Captain Jo Deakin OBE becomes first female commanding officer of Gosport's Royal Navy base HMS Sultan

HMS Sultan in Gosport is now under the command of Captain Jo Deakin OBE, following the departure of Commodore John Voyce OBE – who is now naval base commander of HMNB Portsmouth.

On her appointment, Captain Deakin said: ‘There is no greater privilege for me than to be returning to the place where my naval engineer career began to assume of Command of HMS Sultan and the Defence School of Marine Engineering.

‘This is an incredibly exciting era to be an engineer in the Royal Navy – new ships, new submarines and new aircraft. HMS Sultan has a long-standing reputation as a world class centre of marine and air engineering.

‘I look forward to leading the magnificent team at HMS Sultan and, by embracing innovation and diversity, deliver training fit for modern engineering technicians and engineer officers.

‘Building on the great work of my predecessor, I will strive to ensure that HMS Sultan remains an exceptional place to work and continues to be a vibrant part of the local community.’

Prior to joining HMS Sultan, Captain Deakin has served as the principal aircraft engineer for the Joint Aviation Group in Afghanistan, supporting ship aviation trials and as the engineering authority for helicopter engines.

As an engineering officer, she is no stranger to HMS Sultan and has served within the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival School, which is housed inside the Gosport base.

Captain Deakin was also the Fleet Air Arm’s chief aircraft engineer for two and half years and has just completed the Royal College of Defence Studies course.