Update on the BAY CLASS from a User’s Perspective
Location
The Courthouse, Ramsey, Isle of Man.
Date and Time
6.00pm Thursday 16th January 2025
About the Speaker
Western Joint Branch Committee Member, Gary McKenzie, is a Chartered Engineer and IMarEST Fellow. He trained in the Merchant Navy, initially as an Engineering Cadet with Reardon Smith Line and then served as an Engineering Officer on both geared and gearless bulk carriers to PANAMAX class.
On coming ashore, he worked in process industry and in the field of control and instrumentation, both in the UK and in Italy, where he was a supplier to Fincantieri - the Italian shipbuilder. A longstanding member of IMarEST, he is a former Chairman of the Wales Branch, a Past Chairman of the Membership Committee, a former Trustee of the Institute, a Past Honorary Treasurer of the Guild of Benevolence, and he is a current member of the Institute’s Finance and Investment Committee.
Gary spent 18 years in the Royal Naval Reserve, including 5 years as the Executive Officer of HMS CAMBRIA. A member of the Navy’s Amphibious Warfare Specialisation, he has served in the ALBION Class LPDs, LPH OCEAN, the Type 22 frigate HMS CHATHAM and in the RFA BAY CLASS LSD(A) platforms. He has considerable experience of LSD(A) operations, which started in 2006 with MOUNTS BAY in the VELA Deployment and extends to the use of the platform by the RNLMC, where he was employed as a specialist adviser.
The latest iteration of “Update on the BAY CLASS from a User’s Perspective” has been developed since 2016 and whilst it provides detailed focus on the LSD(A) itself, it includes a historic lead-in to amphibious warfare, the recent announcement on the future of the LPDs, and a look forward to the projected Multi-role Support Ships. It should therefore appeal to a wide-ranging audience.
