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After 110 years of the Silent Service, pioneering
Lieutenants Maxine Stiles, Alex Olsson and Penny
Thackray have become the first women to serve
onboard a Vanguard class nuclear submarine, according
to a Royal Navy statement.
Following months of specialised training, all
three women have earned their Dolphins, the coveted
clasp which is a hard won and much prized symbol
of a submariner.
During the rigorous training, previously only
undertaken by men, the three female officers conducted
operations on submarine HMS Vigilant learning
how to run the complex systems onboard that keep
our country safe. Vigilant is the third of the
four Vanguard class nuclear powered ballistic
missile submarines classified as (SSBN). All three
women will now embark on careers in the Submarine
Service, working in support of our continuous
at sea deterrent which is the ultimate guarantee
of our nation’s security.
They are now taking up their new positions:
Lieutenant Stiles will continue her Logistics
Officer post onboard, Lieutenant Olsson is undertaking
Deputy Weapons Engineering Officer training and
Lieutenant Thackray will become an Education Officer.
The final hurdle in their selection was a robust
examination programme, culminating in an intensive
board with the Commanding Officer – which
they all passed with flying colours.
Said Hammond: “I am delighted to be able
to congratulate our first ever female submariners
and wish them all the best in their future careers.
"This is not only a huge personal achievement
for these three outstanding officers, as they
take up their new roles supporting the ultimate
safeguard of our national security, but also an
historic moment for the Royal Navy and our Armed
Forces.
“Our Armed Forces offer an enormous range
of opportunities and careers, no matter what your
gender. This is another important step forward
as we strive to make sure our Armed Forces better
represent the society we serve.”
Lieutenant Maxine Stiles, one of the three newly
qualified female submariners, said: “I am
immensely proud to wear the Dolphins and say that
I am now a part of the Submarine Service, with
its great tradition and ethos.
"My first deployment at sea on a nuclear
submarine is one I’ll never forget. It was
a challenging but hugely rewarding experience.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time on board
and would like to thank the Ship’s Company,
with whom I had the privilege to serve alongside.
"It was a unique experience but one that
I hope becomes commonplace for many future female
submariners.”
We have revolutionised the role of women in
the Royal Navy. Twenty years ago they began serving
at sea in surface ships and in 2011, Defence Secretary
Philip Hammond lifted the ban preventing women
from serving onboard submarines.
Women can now serve in all of the Royal Navy’s
seagoing branches, demonstrating our commitment
to making sure all our personnel have the same
opportunities, with exemptions only made where
there is a clear operational need for them.
Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral David Steel said:
“I am absolutely delighted to congratulate
the first three women to qualify as submariners.
"Women have been serving in ships at sea
with the Royal Navy for more than 20 years and
integrating them into the Submarine Service completes
their inclusion into all seagoing branches.
"This significant milestone demonstrates
the Royal Navy’s determination to embrace
every opportunity to employ the immense range
of talents and skills of all our people.
"This is a proud day for the Royal Navy
but equally a major personal achievement for these
three officers, as it is for all those qualifying.”
Commanding Officer of HMS Vigilant, Commander
Matt Dennis, oversaw the officers’ training
onboard the submarine and praised them for their
performance: “I was impressed with how seamlessly
the three women integrated on board.
"They qualified without any difficulty and
two of them even completed additional training
whilst at sea.
"As I would expect, they were accepted
as integral members of the ship’s company
by the rest of the crew and have really paved
the way for women on submarines to be business
as usual from now on,” the press statement
reported.
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