Royal Navy welcomes newly appointed Commander

The Royal Navy has welcomed its newly appointed Commander of the Maritime Reserves at a handover ceremony in Portsmouth.

Commodore Martin Quinn, a Royal Navy Reservist, takes up the role from outgoing Commodore Andrew Jameson, who has been appointed Commodore Naval Legal Services.

The ceremony took place on HMS Victory and the official handover documents were signed in front of the Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock OBE, Flag Officer Reserves, Rear Admiral Simon Williams CVO, Reserve Headquarters staff, family and friends.

Commodore Quinn inspected a Guard of Honour that was made up of reservists from across the country and led by a Guard Commander from HMS Hibernia, Commodore Quinn’s parent Unit.

Commodore Quinn said: “It is a great privilege to take command of the Maritime Reserves building on all that has been achieved by my predecessor.”

“It’s an exciting time for the Maritime Reserves. Over the past few years, the Reserves have been through a tremendous period of growth. Under the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) programme recruiting has increased, Terms of Service have been improved and investment has been made in Reserve infrastructure”.

“I am determined to support the Maritime Reserves through the next phase of FR20, building on the good work that has gone on so far, growing our numbers and continuing to provide fully trained, motivated and professional people who, as part of the whole force approach, deliver consistently to the Royal Navy and UK Defence operations.”

“My mission is clear – I am tasked to deliver the operational capability that Navy Command requires from its Reserve Forces and I very much look forward to playing my part in this.”

Commodore Quinn joined the Royal Navy from school in 1981 and left regular service to join the Reserves in 2003. He started his career as a weapons engineer before re-training as a logistician, serving on board HMS Illustrious, HMS Intrepid and three Polaris-class nuclear submarines HMS Renown, Revenge and Resolution. As a reservist he served in Sierra Leone, Malta and USA before being mobilised to Afghanistan as the Chief Media Operations Officer to the Commander of NATO coalition forces in Kabul.

As a media specialist he headed up the Media Operations Specialisation in 2007 before assuming command of HMS Hibernia in 2010, overseeing the relocation of the Unit from HMS Caroline, the historic WW1 light cruiser in Belfast Harbour, to a new purpose-built unit in Lisburn, NI.

Commodore Quinn joins a select band of reservists who have achieved the top post in the Maritime Reserves.

Balancing his time in the RNR with a career as a civil servant, he enjoyed a two year secondment from the civil service to serve full-time as Deputy Commander Maritime Reserves before taking up the full-time role as Commander Maritime Reserves.

With the hand over complete, Commodore Jameson said: “It has been a great privilege to have served as the Commander of the Maritime Reserves for the last three years.”

“Soon after I started in the role, the Government published the FR20 White Paper, which set out an exciting vision for the Reserve Forces. I believe we have responded well to that challenge, growing substantially in numbers, confidence, professionalism and ambition.”

“There is still work to undertake in order to meet all the opportunities but, with the extra impetus of the successful outcome of the SDSR 2015 for the Navy, the future for the RNR and the RMR is very bright indeed.”

“I have immensely enjoyed meeting many hundreds of reservists over the last three years and I have never failed to be impressed by their level of professionalism and commitment. I am delighted that I am being relieved by a one-star RNR officer, and I leave with the absolute confidence that the Maritime Reserves will continue to flourish.”

Image: Royal Navy