The family wish for their privacy to be respected throughout the course of the six week inquest and this will be the only statement they will make until the inquest comes to a close.

The family of a Royal Navy submariner who was killed in a submarine explosion have told of their wishes for an open and honest inquest into the death of their son.

Alan Huntrod, 56, and Brenda Gooch, 47, of Town End Farm, Sunderland said: “An open and honest inquest is what is needed in order to find some acceptance for the loss of Anthony. It is not just for us but for all those who have to live with that fateful night when fellow submariners and friends died.

“This inquest is about speaking up for Anthony whose life was taken away. We hope it will help us to move forward. However, we fear complete closure will never happen. It is something we feel is impossible after losing our child.”

Andrew McDonald from Thompsons Solicitors, which represents the family, added: “This inquest is an important milestone. It will be a long process with over 100 witnesses but we hope it will provide some much needed answers on what happened to cause an incident with such devastating results during a peacetime training exercise.”

Anthony was 20 when he died on HMS Tireless on March 21, 2007 during a training exercise in Alaska.

The former Castle View School pupil joined the Navy when he was 18 and passed out after eight weeks from HMS Raleigh in Plymouth on his 19th birthday.

Anthony’s inquest will be attended by over 100 witnesses.

This news story was also published by The Northern Echo and The Journal.