Long Service and Good Conduct Medals handed out during a special ceremony at HMS Sultan

Rear Admiral Simon Asquith, Director Submarines, visited the home of Royal Navy Air and Marine engineering as chief guest at the Gosport-based establishment’s Ceremonial Divisions.

Escorted by Captain Jo Deakin, the Commanding Officer of HMS Sultan, the Admiral inspected members of the Guard of Honour, who were on parade alongside Royal Naval personnel and Volunteer Corp Cadets.

The Admiral said: ‘In my current role as Director Submarines and previous roles commanding at sea and ashore, I recognise the vital importance of engineering excellence.

‘All the warfare acumen and operational prowess in the world is for nothing if the missile system, aircraft or gas turbines are not only working but also finely tuned to provide the warfighting edge we require.

‘It is Royal Navy Engineers who deliver the expertise to keep the Fleet at sea and operationally ready every day.

‘In my previous role as Commander Operations, I had the privilege of directing Ships, Submarines, Aircraft Carriers and Royal Marines on operations around the world.

‘In peacetime this varies from conducting vital maritime security operations in the Middle East to disaster relief operations in the Caribbean, or delivering our strategic nuclear deterrent and 5th generation carrier strike operations.

‘Engineers are needed to deliver every element of this and, without people like you, our output would be drastically curtailed.

‘You all have an important role to play in the history that we will make together going forward.’

Long Service and Good Conduct Medals were presented to PO Eldred and PO Murchison

CPO Hardy received Long Service and Good Conduct Clasp and Silver Valedictory, while Sgt Porter received Second Long Service and Good Conduct Clasp.

HMS Sultan is home to the Defence College of Technical Training’s Defence School of Marine Engineering and the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival Equipment School.

There, engineers and technicians are equipped with the skills to function as the ‘beating heart of operational capability’, maintaining, repairing, sustaining and operating our aircraft, ships, submarines and vehicles daily on operations across the globe.

Royal Navy, Army and RAF technical training and education is delivered by the Defence College of Technical Training through four Defence schools focussed upon specialisations of aeronautical engineering, electronic and mechanical engineering, marine engineering, and communications and information systems engineering.

The schools are located across six sites with Royal Navy training being delivered at HMS Sultan, Army and Royal Marine training at MOD Lyneham and Blandford Garrison, and RAF training at RAF Cosford, MOD St Athan and RAF Digby.