Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, KCB, OBE (born 26 March, 1952 in Hammersmith) is the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the United Kingdom, the most senior serving officer in the Royal Navy.
[edit] Early life
Mark Stanhope was educated at the London Nautical School, Worthing High School for Boys (since 1973 the sixth form college Worthing College) and then St Peter's College, Oxford, where he gained an MA in Physics. He joined the Royal Navy in 1970.
[edit] Naval career
He commanded the submarines HMS Orpheus from 1981 to 1983 and HMS Splendid from 1986 to 1989. He then went on to command the frigate HMS London from 1991 to 1993 and subsequently the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious from 1998 to 2000 during which time that ship was deployed on operational patrol off Sierra Leone.
He was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation at NATO from 2005 until November 2007 when he became Commander-in-Chief Fleet. He suceeded Admiral Sir Jonathon Band as First Sea Lord in July 2009.[1][2][3]
[edit] Personal life
He married Jane Anne Flynn in 1975. They have one daughter. They live in Exton in Devon. His wife was the Director of Resources at Devon County Council from 2000-4, and is also an Oxford Physics graduate. She is titled Lady Stanhope.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| | | | Admiral of the Fleet | | | | First Naval Lords (1828–1904) | | | | First Sea Lords (1904–present) | | |
