Vice Admiral Sir Nicholas William Hine, (born 4 February 1966) is a retired senior
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
officer. He served as
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...
from 2019 to 2022.
Early life and education
Hine was born on 4 February 1966 in
Carlisle,
Cumberland, England. He was educated at
John Taylor High School
John Taylor High School is a specialist science and leadership Academy (English school), academy located in the East Staffordshire village of Barton-under-Needwood, near Burton-on-Trent.
Founded in 1957, the school was named in the honour of Joh ...
, a state school in
Staffordshire. He studied at
City University London
City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...
(
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
, 1989) and
King's College London (
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
Defence Studies, 1999).
Naval career
Hine joined the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
in 1985. He served as commanding officer of
HMS ''Blackwater'' from 1995 to 1997,
and as Executive Officer of
HMS ''Splendid'' from 1999 to 2000.
He became Assistant Director of the Maritime Change Programme in August 2007, Director Iraq Maritime and Training in January 2009 and Team Leader Warfare Officers and Ratings in August 2010. He went on to be Head of Anti-Submarine Warfare and commanding officer of the
frigate in June 2011, conducting numerous counter piracy and drug missions in the Gulf and East Africa. Defence Policy Advisor to
HM Treasury
His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ...
in September 2012 and
Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy)
The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (A.C.N.S.) is a senior appointment in the Royal Navy usually a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7.
History
The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff was originally directly responsible to the Fir ...
in September 2015. During his time in the role he authored the Maritime Strategy 2035.
Hine became
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...
on 26 April 2019, and was promoted to
vice admiral.
As Second Sea Lord he was responsible for the 'Navy Transformation' programme. He also chaired the Royal Navy Digital and Data Board. On 12 January 2022, Hine was succeeded by Vice Admiral
Martin Connell as Second Sea Lord. He retired from the Royal Navy on 5 May 2022.
In 2015, Hine was given permission to wear the
Bronze Star Medal awarded to him by the President of the United States "in recognition of meritorious, gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq".
In the
2018 Queen's Birthday Honours
The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as p ...
, he was appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).
Hine was appointed
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...
(KCB) in the
2023 New Year Honours
The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
.
Personal life
Hine is married and has one daughter.
Hine was diagnosed with
autism in the 2010s, and has spoken in favour of
neurodiversity
Neurodiversity refers to diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions.
It was coined in 1998 by sociologist Judy Singer, who helped popularize the concept ...
in the armed forces.
The 1999 BBC1 documentary "Splendid Under The Sea" followed Hine as Second in Command.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hine, Nicholas William
1966 births
Living people
Military personnel from Cumberland
Alumni of City, University of London
Alumni of King's College London
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Foreign recipients of United States military awards and decorations
People from Carlisle, Cumbria
Royal Navy vice admirals
Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War
People on the autism spectrum