XN000022-1994-07-11 — Page 7

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MONDAY, JULY 11, 1994

NEW NAVY CAPTAIN FOR HONG KONG

*

CAPTAIN PETER MELSON RN HAS TAKEN OVER AS CHIEF OF STAFF, THEREFORE DEPUTY TO THE COMMANDER BRITISH FORCES HONG KONG.

AND

SUNTER, FORMERLY SENIOR NAVAL

AS SUCH,

WITH THE DEPARTURE OF CAPTAIN TOM CAPTAIN-IN-CHARGE ROYAL NAVY HONG KONG, HE BECOMES THE OFFICER IN HONG KONG,

NOT

WILL

HONG

HOWEVER, AS A HEADQUARTERS STAFF OFFICER, CAPTAIN MELSON HAVE OVERALL DAY-TO-DAY CONTROL OF ROYAL NAVY OPERATIONS IN KONG. THAT RESPONSIBILITY FALLS TO COMMANDER BERRY REEVES RN, FORMERLY THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER HMS TAMAR AND CAPTAIN SUNTER'S DEPUTY.

CAPTAIN MELSON, 47, FIRST WENT TO SEA AS A DECK APPRENTICE WITH ΤΟ THE THAMES SHELL TANKERS IN 1961, HAVING GAINED A SCHOLARSHIP NAUTICAL TRAINING COLLEGE, HMS WORCESTER AND AT THE SAME TIME THE ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE AS A MIDSHIPMAN.

HE

TRANSFERRED TO THE ROYAL NAVY IN 1968, HAVING SERVED NUMBER OF MERCHANT SHIPS, ATTAINING THE RANK OF SECOND OFFICER.

HIS FIRST POSTING TOOK HIM TO THE FRIGATE DEPUTY ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE OFFICER.

ENTERED

ON A

HMS YARMOUTH AS

FOLLOWING THIS, CAPTAIN MELSON SERVED ON HMS EASTBOURNE AND HMS ARK LEANDER BEFORE JOINING THE ROYAL NAVY'S LAST BIG DECK CARRIER HMS ROYAL IN 1977 FOR HER FINAL COMMISSIONING.

AFTER A

IN 1979, HE BECAME EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF HMS ANTELOPE SEVEN-MONTH TECHNICAL COURSE AT THE ROYAL NAVAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE.

1.N 1981, CAPTAIN MELSON WAS APPOINTED

TO

NEW

COMMAND THE OFFSHORE PATROL VESSEL, HMS LEEDS CASTLE AND ON PROMOTION TO COMMANDER AT THE END OF THE YEAR, ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE FRIGATE WHICH SAW SERVICE IN THE FALKLANDS LATE IN 1982.

HMS SIRIUS,

AFTER

AN

APPOINTMENT IN

CHARGE

OF

ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE CAPTAIN MELSON WAS

TRAINING A'T THE SCHOOL OF MARITIME OPERATIONS, APPOINTED COMMANDER SEA TRAINING AND, ON PROMOTION TO CAPTAIN IN 1988, JOINED THE STAFF OF THE SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER EUROPE.

CAPTAIN MELSON'S WIFE, JANET, IS A FORMER WREN AND THEIR SHARED INTERESTS INCLUDE SKIING AND OFFSHORE SAILING.

0

SPONSORED VISIT BY A GOVT DELEGATION

WILL BE INVITATION OF

THE SECRETARY FOR RECREATION AND CULTURE, MR JAMES SO, VISITING BEIJING AND CHENGDU FROM JULY 21 TO 30 AT THE THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA,

MR SO WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SEVEN OTHER HONG

OFFICIALS.

THIS IS ONE IN A SERIES OF CHINA VISITS THE PURPOSE OF GENERAL FAMILIARISATION.

KONG GOVERNMENT

STARTED IN 1988 FOR

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