A ROYAL Navy lieutenant who hails from Basingstoke has been presented a certificate for long service.

Lieutenant Graham Martin was awarded the Valedictory Certificate at HMS Collingwood, by Captain Steve Dainton CBE, commanding officer of the Fareham establishment, as his 33-year service to the Royal Navy drew to a close.

The certificate is given to service personnel upon retirement who complete over 20 years in the Navy.

Lt Martin joined the Navy in September 1980 as marine engineer.

Having progressed through the ranks, the 49-year-old leaves the service as a Lieutenant working within the Navy's Future Training Unit based at HMS Collingwood.

During his diverse career, Lt Martin has served on many ships, including HMS Glasgow, HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious.

Whilst onboard Glasgow he served during the Falklands Conflict, for which he was awarded the South Atlantic Medal and Rosette.

Lt Martin, who grew up in Basingstoke where his parents Sheila and Brian still live, said his time on HMS Ark Royal was the highlight of his career, as they took the ship through refit, worked through a demanding trails period and back to sea for a successful operational deployment.

The father-of-two, who now lives in Fareham with his wife Alix, daughter Felicity and son Laurence, was awarded various medals during his service, including NATO medal, the General Service Medal and the Queen's Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals.

Speaking of his retirement, Lt Martin said: “The Royal Navy has been great, the people have been fantastic.”