HMS Severn

Military experience

Educated at Monkton Combe and St Laurence School, Marcus Hember joined Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1996 as a Naval College Entrant Seaman Officer. Fleet time in Illustrious and Lindisfarne was followed by an initial appointment to Edinburgh. He then joined the Offshore Patrol Vessel Alderney as Navigating and Operations Officer, completing a varied two years generating from refit and patrolling UK waters with the Fishery Protection Squadron prior to FNO course in 2001.

A very busy appointment as the Navigating Officer of Richmond followed, including a Western Atlantic/AUTEC deployment and, in 2003, a Gulf deployment which culminated in providing Naval Fire Support to the Royal Marine amphibious assault of the Iraqi Al Faw peninsular.

Leaving Richmond shortly afterwards Hember joined the Joint Services Command and Staff College as Military Assistant to the Commandant, at the time an army Major General.

Awarded the Black prize during subsequent Initial Staff training, Hember then completed Principal Warfare Officers course, and was appointed to Cornwall in 2006 as the PWO(CEW).

Operational Sea Training, and a demanding return to the Northern Arabian Gulf followed. As Operations Officer, Hember then co-ordinated a major unplanned docking and subsequent generation to operate as the Pre Landing Force platform for a large NATO amphibious exercise off Norway.

Joining the R2 Strike Carrier Illustrious as the Force Warfare Officer (CEW) in late 2009, Hember became the N5 warfare planner, also charged with leadership of task-group C4ISTAR issues, and integration of the Carrier Strike Group staff into the ship.

In Feb 2010 Hember joined the Fleet Operational Policy staff at the Northwood Maritime Operations Centre, where he worked at the interface between Navy Command Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence, the Permanent Joint Headquarters, and Other Government Departments.

Selected for Sea Command in December 2010, he assumed command of HMS Severn, an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Fishery Protection Squadron, in June 2011.