Promotion for Rhyl 22-year-old on UK’s largest Aircraft Carrier

Daniel Jenkins, weapons engineering officer midshipman, sailed from Portsmouth on the 65,000 tonne leviathan to fulfil the next stage in his training, having commissioned as a Naval Officer from Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

Becoming eligible for promotion whilst on board, he was recently presented with his new rank slide by the Commanding Officer; Captain Stephen Higham, and has now assumed the rank of Sub Lieutenant

The Portsmouth based Queen Elizabeth class carrier is currently preparing for operations in the North Sea having recently qualified the F35 Lightening II Jets of 207 Squadron RAF for carrier operations.

Pictured: SLt Daniel Jenkins gains promotion in a presentation from Captain Stephen Higham OBE RN on board HMS prince of Wales. HMS Prince of Wales - Promotion Board Presentations. HMS Prince of Wales is at sea with embarked F35 Lightning jets from 207

Daniel is in training to become a weapons engineering officer. The majority of his training is at HMS Collingwood in Fareham but with time allocated to experience life on ship and how each department operates, he is now embarked on the Navy’s biggest warship.

He said: "I’ve always had an interest in engineering, fitness and the aim of being the best version of myself. I came across an advert for one of the military training schemes where they would sponsor you to study engineering based A-Levels alongside military training and sport. I was always unsure what to do career wise, so this scheme and its associated pipeline appealed to me, with a defined career and sponsorship through university while supporting my hobbies and interests.”

The time Daniel is now spending on board is known as Common Fleet Time and is a pre-requisite for progressing on to the next stage of his training.

Daniel added: “By shadowing each department and learning what they do I have broadened my knowledge of how the ship operates in all situations, especially during the operational sea training.”

When asked what his best moments have been so far Daniel said: “No matter how many times I watch it, seeing an F35 fly off the ramp will always amaze me. The sheer power of the aircraft and its engine is immense.

"It almost looks to slow to take off as its going up the ramp, but it always seems to fly effortlessly. Having also never seen a plane vertically land before, the appreciation of the skill and technology required to do this is baffling and it’s incredible how much noise it can make."