By Bill Heaney
The skirl of bagpipes echoed from the green hills around the Gareloch as HM Naval Base Clyde bid a fond farewell to Commodore (Cdre) Paul Dunn OBE and welcomed Commodore Ben Haskins CBE as the new Commander Submarine Flotilla.
Friends and colleagues gathered this week to wave Cdre Dunn off for the final time as he left HMNB Clyde onboard The Clyde Racer.
After joining the Royal Navy at 18 and serving for 36 years, Cdre Dunn departed the base with his wife, Janet, and officially retired from the Royal Navy.
Accompanying the couple as they left Belmore House, were Captain Submarines, Capt Murray Adam, along with Captain Support, Capt Nicholas Locke.
A parade of Submariners was in place to welcome Cdre Haskins, before Cdre Dunn officially handed over command.
There was a poignant moment of farewell as a piper played whilst Cdre Dunn’s Pennant was lowered and given to him as a gift.
He and his wife then made their way to the Faslane Waterfront where they were greeted by Naval Base Commander Clyde, Commodore Sharon Malkin ADC, Rear Admiral Jude Terry CB OBE, Cdre’s Executive Assistant, Lieutenant Charlotte Edge, and Flotilla Executive Warrant Officer, Warrant Officer 1 Neil Brownson.
Cdre Malkin offered a final word of farewell to Cdre Dunn and his wife. There, they both boarded The Clyde Racer.
The couple were then waved off in an emotional final goodbye by submariners of a docked Astute Class Boat. An accompanying tug sprayed its water hoses in a ceremonial water salute as they departed down the Clyde.
Across his stellar career, Cdre Dunn has served on the Churchill, Swiftsure, Trafalgar, and Vanguard Class submarines.
In 2006, he was promoted to Commander and shortly after became the Commanding Officer onboard HMS Vigilant, carrying out our nation’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent.
He was honoured with an OBE for his time in command. In 2014, he was appointed Captain Faslane Flotilla and in July 2022, was appointed Commander Submarine Flotilla and Commodore of the Submarine Service.
“As I come to the end of my 36 years in the Royal Navy, I feel privileged to have worked alongside so many talented individuals. Having arrived on the Clyde in 1991 to join my first submarine, I could not have imagined the amazing journey that would unfold ahead of me.” said Cdre Dunn.
“From my time commanding HMS Vigilant to my time with USSTRATCOM in Omaha Nebraska, I leave with so many good memories throughout my career. Now finishing up as the Commander Submarine Flotilla, I am aware of the significant challenges faced by our service today, but I have absolute confidence in the men and women who proudly wear their dolphins and the absolute professionalism with which they discharge their duties.
“I would also like to thank the unsung heroes in the families, whose support is often forgotten but equally as vital.”
Cdre Dunn concluded: “In the short term I am heading off to walk the Camino de Santiago and then I am planning to move into the world of Executive Coaching where I look forward to working with more people – why – because people are our most important asset and I enjoy watching individuals achieve their full potential. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along my journey.”
Taking over is Commodore Ben Haskins. Joining the Royal Navy in 2003, he moved into the Submarine Service three years later. Over the following 14 years, he served in all commissioned classes of RN submarines with deployments taking him across the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf, Mediterranean, and the North Atlantic.
As the Commanding Officer of HMS Astute between 2018-2019, Cdre Haskins’ tour received the Conqueror Prize for operational excellence, the Churchill Medal for engineering and technical advancement in support of military operations and readiness, and the Royal Navy’s Unit Safe Guardian Award for safe working practices.
“It is an enormous privilege to return to the home of the Royal Navy Submarine Service here in Faslane and to lead the outstanding men and women of the Submarine Flotilla.” Cdre Haskins said.
“I look forward immensely to working with them, as well as the wider Clyde community and the Submarine enterprise to ensure that together we continue to provide the support and enablement to deliver operational excellence”.
In May 2023, Cdre Haskins was embedded in a foreign fleet for a 12-month period. Shortly after, in the 2024/25 academic period, he completed the Global Strategy Programme at the Royal College of Defence Studies. Now, he is assuming the role of Commodore Submarine Service.