A recently retired Royal Navy Commodore has been recognised for 35 years dedicated service to the UK in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Until retiring in February this year, John Keegan was Commodore Maritime Reserves, based at Royal Navy Headquarters on Whale Island, Portsmouth.
But it was for his “diverse” and “selfless” career in the Navy that he has now been awarded an OBE for “Outstanding Commitment to the UK.”
Commodore Keegan Royal Navy, 54, from Weybridge in Surrey, said news of the award had come as a complete surprise but that he was delighted to be recognised.
“Since the age of six or seven, I had always wanted to join the Royal Navy,” he said.
“It was a visit to a Portsmouth “Navy Days” that fired my early ambition and my enthusiasm for the service.”
John Keegan joined the Royal Navy in 1977, passed out of Britannia Royal Naval College and graduated from the Royal Naval Engineering College.
His sea service included four destroyers and a number of aircraft carriers. He has also served on the staff of Flag Officer Sea Training.
Ashore he served in the Procurement Executive, as the senior student on the Royal Naval Staff Course Greenwich, the Ministry of Defence (four times), as the senior naval officer for Defence Analysis, as the contingent planner for the Royal Navy’s Fleet Commander.
He is a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies. John commanded at HMS Raleigh and finally the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Reserve.
John is married to Susan, has two sons; one in the Royal Air Force and the other is taking his A levels.
[mappress] Press Release, June 18, 2013; Image: Royal Navy