NAVAL officers and ratings from a Hampshire naval base have bid a ceremonious farewell to their commanding officer.
Commodore Adrian Nance handed over control of HMS Collingwood in Fareham to the new man in charge Commodore Charles Montgomery at an event brimming with pomp and ceremony.
Sailors lined the roadway inside the base to wave and cheer their former leader as he retired after 33 years service in the Royal Navy.
He was transported out of the base on a vehicle fitted with the design of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal of which he was in command.
A band from the Royal Marines School of Music accompanied his departure with some rousing tunes.
Before he made his way out of the base, Cdre Nance was handed the Commodore's Pennant flag.
A spokesman from HMS Collingwood said: "As he left Cdre Nance shouted his best wishes to the sailors and thanked them for their support."
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