Jerry Ovens | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 (age 63–64) England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands held | 706 Naval Air Squadron RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) |
| Awards | Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS) |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol Royal Naval College, Greenwich |
| Spouse(s) | Sandra Mann |
| Children | 2 |
| Relations | Patrick John Ovens (father) |
Commander Jeremy John Ovens QCVS (born 1959) is a former Royal Navy officer and executive officer.
Ovens was born in 1959 in England, the youngest of three children of Patrick John Ovens, a distinguished Royal Navy major-general, and Margaret Mary White. [1]
Ovens studied at the University of Bristol, where he gained a degree in aeronautical engineering. [2]
Ovens joined the Royal Navy in 1978. He served in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Baltic in several of Her Majesty's Ships, including HMS Euryalus, HMS London, HMS Wolverton, and HMS Yarmouth. On 1 January 1983, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant [3] and began training as an observer in anti-submarine warfare at the Royal Navy airbase RNAS Culdrose. In 1985, he joined the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron 814 Naval Air Squadron, before serving as an instructor on 706 Naval Air Squadron, after which he then enrolled in the principal warfare officer course and was subsequently appointed to the destroyer HMS Cardiff. [2]
In 1992, Ovens was appointed as the senior observer of 706 Naval Air Squadron and so returned to RNAS Culdrose. In 1994, he was appointed to the command of the hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel HMS Quorn. Following its service in Rosyth (where it was engaged in fishery protection), the ship was tasked with mine warfare training in the English Channel, from the naval base in Portsmouth. [2]
In 1996, Ovens attended his final Royal Naval staff course at Greenwich's Royal Naval College. He was then appointed the operations officer of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. It was under Oven's watch that Illustrious saw the Handover of Hong Kong. As operations officer, he also organised the training to take a GR7s RAF Harrier squadron from having never embarked on an aircraft carrier to engaging in night bombing raids over Iraq within the space of four weeks. [2] In recognition, he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS), a British military award for meritorious service in an operational theatre, on 6 November 1998. [4]
In 1999, Ovens was promoted to the rank of Commander and was appointed as a member of the Joint Services Command and Staff College's Directing Staff. He was then appointed as an instructor at the Tactical Training Group Atlantic, Virginia, where he was tasked with teaching United States Navy officers of all ranks how to operate with allied navies. The September 11 attacks happened four weeks into this role, increasing the urgency of such an excerise in preparation for the coming War on terror. [2]
In 2004, Ovens was designated to the UK's Ministry of Defence, where he was tasked with monitoring the efficiency of the Aircraft Carrier Strike capability programme, which included the introduction of the Joint Strike Fighters, as well as any Aircraft Carriers necessary. [2]
In 2009, Ovens was appointed the second-in-command of Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose. [2] As commander and executive officer of Culdrose, [5] [6] he oversaw the olympic flame's arrival in preparations for the 2012 Summer Olympics: "We expect people to come out and celebrate in their own communities," he said, "Everyone is really excited about it." [7] In 2016, he resigned as chairman of the Royal Navy Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. [8]
Ovens oversaw the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Degrees. He told the Fleet Air Arm Officers Association in 2017:
I have thoroughly enjoyed managing the Fleet Air Arm Military Aviation Academy. I realise how much work goes into getting your Wings or C of C, whether you are a Pilot, Observer, Aircrewman or Air Traffic Controller. All this hard work needs to be recognised. I am delighted that the OU agrees with us and awards our people’s hard work. Not only do you have a great career in the RN, you can leave with a degree, a qualification recognised by future employers too! [9]
Ovens is married to Sandra Mann. Together, they have two children. [2]
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five RN fighting arms. As of 2023 it is a predominantly "rotary" force, with helicopters undertaking roles once performed by biplanes such as the Fairey Swordfish. It operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike and the AW159 Wildcat and AW101 Merlin for commando and anti-submarine warfare.
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose is a Royal Navy airbase near Helston on the Lizard Peninsula of Cornwall UK, and is one of the largest helicopter bases in Europe. Its main role is serving the Fleet Air Arm's front line AgustaWestland Merlin helicopter squadrons.
An aircraft handler is a member of the Aircraft Handling branch in the Royal Navy of the British Armed Forces. Aircraft Handlers are responsible for the safe movement, launching and recovering (landing) of all aircraft on board ships within the Royal Navy and some of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. They are also responsible for aircraft crash rescue and fire fighting duties on board Royal Navy ships and at Royal Naval Air Stations. The Aircraft Handling branch of the Fleet Air Arm in the Royal Navy was formed in 1945. Beforehand the duties of Aircraft Handlers were performed by members of other branches of the Navy, many of whom transferred to the new branch upon its formation.
