British sailor named Reggie Moondogg charged with murder aboard nuclear sub

A British sailor charged with the murder of a fellow crew member and the attempted murders of three others on board a nuclear submarine was leading a secret double life as a wannabe rapper named Reggie Moondogg — listed on a website as being one of the "craziest name changes" of 2009.

Able Seaman Ryan Samuel Donovan, 22, appeared in a British court Monday charged with the shooting murder of Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux, 36, a father of four, on board HMS Astute while it was docked in Southampton, U.K., last Friday, according to the U.K. Press Association.

An officer, Lt.-Cmdr. Christopher Hodge, 45, was seriously wounded in the incident, which took place as local dignitaries were being given a tour of the submarine.

Both officers had been on a panel which recently denied Donovan a place on a mission.

Donovan joined the Royal Navy three years ago, but according to the Telegraph questions had been raised over his suitability for the Navy after news of the name change emerged.

Relatives of Donovan — who reportedly changed his name by deed poll in 2009 during an attempt to launch a career as a rap musician — have told the British press that he was desperate to get off the ship after altercations with other crew members.

A female relative told Britain's Daily Telegraph that Donovan’s relationships with a number of crew members had deteriorated in recent weeks and that senior officers were aware of his unhappiness but had failed to act to address the problems.

Parliamentarians have demanded to know how Donovan was vetted before being allowed to join the crew of the submarine, according to the Daily Mail.

One British lawmaker, Mike Hancock, also a defense expert, reportedly said: "Whatever the outcome of these charges I am surprised that this man was on a nuclear submarine — calling himself Reggie Moondogg, joining the Navy, getting recruited to serve on a submarine and then being given a weapon to guard it."

Adm. James Perowne, president of the Submariners Association, meanwhile, said life on board a submarine could be difficult but they soon learned how to deal with problems.

“Submariners are not special people, they are ordinary people but they live in such close conditions, 70 or 80 days at sea in the case of nuclear submarines," he said, according to the Daily Mail. "If you have a row with someone you can’t let it fester. You have to deal with it, sort it out and then get on with things. In a way it is the submarine that makes the man rather than the other way round.”

Donovan was remanded in custody to appear at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday Apr. 13.