Landmark moment as woman CO takes over as captain of HMS ...
In a post on X, the aircraft carrier's account confirmed the news, calling it a 'day of new beginnings and fond farewells'.
www.forcesnews.comHere’s what I found about the latest HMS Queen Elizabeth captain.
- The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth named a new commanding officer in late 2024: Captain Claire Thompson OBE RN became the ship’s CO, succeeding Captain Will King OBE RN after 18 months in command. This marked a historic moment as Capt Thompson was highlighted as the first female captain of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.[1]
- The announcement was shared on the ship’s official channels, calling the moment a day of new beginnings and farewells as the ship prepared for its next phase of operations.[1]
Notes:
- There have been various past changes in captains for HMS Queen Elizabeth and related carriers, including other notable leadership changes in 2021 and earlier, but the most recent widely reported appointment is Capt Claire Thompson in late 2024.[3][6]
- If you’d like, I can pull a concise timeline of captains for HMS Queen Elizabeth and its sister ships with dates and brief notes on each command change.