A ROYAL Navy officer from Grouville has taken command of HMS Bangor – one of the most sophisticated ships in the fleet.

Lieutenant-Commander Marcus Jacques (38) was educated at Victoria College and joined the navy in 1989.
Lt-Cdr Jacques recently visited his former school for its annual inspection and enjoyed a second visit in the care of 815 Naval Squadron, who flew him in to help in a series of presentations to the school and general public.

HMS Bangor is part of the First Mine Countermeasures Squadron, which is based on the Clyde in Scotland. A Sandown class minehunter, she is equipped with the latest mine detection equipment and a glass reinforced plastic hull, allowing her to venture into areas inaccessible to traditional ships.

‘I feel very privileged to have been selected for command of one of Her Majesty’s Ships and this gives me a great opportunity to promote the Royal Navy, not only for the UK but also for the Channel Islands,’ said Lt-Cdr Jacques.

HMS Bangor has a busy period of exercises and training before its deployment in the Gulf early next year.
Her new commander then hopes bring the ship to Jersey to give people the opportunity to sample life onboard a Royal Navy minehunter. Lt-Cdr Jacques lives in Portsmouth with his wife Karen and their two-year-old son Monty.HMS Bangor is a Sandown class minehunter and one of the most sophisticated ships in the Royal Navy fleet