HMS Explorer

Military experience

Lieutenant Bryden was raised and educated in Conwy, North Wales. He joined the Royal Navy in 2002 as a Naval College Entrant following the completion of his A-Levels.

After a year of Initial Officer Training and academic studies at BRNC he joined HMS Invincible for Common Fleet Training. A four month period onboard whilst she was working up her air group provided ideal experience to pass his Fleet Board and proceed to Specialist Fleet Training onboard HMS Manchester.

During 6 months of specific navigation and warfare training with HMS Manchester he was involved with another work-up and a short deployment to Norway as part of an amphibious task group for cold weather exercises. On completion of his Specialist Fleet Training he completed the Junior Warfare Officer Course and was awarded his Navigation Watch Certificate in late 2004.

For his first complement appointment he joined HMS Middleton as the Navigating Officer and spent two years experiencing a wide variety of roles from Fishery Protection duties to a NATO Mine Countermeasure deployment around Northern Europe. Specific highlights of this period included clearing legacy Second World War ordnance from the River Mersey and Baltic Sea, and also navigating through the scenic Norwegian Inner Leads.

In 2007 he joined HMS Campbeltown as the Signal Communications Officer and First Officer of the Watch. It was an eighteen month appointment that included a short return to the Baltic for a major multinational exercise with NATO and the Russian Navy, and also an eight month deployment East of Suez contributing to Coalition Maritime Forces around the Horn of Africa and Northern Arabian Gulf. The majority of this deployment was spent providing force protection to Iraqi oil platforms and counter piracy operations off the coast of Somalia.

He was then appointed to HMS Westminster as the Navigating Officer in 2009 during which time she was tasked with providing Maritime Security around home waters and participated in naval exercises in Norway and the Western Mediterranean.

During a period of upkeep he completed the Initial Command and Staff Course (Maritime) at the Joint Services Command and Staff College Shrivenham. On leaving HMS Westminster he spent three months as the Area Careers Liaison Officer to North Wales and Shropshire, responsible for the recruitment and mentoring of officer candidates thorough the selection process.

In July 2011 he assumed command of HMS Explorer and Yorkshire University Royal Navy Unit.

Lieutenant Bryden lives locally in Yorkshire and during his spare time enjoys mountaineering, sailing, sea kayaking and occasionally attempts a round of golf.