Royal dinner reward for reservists’ contribution to front-line submarine operations

London’s historic Naval and Military Club – better known by its informal title, the In and Out Club – was the venue for the ‘thank-you’ which allowed deeps to appraise His Royal Highness, who is honorary head of all the Senior Service’s reserve cadre as Commodore-in-Chief Maritime Reserves, of recent activities and accomplishments by the RNR Submarine Operations Specialisation (SM Ops).

Representatives from both the RNR and the RN Submarine Operations team attended, led by Commodore Daniel Simmonds (Commander Submarine Operations and Deputy Commander Operations).

Two particular aspects of Silent Service work over the past 12 months were singled out, thanks in no small part to the quality and alignment of the training pipeline which has allowed reservists to deploy effectively into operational headquarters and ops rooms afloat, often at short notice, and meaningfully contribute alongside their regular counterparts.

That was demonstrated during last year’s Operation Highmast carrier strike group when a Submarine Ops reservist deployed as part of the Submarine Advisory Team (SAT) embarked on flagship HMS Prince of Wales.

There he performed an essential role in supporting the underwater warfare operations of the strike group, ensuring seamless integration between underwater and surface forces throughout the group’s deployment from the Pacific back to the UK.