Sailor jumps from ship in suicide bid

The Royal Navy said the male junior rating on HMS Diamond "went overboard" when the vessel was alongside at Portsmouth Naval Base. But it is understood the man jumped from the 1bn type-45 destroyer.

He was rescued from the freezing water by a Ministry of Defence launch on patrol at the base.

A Royal Navy spokesman said the rating, in his early 20s, was on duty at the time of the incident, in the early hours of Monday, and no one else was involved.

"The individual is receiving appropriate medical treatment. It is too early to say whether there will be an investigation," he said.

HMS Diamond, which has a crew of 180 and is considered one of the most advanced warships in the world, was delivered to the Navy in September and is undergoing sea trials.