Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron (RNGS) welcomed a new Commanding Officer as Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) LLoyd Cardy handed over command to Lt Cdr James Young.

Lt Cdr Young joined the Royal Navy in 2012 and before joining RNGS in July 2019 he served as the Navigating Officer in the Type 23 Frigate HMS MONTROSE.

Lt Cdr Young has spent the last 18 months in Gibraltar, initially in command of HMS SCIMITAR before assuming command of HMS PURSUER in July 2020 when the Squadron transitioned from Scimitar Class vessels to the larger Archer Class P2000 vessels.

On taking command, Lt Cdr Young said: “I am extremely proud to be taking command of the Squadron at such an exciting time, with a busy operational tempo along with the prospect of bringing the new Royal Navy Patrol Launch online later in the year.”

The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron is the Royal Navy’s team of 27 personnel permanently based on the Rock who operate the two fast patrol boats – HMS DASHER and HMS PURSUER – and three Pacific 24 RHIBs. The small team is specifically responsible for maintaining the sovereignty of the British Overseas Territory as well as providing force protection to the area’s maritime environment.

Lt Cdr Cardy will return to the UK to complete the Principal Warfare Officer course at HMS Collingwood near Portsmouth. On his departure he said “RNGS is a fantastic organisation of people who selflessly contribute to a challenging mission in an operational environment. I am genuinely saddened to be leaving Gibraltar as it has been such an amazing home for the past few years.”