Shannon Deery and Sharri Markson
Courier Mail
1 June 2008

SEXY TV drama Sea Patrol is in the gun from navy officers who say its raunchy storylines are making a mockery of the force.

Naval Association of Australia president Les Dwyer has accused the popular Channel Nine show of undermining one Australia's proudest and most regimented institutions.

``The amount of sex on the show is simply a bloody joke,'' Mr Dwyer said.

The revelation comes days after the Defence Department launched an investigation into allegations screen star Tania Zaetta had sex with Australian special forces soldiers during a recent Afghanistan tour. Mr Dwyer _ who served as a senior naval officer _ says the program is an insult to navy personnel, past and pres ent. Series two of the popular show has seen increasingly steamy scenes aboard HMAS Hammersley.

One storyline sees golden Logie girl Lisa McCune, Ian Stenlake and Ditch Davey ensnared in a love triangle.

Now navy stalwarts have questioned the force's five-year deal with the show's producers, giving it access to ships, personnel and equipment, library footage and technical advice.

``It makes a mockery of the incredible lengths that the navy and Department of Defence have taken to ensure that interpersonal relation ships are kept at a professional level,'' Mr Dwyer said. ``The reality is, some of it is absolutely absurd.

``It is certainly fictional, I would suspect 20 per cent actually reflects naval life.

``It's not a party aboard any naval vessel in the Royal Australian Navy, wherever it may be.

``Male and female relationships are interdependent and the navy relies on this for successful operation.''

An official for Defence Force Recruitment _ the agency responsible for Aust ralian Defence Force recruits _ admitted the series exaggerated the sexier side of the profession.

While Sea Patrol was part of a wider recruitment strategy to target males and females in the 17-24 age bracket, the official said the show did not reflect the realities of life at sea.

``It's a dramatisation and it glamorises certain elements,'' the official said.

``It emphasises the interplay of relationships and some of the spicier moments they get involved in and the danger for the sake of the storyline.''

But he was very clear that there was a ``no fraternising'' policy in the navy, and employees needed to report romantic affairs to their super visors. He said the navy monitored every episode and was on hand to provide advice.

Another navy official said the organisation was perfectly happy with Sea Patrol.

``Navy is pleased to have been involved in the develop ment of Sea Patrol and is happy with how it portrays navy in the context of a drama series,'' she said.