A sailor from the Isle of Wight is helping improve maritime security and cut down on piracy in the Gulf region.
Leading Seaman (Above Water Warfare) Zachary Newnham, 26 and from Newport, joined HMS Defender – the fifth Type 45 destroyer – when she entered Service in 2012.
Having sailed from her home port of Portsmouth on 2nd June, she is now working in the Gulf region on her maiden operational deployment.
Zachary joined the Royal Navy in 2007 after attending Sandown High School. It was a decision he took after listening to his grandfather Andrew Newnham’s stories of his career in the navy.
On board Defender Zachary’s primary role is a skill at arms instructor, which involves training members of the ship’s company how use to use small and medium range weapons.
Additional roles include being a divisional leading hand which means he looks after colleagues’ professional development in their chosen trade.
