Commodore Jeremy Bailey has taken the baton from previous Naval Base Commander (NBC) the now Rear Admiral Jim Higham in a ceremony that is known in the Royal Navy as a supersession.
Commodore Bailey, born in Portsmouth, was educated at The Portsmouth Grammar School and joined the Royal Navy in January 1992.
On completion of initial officer training at BRNC and a degree in Marine Engineering at the Royal Naval Engineering College in Plymouth he served as a junior Engineer Officer in a number of Type 23 Frigates and saw service in a range of NATO and National operations and deployments including Kosovo 1999.
In 2000 he was awarded the Queen’s Sword in recognition for performance in engineering training.
Regarding his appointment as NBC Portsmouth, Commodore Bailey said: “I’m delighted to have taken over as the Naval Base Commander here in Portsmouth. It’s a real privilege to Command the Naval Base in the city where I grew up.
“I’m relishing the opportunity to take the Naval Base forwards, including the exciting changes in welcoming our second aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to her Home Port, unveiling her new berth alongside her sister ship HMS Queen Elizabeth and much more in the period ahead.”
Jim Higham, the former NBC has recently been promoted to Rear Admiral and made Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Ships.)
He said: “It’s been a huge privilege to play a very small part in the long and incredibly close relationship between the City of Portsmouth and its Naval Base.
“I’ve been amazed to see how much support the City and the Base provide for one another and humbled to part of the efforts of what we call ‘Team Portsmouth’ - the work that the men and women of the base do to support our operations worldwide.
“As a local boy, Commodore JJ knows that he’s the luckiest man in the Royal Navy to land this job and I’ve no doubt whatsoever that him and the team will continue to build on the great heritage between our City and the RN.”
