Landmark moment as woman CO takes over as captain of HMS Queen Elizabeth
HMS Queen Elizabeth has welcomed a new Commanding Officer and made history in the process, with Captain Claire Thompson becoming the first female captain of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.
In a post on X, the aircraft carrier's account confirmed the news, calling it a "day of new beginnings and fond farewells".
The post also outlined that the news means the carrier will "say goodbye to Capt Will King OBE RN as he leaves after 18 months in command".
Alongside the message, a picture showed the new captain of the carrier shaking hands with her predecessor as well as speaking to the personnel attached to the ship.
Who is Capt Thompson?
Capt Thompson joined the Royal Navy in 2005 and has been on deployments that have taken her all over the world, including the South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Caribbean.
She also spent a year as the Officer in Charge of the Royal Navy's Advanced Warfare training in HMS Collingwood.
It is not her first time commanding a ship. She served as captain of HMS Montrose and was awarded an OBE for her work delivering blows to drug smugglers and terrorists in the Gulf.
As the Commanding Officer, she said she was "incredibly proud" of her HMS Montrose team.
The frigate proved to be one of the Navy's most successful and effective warships in 2022, with then-Cdr Thompson and her crew of sailors and Royal Marines scoring four major drug busts and two illegal arms caches.
On her OBE, she said she felt "hugely privileged and extremely humbled" to receive the award, as well as recognising the "selfless commitment of the men and women" on board HMS Montrose.
Cdr Thompson added that without the crew "none of that success is possible".
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