Cornish air base has new commanding officer

Capt Stuart Irwin handing over command of RNAS Culdrose to Capt James Hall on Monday

A naval air base in Cornwall has had a new commanding officer (CO) appointed, the Royal Navy has said.

Capt James Hall took over on Monday as the head of RNAS Culdrose, near Helston, from previous commander Capt Stuart Irwin, it said.

Capt Hall, who started his career in 2001, has served at Culdrose twice before, as deputy force commander of the base's fixed wing force and then commanding the Merlin helicopter force.

He said taking the role was a "huge privilege", adding: "The women and men of the Fleet Air Arm are the heartbeat of everything that we do, and the team here at RNAS Culdrose is pivotal to delivering outputs for our nation."

He said it was an "exciting time" to return to Culdrose with a £100m redevelopment planned, including new hangars for the Merlin Mk2 aircraft, a modern training environment, and testing facilities for self-driving boats and submarines.

Capt Hall trained as a Sea King helicopter aviator and served multiple times in Afghanistan, as well as in the Middle East.

His last role before returning to Culdrose was at the Ministry of Defenece (MoD) supporting the development of maritime drone technology.

RNAS Culdrose was opened in 1947 as a Royal Navy air station, providing air support and surveillance to the navy, and has evolved into one of the service's largest helicopter bases.

The base employed more than 3,000 people, the Royal Navy said.