HMS Sultan welcomes newest Commanding Officer
HMS SULTAN has announced that Captain Mark Hamilton (Royal Navy) has officially become the thirty-second Commanding Officer (CO) at the training establishment, replacing former Captain Jo Deakin OBE who has moved on to join Training Management Group at the Naval Command Headquarters.
The new Commanding Officer formally took over the reigns in a ceremony earlier this week and now takes ‘Command’ of a number of crucial military departments. HMS Sultan is home to Royal Navy and Air Engineering which is delivered within the site; alongside the Defence Business Services (DBS), the Nuclear Faculty of the Royal Navy, Captain Naval Recruiting teams, AE Career Management Team and the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB).
Captain Hamilton said: “It is a great honour to assume Command of HMS Sultan and the Defence School of Marine Engineering and huge privilege to continue building on the fantastic work undertaken by my predecessor. As the home of Royal Navy Marine and Air Engineering HMS Sultan is long established as a world-class centre of engineering excellence, this is due in no small part to the exceptional Sultan team of Service personnel, civil servants, and contractors, who I look forward to working closely with. “
“My focus will be to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of modern training and technology, equipping engineers and technicians with the skills to embrace change, think innovatively, and to support operations anywhere around the globe. In addition, HMS Sultan has always played an active role within our local community, promoting STEM opportunities and I look forward to ensuring we continue to have a positive and close relationship.”
Captain Hamilton joins HMS Sultan following a successful period in DE&S as the Capital Ship Strategic Class Authority Team Leader where he oversaw the maintenance and ‘safe to operate’ aspects of the RN’s aircraft carriers and amphibious ship’s programmes. He is also no stranger to HMS Sultan as he was an Engineering Officer and has previously served as the Executive Officer from 2016 to 2018.
Across 25 years in the Royal Navy he has further undertaken diverse roles within the Marine Engineering sphere including three Charge assignments as Head of Department and Marine Engineer Officer(MEO). This includes stints with the patrol ship HMS Dumbarton Castle (2004), the T22 Frigate HMS Cornwall (2010) and as Cdr (ME) of HMS Queen Elizabeth (2018). These charge assignments provided the opportunity to deploy to the North and South Atlantic, conduct counter piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean, and continue the F35B flight trials off the Eastern Seaboard, USA.
Additionally, his Assistant and Deputy MEO training was conducted on T23 Frigates and he has served with both Portsmouth and Devonport Flotillas; first as the Squadron Engineer Officer to the First Patrol Boat Squadron in 2005 and as the Deputy Staff Marine Engineer Officer to Devonport Flotilla in 2011, enabling sea-riding of almost all classes of ships in the RN.
Recognised as Chartered Engineers (CEng) and Chartered Marine Engineer (CMarEng) in 2006, Captain Hamilton has been a fellow of Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST) since 2018.
PICTURED BY PEPE HOGAN: Captain Jo Deakin OBE hands over the reins at HMS Sultan to the new Commanding Officer, Captain Mark Hamilton.
