Royal Navy Goes Woke, Bans 'Offensive' Terms 'Unmanned' & 'Seaman'
British military latest to bow to pressure over fears of sexism
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The British Royal Navy has buckled under pressure to go "woke" and banned terms now deemed "offensive" because they are considered "male-themed."
The UK's military branch is following the Canadian Navy, which recently replaced the word "seaman" with "sea-person."
Britain's Navy will now replace "seaman" in rank titles and ban the use of "unmanned," "man overboard," and "manpower" in a bid to fight fears of sexism.
First Sea Lord Tony Radakin is leading the charge for the changes to be rolled out, arguing it causes female recruits to feel "excluded."
Sources said there was an acceptance within the force that some terms are no longer appropriate and considered problematic.
Leaders are now pushing to get rid of gendered terms wherever possible.
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It comes after the word "seaman" was dropped by the Canadian Navy, though this was reportedly due to its "double entendre," according to reports.
One senior officer told The Sun: "This is a pathetic, woke distraction from keeping Britain safe.
"The only reason to change the labels is if it's a barrier to recruiting women, but recruitment has never been stronger."
A source added: "The problem is that sea-person sounds a bit rubbish.
"There's a lot of history attached to the seaman rank and we know there will be resistance."
The Navy has found it difficult to recruit women in recent years.
It wasn't until 2012 that Sarah West, from Grimsby, became the first female captain of a major warship in the force's 500-year history.
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Commander West was responsible for a 185-strong crew on HMS Portland, a Type 23 frigate bristling with submarine-hunting kit, Sea Wolf and Harpoon missiles, Stingray torpedoes, and a Lynx attack helicopter.
She told the Mirror in 2014: "I'm really proud to be the first woman but I'm not reinventing the wheel.
"Lots of women in the services have challenging roles.
"It's just that I happen to be newsworthy at the moment.
"There are drawbacks though.
"Years at sea probably explains why I'm single.
"But every person in the military makes sacrifices."
Among Britain's other armed forces, there are a number of male-specific ranks including guardsman in the Army, with no female equivalents, but no similar plans to make changes have been unveiled.
The RAF is the only service with specifically female ranks.
