Commander-in-Chief Fleet Visits UKHO
The Royal Navy's senior Operational Commander visited the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) on Friday 19th February, to see the navigational services and charts that the organisation provides at first hand. The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET), Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE, is responsible for delivering the Fleet Operational Capability. This includes the operation, resourcing and training of the Royal Navy's ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel including the Royal Marines.
A submarine specialist, he is no stranger to the output of the UKHO having commanded at sea in every rank from Lieutenant to Commodore.
His visit included an update briefing on the latest information and development plans for UKHO's maritime services and products that were illustrated during a tour of the facilities and meetings with staff.
Areas highlighted to him included:
•UKHO's Admiralty e-Navigator - a key project in UKHO's digital vision
•UKHO's electronic chart service Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS)
•The production and delivery programme for paper and digital services
•The national hydrographic database, which UKHO has developed as a single source point for all navigational data storage and retrieval.
A key objective placed on the UKHO is to deliver the Hydrographic Services which enable the Royal Navy and other UK Defence forces to meet the current and potential operational tasks. Thus CINCFLEET spent a significant part of the visit looking at the recent work and meeting personnel within the Defence section.
On the picture: Admiral Sir Trevor Soar (centre) views archive charts accompanied by Rear Admiral Ian Moncrieff, National Hydrographer (on left of image) and Captain Vaughan Nail, Deputy National Hydrographer (on the right).
