After sailing through four seas, three Gulfs, two oceans, one canal and completing three major surveys, Cdr Jon Holmes has said goodbye to survey ship HMS Enterprise.
On April 29, Cdr Holmes handed over the helm to Cdr Derek Rae at an important occasion on board ship for all on board, but particularly the off-going and on-coming captains.
A ship’s crews is like an extended family in many ways, and to extend the metaphor, the commanding officer is like a father or mother to the whole crew.
Not only is the ship a well-oiled, smoothly-running machine, but it is his machine and he is responsible to Queen and country for providing a military capability to defend and serve at sea.
The end of a period as a commanding officer on a Royal Navy ship is an emotional and memorable time, particularly when it has been as eventful as that of Cdr Holmes.
He took command in May 2010 and has taken his ship across a fair portion of the world’s oceans. He joined Enterprise in the Middle East near the start of the ship’s deployment, and he was in command for two large surveys in the area.
From there, he brought the ship back through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean in mid-2011, before plunging straight into a full eight-week work-up with the Navy’s Flag Officer Sea Training team.
Afterwards CO and ship deployed again to the British South Atlantic islands to carry out data-gathering operations.
And finally, he was the first commanding officer of the first SVHO (Survey Vessel Hydrographic and Oceanographic) to venture south of the roaring forties.
Cdr Holmes joined the Royal Navy as a Survey Recorder in 1985, progressing to Petty Officer Surveyor before commissioning, he completed Long Survey Course in 1999. His career has seen him in command of HMSML Gleaner, First Lieutenant of HMS Scott, and command of HM ships Pembroke, Ramsey and Bangor.
After a short period of time ashore, he was promoted to commander, and took command of HMS Enterprise in 2010. His relief is Cdr Derek Rae , who joined the Navy in 1994, and his career includes time on board HM ships Herald, Roebuck, Echo and Enterprise, as well as HMNZS Resolution on exchange.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, May 02, 2012; Image: royalnavy