Mark Stanhope

Sir Mark Stanhope
Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope (left) with General Walter L. Sharp
Born	(1952-03-26) 26 March 1952 Hammersmith, London
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1970–2013
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	HMS Orpheus HMS Splendid HMS London HMS Illustrious Commander-in-Chief Fleet First Sea Lord
Battles/wars	Sierra Leone Civil War Libyan Civil War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB, OBE, ADC, DL (born 26 March 1952) is a retired Royal Navy officer. After serving as a submarine commander, he commanded a frigate and then commanded an aircraft carrier on operational patrol off Sierra Leone. He went on to be Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and then Commander-in-Chief Fleet. He served as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval staff, the professional head of the Royal Navy, from July 2009 to April 2013. In this role he advised the British Government on the deployment of naval forces during operations around Libya. He was succeeded by Admiral Sir George Zambellas in April 2013.

Early life

Born the son of Frederick William Stanhope and Shiela Mary Hattemore (née Cutler), Stanhope was educated at the London Nautical School, Worthing High School for Boys (since 1974 first Worthing Sixth-Form College and more recently Worthing College), and then St Peter's College, Oxford, where he gained an MA in physics.^[1]

Naval career

The aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious which Stanhope commanded during an operational deployment off Sierra Leone

Stanhope on board the submarine HMS Astute

Stanhope joined the Royal Navy in 1970, was confirmed in the rank of sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1972,^[2] and was promoted to full lieutenant on 1 May 1977.^[3] Promoted to lieutenant commander on 16 October 1982,^[4] he commanded the submarine HMS Orpheus from 1982 to 1984.^[1] After receiving promotion to commander on 30 June 1986,^[5] he commanded the submarine HMS Splendid from 1987 to 1988.^[1] He became a teaching officer on the Submarine Command Course in 1989.^[1]

Promoted to captain on 30 June 1991,^[6] Stanhope then went on to command the frigate HMS London from 1991 to 1992 before become Captain, Submarine Sea Training in 1993.^[1] He was appointed Deputy Principal staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence staff at the Ministry of Defence in 1994 and then attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1997.^[1] He commanded the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious from 1998 to 2000 during which time that ship was deployed on operational patrol off Sierra Leone.^[7] Promoted to rear admiral, he became Director of Operational Management at NATO Regional Command North in 2000 and was seconded to the Cabinet Office in 2002 before being promoted to vice admiral and becoming Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet in July 2002.^[8]

Promoted to full admiral on 10 July 2004,^[9] Stanhope became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation at NATO that year.^[1] In November 2007 he became Commander-in-Chief Fleet^[8] and took the honorary position of Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom.^[1]

Stanhope succeeded Admiral Sir Jonathon Band as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval staff in July 2009.^[10][11] In June 2011, during operations around Libya, he warned that the fleet would only be able to sustain operations for around 90 days after which the Government would have to rebalance priorities.^[12] On 24 June 2011 The Daily Telegraph confirmed that Stanhope, in common with the Chief of the Air staff and the Chief of the General staff, would lose his position on the Defence Board, the highest non-ministerial Ministry of Defence committee, which makes decisions on all aspect of military policy.^[13] He was succeeded as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval staff by Admiral Sir George Zambellas in April 2013.^[14]

Family

In 1975 Stanhope married Janet Anne Flynn; they have one daughter.^[1] Lady Stanhope was the Director of Resources at Devon County Council for four years.^[15]

Awards and decorations

	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)	2010
	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)	2004
	Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)	1989
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012
	Officer of the Legion of Merit	(United States)

Stanhope was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1989 New Year Honours list.^[16] He was appointed be a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2004 New Year Honours.^[17] He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of that order in the 2010 Birthday Honours.^[18]

Stanhope is an Honorary Fellow of St. Peter's College, Oxford, a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon, a Freeman of the City of London, The President of the Marine Society & Sea Cadets and a Liveryman of the Upholders' Company as well as a Younger Brother of Trinity House.^[1] He reports his interests in Who's Who as family life, reading and sailing.^[1]

Stanhope was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Plymouth University in 2012.^[19]

References

External links

Media related to Mark Stanhope at Wikimedia Commons

First Sea Lords of the Royal Navy First Naval Lords (1828–1904) Sir George Cockburn Sir Thomas Hardy The Hon. George Dundas Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir William Parker Sir Charles Adam Sir James Dundas The Hon. Maurice Berkeley Hyde Parker The Hon. Maurice Berkeley The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas William Martin The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey Sir Alexander Milne Sir Sydney Dacres Sir Alexander Milne Sir Hastings Yelverton Sir George Wellesley Sir Astley Key Sir Arthur Hood Lord John Hay Sir Arthur Hood Sir Richard Hamilton Sir Anthony Hoskins Sir Frederick Richards Lord Walter Kerr First Sea Lords (1904–present) Sir John Fisher Sir Arthur Wilson Sir Francis Bridgeman Prince Louis of Battenberg The Lord Fisher Sir Henry Jackson Sir John Jellicoe Sir Rosslyn Wemyss The Earl Beatty Sir Charles Madden, Bt Sir Frederick Field The Lord Chatfield Sir Roger Backhouse Sir Dudley Pound The Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope Sir John Cunningham The Lord Fraser of North Cape Sir Rhoderick McGrigor The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Sir Charles Lambe Sir Caspar John Sir David Luce Sir Varyl Begg Sir Michael Le Fanu Sir Peter Hill-Norton Sir Michael Pollock Sir Edward Ashmore Sir Terence Lewin Sir Henry Leach Sir John Fieldhouse Sir William Staveley Sir Julian Oswald Sir Benjamin Bathurst Sir Jock Slater Sir Michael Boyce Sir Nigel Essenhigh Sir Alan West Sir Jonathon Band Sir Mark Stanhope Sir George Zambellas