Life in the ARMED FORCES
THE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER
‘I was told submarines were no place for a woman’
Lieutenant Commander Debbie Sims, 51, has served in the Royal Navy regulars and reserves for 30 years. She is married to Alex, 46, also a Lieutenant Commander, who flies Wildcat helicopters, and they live in Somerset with their twin daughters, 16.
The first three ships that I was stationed on, there were 250 men and me. It was a challenging time for women in the Navy because there were some who didn’t want us there. I was there to do my job as a fighter controller in charge of aircraft, and I like to think my professionalism won them over.
After that, I was asked to take part in a trial to put women on submarines. It was 1998 and some thought submarines looking at potential physical, emotional and welfare issues, and my report concluded there were problems that needed addressing. It took another 15 years for it to happen, but now nobody thinks anything of women being on subs.
