Royal Navy Engineer Injured in HMS Prince of Wales Explosion Sues MoD for £100,000

A Royal Navy engineer has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after suffering a serious arm injury during an explosion aboard the HMS Prince of Wales, according to court documents.

Matthew Walker, 38, claims the incident left him with permanent damage to his right arm after shrapnel struck him while conducting routine maintenance on the ship’s emergency fire safety systems.

Having served in the Royal Navy for two decades, Walker is seeking compensation of over £100,000, stating that the injury has rendered him unfit for active deployment.

While the MoD has accepted primary responsibility for the accident, it is disputing the severity of Walker’s injuries and suggesting that he was partially responsible for the incident.

According to legal filings submitted to the High Court, Walker, from Fareham, Hampshire, was stationed in Portsmouth as part of the HMS Prince of Wales crew when the accident occurred in May 2021. He was tasked with maintaining the fire suppression system that protects the ship’s forward complex magazines and had identified several leaks in the high-pressure pipes.

Walker’s legal team claims that after he fixed the leaks, he raised the system pressure to the standard operating level of 4,000 PSI. However, this led to an “unexpected discharge” of high-pressure nitrogen, which blasted Walker’s right hand.

Court papers describe how shrapnel, released at the same moment, became embedded in Walker's right hand and arm, causing significant internal damage. The pressurized nitrogen also formed pockets under his skin, compounding the severity of the injury.

Despite continuing to serve in the Navy, Walker has reportedly been left with a weakened and painful right arm, rendering him “non-deployable.”

Walker’s legal representatives argue that the MoD exposed him to “unnecessary and foreseeable risks” by failing to ensure the safety of the high-pressure system. They claim the MoD is responsible for the hazardous conditions that caused the injury.

In its defense, the MoD has acknowledged liability for the incident but contests the full extent of Walker’s claims. The defense asserts that Walker’s own actions may have contributed to the accident and disputes the amount of compensation requested, denying the stated value of the lawsuit and questioning the nature and extent of his injuries.

Unless an out-of-court settlement is reached, the case will be heard in court at a later date.