HMS Hurworth

Military experience

Born in Henley, Oxfordshire, and educated at Sir William Borlase Grammar School, Marlow and University College Swansea, Philip Dennis joined the Royal Navy in April 1995. After initial training and Fleet time in HM Ships Brazen and Sheffield he served in HMS Leeds Castle in the South Atlantic prior to undertaking Fighter Controller training.

Appointment as FC in HMS Newcastle brought operational deployments to the Arabian Gulf and Adriatic in addition to a circumnavigation as part of the NTG 2000 global deployment. After a short period as an FC in HMS Illustrious he then served as SWO(FC) to FOST at Devonport.

Following initial Staff training he then undertook PWO course in 2003-2004 in advance of appointment to HMS Lancaster as Gunnery Officer and then Operations Officer. The later period saw the ship operate as ASW escort to the French Charles De Gaulle carrier group for the AGAPANTHE 06 deployment to the Middle East.

Further warfare training beckoned and on completion of AWO course he returned to HMS Illustrious as the Air Warfare Officer and then Senior Warfare Officer. This period included embarkations of USMC, Italian, Spanish and Joint Force Harrier squadrons along with the privilege of being head of the Warfare Department for the ORION 08 capability deployment to the Middle and Near East.

An augmentation assignment to the Gulf in 2009 saw him spend six months as the Deputy Staff Officer Operations to the UKMCC in Bahrain supporting the 11 RN Units in theatre. On return to the UK he joined the Fleet Operations staff at Northwood in the Ops Policy division responsible for liaison with the MOD. He joined MCM2 Crew 7 in April 2010 and assumed Command of HMS Middleton in July 2010 for operations in the Gulf on Operation TELIC-MCM.

Returning to the UK in January 2011, the then moved to MCM2 Crew 1 and assumed Command of HMS Quorn in April, an assignment that saw the Ship deploy to the Gulf under the inaugural Operation KIPION deployment