep twice while on duty and was once absent from night watch when the ship was docked at Singapore.

RFA Bacchus (2)

Binnington, 21, pleaded for leniency.  He said that he had had a very trying day on the occasion he allowed the ship to get off course.

On the evening of that day, instead of catching up on lost sleep, he attended a cinema show to which he was invited. “When I finally went on duty at the wheel,” he said, “I just dropped off to sleep. I must have disturbed some mechanism when I slumped on the wheel and sent it in another direction.”