james wyper

---

JAMES WYPER

RANK: COMMANDER JOINED: 1991 SPECIALISATION: WARFARE PREVIOUS UNITS: HMS VIGILANT, HMS TURBULENT, HMS VANGUARD, HMS TRENCHANT, HMS SPLENDID

Military experience James Wyper was born in Dunbartonshire in 1969 and joined the Royal Navy in 1991 after reading International Politics and Strategic Studies at Aberystwyth University. His initial officer training included sea-time around Northern Europe in the frigates HMS Minerva and Brilliant as well as fishery protection duties in the wooden-hulled minesweeper, HMS Kellington. Volunteering for submarine service in 1993, James gained his Dolphins in HMS Splendid and navigated HMS Trenchant, deploying to the USA, Adriatic, Gulf, the Far East twice and Australia. As a Watch-Leader in HMS Vanguard from 1999, he conducted four nuclear deterrent patrols as well as trials in the USA. Joining HMS Turbulent in 2002, he deployed to the Pacific and revisited the Gulf, Australia, the Far East twice more and took part in Operations Telic and Veritas. Passing the Submarine Command Course, or ‘Perisher’, in 2005, James was appointed to HMS Vigilant as the Executive Officer for four further nuclear deterrent patrols. He then joined the Maritime Battle Staff in 2008, deploying in aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers and amphibious ships in order to direct submarines that were operating within a Task group. This work took him back to the USA, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean and saw him deploy to the Arabian Sea onboard the aircraft carrier Charles de-Gaulle to provide submarine support to French operations in Afghanistan. In 2011, he joined Fleet Operations in the Northwood Headquarters. Here he ran SSN operations, a time that included Operation Ellamy in Libya, and participated in the UK-French Working-Group, promoting submarine co-operation between the two nations. Changing roles in 2012 to run SSBN operations and programming, James was selected for promotion to Commander. Later that year, he took the opportunity to complete the Advanced Command and Staff Course and gain a Masters in Defence Studies. The end of 2013 saw him conduct a short study for the Sustainable Submarine Manpower Programme prior to assuming command of HMS Victorious in 2014.