JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Police arrested six sailors with the Royal Navy following an unsanctioned happy hour in Jacksonville Beach.
The arrests happened after the United Kingdom's state-of-the-art aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, docked at Naval Station Mayport. After more than two weeks at sea for its maiden voyage, some of the 1,500 crew members descended into Jacksonville.
A handful of the crew made their way to Jacksonville Beach, where six were arrested for disorderly conduct, according to a report from the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
Two of the British sailors had to be Tasered, the report said.
Some of the visiting sailors made their way to Lynch's Irish Pub, though it's unclear if they were among those arrested.
"Some of the ones who had too much to drink were a little disrespectful to our Police Department," said Keith Doherty, the general manager at Lynch's Irish Pub.
Doherty said the majority of the issues occurred Wednesday night, hours after the ship docked.
"We noticed it picking up by 5 o'clock, and by 9 o'clock, it was as busy as St. Patrick's Day," Doherty said. "My security person denied (one) person entry because he was too drunk, so then he decided to climb over the bar."
Doherty said there should have been better communication between Naval Station Mayport officials and the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.
"They (officials) should have told our police chief there was going to be more than 1,000 sailors coming," Doherty said. "(Police) were overwhelmed, and the restaurants were, too."
According to Sgt. Larry Smith, the arrested sailors were charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and trespassing. They were released from custody and scheduled to be on the ship when it set sail Tuesday.
The ship planned to travel to Norfolk, Virginia, but that might change due to Hurricane Florence.
An 'embarrassing' situation
The Jacksonville Beach City Council met Monday evening to approve the city's budget and discuss plans to curb late-night crime near restaurants. The conversation also included the six arrested British sailors.
Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham said the city will adjust its approach the next time a large ship docks at Mayport.
"It's kind of embarrassing that it happened at all, but we did the right thing by getting control," Latham said. "It was especially embarrassing because the day after it happened I had lunch on the ship with a captain and the admiral and other couple of the other mayors. And I didn't know anything about it.
Latham said he was quickly informed after the luncheon and immediately got involved. In the future, Latham asked the Navy to get involved before anything gets out of hand.
"(It) doesn't matter what country tou come from of what your occupation is," Latham said. "We've got laws to enforce and that's what we're going to do."
