Retirement For Royal Navy Warrant Officer After 52 Years Of Service

A Royal Navy Warrant Officer is set to retire from the senior service, after a career thought to be one of the longest in modern times.

Warrant Officer 2 Allan Mason, is 68 years old and has been working for the service for an impressive 52 years, 40 of which were spent with the Submarine Service.

Affectionately known as “Perry”, the Marine Engineer from Lincolnshire is saying farewell to the vessels as prepares to retire.

Over his career, Perry served with submarines HMS Valiant, Sceptre, Sovereign, Splendid and Torbay.

Perry began his career as a Junior Marine Engineer Mechanic in 1968 aged just 15, first drafted to the Second World War-era ship HMS Ulster.

“When I joined up we had a considerable-sized Navy, however the technology that we have today is obviously more sophisticated to what we had in the past,” he told Forces News.

“We do tend to be going a bit more like the Americans in respect with our carriers now and deploying like a battlegroup,” he added.

“The world is so unstable now, you don’t actually know who the enemy is.

“A few years ago all eyes were on the Soviet Union, but now we have all our problems in the Middle East and you don’t where the next conflict is actually going to strike.”

Further service led him to HMS Dolphin in 1981, where he undertook his initial submarine and nuclear training, and then assignment to 3rd Submarine Squadron and HMS Valiant.

Perry eventually qualified as a Category A2 Nuclear Watchkeeper, or Chief of Watch, before serving time on board various Swiftsure Class submarines and with HMS Torbay.

As well as plaudits from his colleagues, Perry also received a specially recorded message from the head of the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin, who thanked both Perry and his family for his service.

Perry’s achievement of 52-and-a-half years in the service remains incredibly rare as most of it has been spent below sea level.

Looking back on his favourite location visited during his naval career, Diego Garcia, an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, stands out above the rest as a "paradise".

Looking ahead, the retiring Warrant Officer says he'll now spend more time on his photography and with his wife.

Reflecting on his entire career, he said: "The people that you work with are always first-class. It was just a job that I fully enjoyed doing - totally."

Cover image: Warrant Officer Allan "Perry" Mason (Picture: Royal Navy).