Lieutenant-Commander Sarah West (born 1972) is a British Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 officer, notable as the first woman to be appointed to command a frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 in the Royal Navy.

She was born in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

 and studied mathematics at the University of Hertfordshire

University of Hertfordshire

The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...

 before entering Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...

 in 1995. She joined the Royal Navy as a warfare officer. She also took a law degree whilst on active service in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 and is an expert in large-scale naval planning, mine clearance, weapons-systems and underwater warfare. She was trained on HMS Battleaxe

HMS Battleaxe (F89)

HMS Battleaxe was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was sold to the Brazilian Navy on 30 April 1997 and renamed Rademaker.HMS Battleaxe was featured in Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising....

 and later commanded four small ships, including the minesweeper HMS Shoreham

HMS Shoreham (M112)

HMS Shoreham is a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. She is the fifth vessel to bear the name.-External links:* -References:...

. She has also worked on the co-ordination and logistics of the evacuation of UK citizens during the 2006 Lebanon War, naval operations at the time of the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence

2008 Kosovo declaration of independence

The 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence was adopted on 17 February 2008 by individual members of the Assembly of Kosovo acting in personal capacity and not binding to the Assembly itself...

 and the British naval contribution to the Iraq War. She is to be promoted Commander

Commander

Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...

 at the end of 2011 and in April 2012 will assume command of the frigate HMS Portland

HMS Portland (F79)

HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates.- Operational history :...

.