HMS Gleaner

Military experience

Educated in North London and then at the University of Leeds where he read Economics, Malcolm McCallum initially pursued a career in accountancy in the City of London. Seeking a more varied occupation Malcolm joined the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer in 2001.

Completing initial officer training at Britannia Royal Navy College in 2002 he conducted Fleet Training in the Type 23 Frigate HMS St Albans and then honed his navigational skills for six months in HMS Cattistock, a Hunt Class Minesweeper, conducting inshore Fishery Protection duties.

Obtaining his Navigational Watch Certificate during his Junior Warfare Course at HMS Collingwood in 2003, his first complement job was as the Gunnery Officer to the Northern Ireland Patrol Vessel HMS Cottesmore where his responsibilities included the Force Protection of the vessel and the conduct of Counter Terrorist Boarding Operations off the coast of Northern Ireland.

Selected to sub-specialise to the HM branch in 2005, he attended the Basic Hydrography course at HMS Drake before being appointed to HMS Enterprise as the Oceanographic Officer. This appointment consisted of operations in home waters as well as service in the Gulf and of note an extensive Oceanographic Survey in the Indian Ocean before returning to the UK for regeneration.

Transferring to the First Lieutenant position within Enterprise he then deployed to West Africa as part of Operation Vela visiting The Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Cape Verde Islands and Nigeria.

Training as a military Meteorologist and Oceanographer at HMS Drake in 2007 he was then appointed to the Fleet Mobile HM Teams. This appointment saw him conducting numerous Towed Array patrols on Type 23 frigates as well as providing environmental support to the UK Task Group as well as conducting short notice survey tasking in the Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus and environmental tactical development of the Sonar 2087.

Joining HMS Echo in the Far East in 2009 upon completion of the Fleet Navigating Officer's course, he navigated Echo back to the UK, during operational sea training and then redeployed East of Suez to conduct Military Data gathering in the Indian Ocean.

Leaving Echo in the Gulf in the summer of 2011 to return to the UK to attend the HM Advanced Survey course where he gained a Distinction in a Post Graduate Diploma in Hydrography from the University of Plymouth.

Upon completion of the course, Lieutenant McCallum took Command of HMS Gleaner in the spring of 2012.