HMS Shoreham

Military experience

Toby Shaughnessy joined the Royal Navy in January 1993 as a Naval College Entrant after completing his schooling in Suffolk.

Following Fleet Training in HM Ship’s Cattistock and Edinburgh and subsequent OOW Training, he joined Dumbarton Castle as Gunnery Officer and BSFO, completing two years within the Fishery Protection Squadron.

He sub-specialised as a Fighter Controller in 1996, joining Edinburgh as FC1 and completed Atlantic Patrol Task (S) and Standing Naval Force (Mediterranean) deployments as well as a busy UK programme.

After four years in Edinburgh, Toby joined the Royal Navy School of Fighter Control at RNAS Yeovilton as an instructor. After two years in the arms of the Fleet Air Arm, Toby returned to sea as Executive Officer of HMS Lindisfarne, achieving notable success in Fishery Protection Operations before orchestrating her handover to the Bangladesh Navy in 2004.

After a brief period of training, Toby qualified as a Principal Warfare Officer in 2005 and joined HMS St Albans as PWO(A) and Operations Officer thereafter.

This assignment included deployments for Op Calash, Telic, and most memorably Op Highbrow in Lebanon.

Thereafter specialising as an Air Warfare Officer, he joined HMS Gloucester as AWO and Operations Officer in 2007. After eighteen months in post, Toby became the first Operations Officer of the Type 45 HMS Dauntless, bringing her through build and generation into Fleet Service.

In July 2010, he joined the Maritime Warfare School as Officer in Charge of the Principal Warfare Officer Training Element, responsible for the delivery of training to future PWO’s.

Selected for Command in 2011, he assumed Command of MCM1 Crew 4 in December 2011.