Captain Justin Codd

Justin was born in 1972 and grew up in Lincoln. After gaining a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science and Cybernetics from the University of Reading, he worked for a short period in London prior to joining the Royal Navy as a Direct Graduate Entry, Seaman Officer in 1995.

Following basic training and fleet time, he volunteered for the submarine service and, after completing Basic Warfare Course at HMS DOLPHIN, qualified as a submariner in HMS VANGUARD in 1998. Assignments to submarines SUPERB, SPARTAN, VIGILANT and SUPERB (again) followed, prior to successfully completing Submarine Command Course in 2006. He was then assigned as the Executive Officer of HMS TORBAY, which, during his time, included her emergence from an extended maintenance period, subsequent regeneration and her first transit of the Suez Canal for Operations. In 2009 he was assigned to a US Navy exchange position based in Naples, Italy as the US Sixth Fleet Theatre Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer; during which he ran numerous national and multi-national all-arms ASW operations and exercises.

Returning to the UK in 2012, he took up the position of Senior Warfare Training Officer at the RNSMS in HMS RALEIGH where he was selected for promotion to Commander and for Sea Command. Prior to taking Command, he was assigned for a short period as Commander Faslane Flotilla and was also fortunate enough to attend the Emerging Strategic Leaders Programme under the Windsor Leadership Trust.

Taking Command of HMS AMBUSH in May 2013, he guided her from post build sea trials, through her first full Operational Sea Training period, and onto deployments to the West and South Atlantic and the Norwegian and Mediterranean Seas; with the latter including her first period of Operations. He joined FOST in September 2015, in the role of Commanding Officer Submarine Command Course, or ‘Teacher’, and with that the responsibility of training future submarine Commanding Officers. He joined the UK Maritime Battle Staff as the Staff Operations Officer in August 2017. During this assignment he led the Operational Estimate on the formation of a North Atlantic JOA, acted as the MCC liaison to SJFHQ during their FOC validation exercise and took the force generation authority role of the Mine Warfare Battle Staff under COMUKMARFOR.

Privileged to be given the opportunity of a second Command, he joined HMS VICTORIOUS in February 2019 and subsequently completed an extended deterrent patrol, returning to complete a high tempo maintenance period, challenged by the restrictions of COVID. Leaving Command in 2021 he moved up to Flotilla and took on the role of Commander Submarines where he was responsible for the Force Generation of Submarines. Selected for promotion to Captain, he took on role of Deputy Head Naval Base Security in Oct 2022, where he was responsible for the nuclear security across HMNB Clyde and RNAD Coulport and also oversaw the initiation of the Clyde PROTECT programme. Returning to a submarine role, he took on the position of FOST Captain Submarines in Aug 2023.

Justin lives in Scotland with his wife and, occasionally, three grown up children.