Carolyn Stait

Commodore Carolyn Jane Stait, (born 14 April 1957 ) is a retired senior officer of the Royal Navy. From 2004 to 2007, she was the first woman to command a Naval Base in Britain. As Commander of HMNB Clyde in Scotland, the home of the UK's nuclear deterrent at the Faslane Naval Base, Stait was the first woman to be selectively promoted to the rank of commodore in direct competition with male officers; with the exception of Princess Anne, who was appointed to the honorary rank of admiral and Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy in 2012, no woman held a higher rank in the Royal Navy until 2015.

Early life and education Stait was born in Birmingham, the daughter of physicist Harold Stait and Kathleen (née Hooper). She attended King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, leaving in 1975 with four A Levels. She joined the Royal Navy intending to use the career as a route into the diplomatic service, later embracing a lifetime naval career instead. Stait was promoted second officer (lieutenant) on 1 April 1980, and proceeded to posts in the Ministry of Defence and as Flag Lieutenant in Gibraltar. before attending the Staff Course in 1989. In the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours, Stait was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Later she was appointed Deputy Director of Naval Manning from where she was promoted to commodore on 22 June 2004, before returning to Faslane as base commander.