Commander Claire Thompson is set to become the first female captain of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, according to The Sun.
She is expected to take command of HMS Queen Elizabeth in January 2025, succeeding Captain Will King.
While the Ministry of Defence has yet to confirm the appointment, a spokesperson mentioned that the next captain of the carrier would be assigned “in due course.”
Commander Thompson has a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, having joined in 2005. She has been deployed worldwide, including to the South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and the Caribbean. Her previous command was HMS Montrose, where she was awarded an OBE for her outstanding work against drug smugglers and terrorists in the Gulf.
During her tenure as Captain of HMS Montrose, Commander Thompson and her team achieved significant success. The frigate was one of the Royal Navy’s most effective warships in 2022, conducting four major drug busts and intercepting two illegal arms caches.
Thompson attributes these accomplishments to the dedication and commitment of her crew, stating that without them, “none of that success is possible.”
New deployment for the Queen Liz?
Commander? Due a promotion perhaps?
I feel like if she is going to be given command of the flagship she really should be promoted to Captain.
She of course will be promoted, as this is a Captain’s command.
Should she also have commanded a T45 first though?
She’s been selected for Promotion, so yes she will be. Not sure what experience they’d have gained commanding a T45 that they wouldn’t have gained commanding a T23 on operations in the gulf though?
I doubt it would be markedly different experience, just more command experience.
I assume that Cdr Thompson might have commanded a small vessel in the past – MCMV or Patrol Boat – as well as the T23. But is that enough experience (sea time in command) to take the reins of a large carrier?
The current Captain (Will King) had 4 sea commands before the carrier.
Anyway the Navy has all the info it needs to make the right choice. So, I also offer congratulations to Cdr Thompson.
Will King commanded a P2000, two MCMVs and HMS Montrose on ops.
Claire Thompson commanded two MCMVs and HMS Montrose on ops.
I’m sure she can manage without a stint in the URNU?
Forgive my skepticism but I’ve never seen this amount of “ohhhhbut do they have sea experience” for a male captain.
The second command by a female probably won’t even get a mention on this site.
The comments made are probably more a reflection of people’s skepticism of the RN’s judgement to not rush getting certain minorities (although they are not a minority) to the top of the tree.
There does not seem to be much confidence in our leaders. This is a little ironic as ultimately in a democracy the electorate is in charge.😂
That in itself if misogyny.
Nonsense. UKDJ mentioning or not mentioning a change of command regardless of the genders involved cannot be misogyny. It is simply a fact.
I think that he meant the response to the article not the article itself.
Questioning this person’s experience without any idea of what experience the previous male commander had is the problematic comment.
Exactly. The whole “Oh they’re rushing to get women into command appointments” bit. Women have been serving in the RN since 1993. That’s 31 years, enough time that every one of the first cohort of women will have completed their full 22 and retired, Cdr Thompson has been in the service long enough to get an LSGC. If anything it’s the exact opposite of rushing.
👍
Thanks Dern. I did not have that info about Claire Thompson’s full amount of sea command time – thanks for supplying it.
With the military’s brilliant track record I have very little trust that this isn’t a box ticking exercise. On the otherhand, you’d hope that we didn’t mess around with a 3 billion pound ship like that.
Best of luck to her regardless.
Fantastic news and congratulation to Cdr Thompson, BZ
Very well done, and congratulations to Commander Thompson.
She will have crashed QE by the end of the month
Na, she’ll just kerb her alloy’s
Beep, beep, beep, carrier reversing.🤣
She seems to have parallel parking down fine…
https://x.com/CdreRichHarris/status/1052633091389485056
That’s great. You know what’s coming after that though. 🙄
This is another great advertisement for the mob. Equal rights and then some. Hopefully she got it on merit and not an advertising campaign. I could go on but it’s best not to in this day and age.
Women do multi-tasking in a different time – space continuum; makes sense to me.
They ALWAYS win the arguments; who better for a strike carrier commander?
Always the BEST person for the job, and if she meets what needed then BZ to her as she rightly says, its the crew that make it work the Captain is just the lead and if they are inspiring and value the crew then the CREW will deliver. Its always been the way.
I met her a few times whilst she was on Mont.
No issues with her from what I saw.
Ahh… but can she make me a sandwich?
Sounds like a really competent individual and a worthy appointment to a laymen like me. Not sure what her being a woman has to do with her ability to command, so the point of the article is lost on me. Is the point that more competent men have been successfully discriminated against to implement equality of outcome for a minority group?
The point of highlighting Commander Claire Thompson’s gender in the article is to acknowledge a significant milestone in a historically male-dominated field. Her appointment as the first female captain of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier is a landmark achievement that reflects progress towards greater gender equality in the military.
Mentioning her gender does not imply that it is the sole reason for her appointment or that more qualified men have been overlooked. Commander Thompson’s extensive experience and exemplary service, including her commendable work against drug smugglers and terrorists, demonstrate her exceptional competence and suitability for this role.
Celebrating such milestones is important as it encourages diversity and inspires future generations of women to pursue careers in areas where they have been underrepresented. This is not about equality of outcome but about recognising and breaking down historical barriers to ensure that all individuals, regardless of gender, have the opportunity to excel based on their merits.
I thought to command a carrier you had to have been a naval pilot?
Did you?
I think that is the Flyco position??
Lets hope she gets some sea time in during her command! Said tongue in cheek. Seriously good luck to her
To a hammer, everything is a nail. To a sexist, everything is about gender.
If you’ve got the talent, express it fully. Not everyone gets the possibility or responsibility, to make Naval history. BZ CDR .Thompson.👍⭐
OT I see Portsmouth HMS Warrior webcamis finally repaired & back running. Supposed to have been fixed April but out throughout May. Glad to have it back online.