The Royal Navy Observer School grew out of HM Naval Seaplane Training School at RNAS Lee-on-Solent as a result of a series of changes of identity and parent unit. From 1918 until 1939 the Royal Air Force was responsible for naval aviation, including training and provision of aircrew to the Royal Navy. With the return of naval aviation to the Royal Navy on 24 May 1939, the Observer School was established as 750 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm. During World War II the squadron moved to Trinidad to continue training aircrew. It was temporarily disbanded in October 1945. The squadron reformed in 1952 and is currently based at RNAS Culdrose, where it trains approximately 30 Royal Navy observers every year.
854 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, first formed on 1 January 1944 at Squantum Naval Air Station in the United States. It was disbanded in December 1945, and reformed December 2006 as a helicopter squadron designed for Airborne Surveillance and Control.
Captain Frederick Michael Alexander Torrens-Spence, was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot in the Second World War. Torrens-Spence earned the distinction of holding commissions in the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
815 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron flying the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 helicopter and is the Navy's front line Wildcat Naval Air Squadron. The squadron is based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. The squadron is capable of carrying out multiple roles such as: counter-narcotics, anti-piracy, Above Surface Warfare (ASW), search and rescue, disaster relief and flying and engineering training. In the early 2000s, the Navy said that the squadron was largest helicopter squadron in Europe.
809 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom. It was first formed in 1941 and flew in the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean and the Far East during the Second World War.In Jan 54 the sqdn equipt with Sea Hornet NF21s joined HMS Eagle enroute to the Med, however when an a/c was lost over the ships side the sqdn was put ashore in Gibraltar to operate from North Front airfield, the sqdn personnel were embarked on another carrier on way back to the UK the a/c having flown back to UK at this time. The sqdn was disbanded at Culdrose and moved to Yeovilton and took delivery of Venom 20s later updated to 21s, in Nov 55 moved to Malta operating from RAF Takali as Halfar was undergoing runway refurbishment. After active service during the Suez Crisis, 809 was disbanded in 1959. Reformed in 1963 to fly Blackburn Buccaneers, the squadron was disbanded briefly in 1965-66, and then again in 1978. A brief period during the Falklands War saw 809 reformed to bring Sea Harrier FRS.1 aircraft south to the UK task group and to fly from HMS Illustrious.
829 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Before it was decommissioned in March 2018, it operated the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 helicopter.
820 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-based squadron flying the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 in Anti-Submarine and Airborne Early Warning (AEW) roles from RNAS Culdrose.
810 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 with the amalgamation of the 12 Blackburn Dart aircraft from 463 and 44 Flight Flights Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm. The squadron saw action during the Second World War, the Suez Crisis and the Korean War.
814 Naval Air Squadron or 814 NAS, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It is currently equipped with the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 anti-submarine warfare helicopter and is based at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose in Cornwall. The squadron was formed in December 1938 and has been disbanded and reformed several times.
824 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron based at RNAS Culdrose and currently operating the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 Operational Conversion Unit. It trains aircrew in Anti-Submarine warfare and Airborne Surveillance and Control.
706 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Established as a fighter and torpedo-bomber training unit in Australia at the end of World War Two, it was briefly reformed as a helicopter squadron in the early 1950s, before becoming a helicopter training unit in 1962, and operating until 1998.
Captain Frederick Stovin-Bradford was a Royal Navy officer and aviator in the Fleet Air Arm. During his career, Stovin-Bradford was involved in the sinking of the Italian submarine Iride, was one of the youngest officers to be promoted to the rank of captain since Nelson's time, and served as Staff Officer to the Flag Officer of Home Air Command in England and later Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer in charge of East Australia. His obituary in The Times described him as one of the most colourful personalities in the Fleet Air Arm.
744 Naval Air Squadron is a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was initially active in 1943, based in Nova Scotia. A second 744 NAS was formed, in early 1944, in Northern Ireland, for Merchant Aircraft Carrier training, meaning the first iteration was re-designated 754 NAS. The squadron's primary focus turned to Anti-submarine warfare training, which then further developed into trialing new submarine detection technology, ending in 1956. In 2018 it reformed as the Mission Systems and Armament Test and Evaluation Squadron.
751 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was initially active as an Observer Training Squadron from 1939 to 1944 as part of No.1 Observer School. 751 NAS formed at RNAS Ford in May 1939. Ford was attacked and bombed, in August 1940, and the following day the squadron relocated to RNAS Arbroath. Twelve months later it moved to RNAS Dundee, remaining there until disbanding at Dundee in May 1944.
765 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent, in May 1939, as a Seaplane School and Pool squadron. The squadron moved to RNAS Sandbanks, in August 1940, where it undertook the Seaplane Flying Training Course Part I. Lieutenant Commander Wilson was appointed as dual officer in charge of the air base, and Commanding officer of 765 NAS. By the middle of 1943, dedicated Seaplane Training schools ended and the squadron disbanded in the October. 765 NAS reformed at RNAS Charlton Horethorne, in early February 1944, as a Travelling Recording Unit. The squadron moved to RNAS Lee-on-Solent in March, before moving to RNAS Worthy Down on one month later during April, then in May it moved to RNAS Stretton, were it remained during June.
790 Naval Air Squadron was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm.