Commander Ivan Ingham
Commander Ivan M. Ingham, MNI, RAN entered the Royal Navy in 1980. After Officer training at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) Dartmouth he undertook Fleet training in HM Ships Fife and Manchester. Follow-on postings included Gunnery Officer of the Hong Kong Patrol Vessel HMS Starling, Fighter Controller (AIC) of the Rosyth based Type-42 Destroyer HMS Edinburgh and an appointment as Air Director of the Aircraft Carrier HMS Illustrious. After a posting as an instructor at the PWO Faculty in HMS Dryad, he completed staff training at the Royal Naval College Greenwich before undertaking PWO Course. Graduating as Dux student of his course, he was also awarded the Captain Farmer Memorial Prize for the ‘Top PWO of the Year (97)’. Promotion to Lieutenant Commander and an exchange appointment to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) followed where he served as the Gunnery Officer and Operations Officer in the WA based Frigate HMAS Canberra (98-00).
On return to the UK, he completed specialist Advanced Air Warfare training before rejoining HMS Edinburgh as the Anti-Air Warfare Officer and Operations Officer (00-01). In this appointment, he also served as Head of the Warfare Department and Staff Warfare Officer to the Captain of the Third Destroyer Squadron (Capt D3). After passing all Royal Navy Command Examinations (for both Major & Minor War Vessels) he was elected full Membership of the Nautical Institute (MNI). During an RN career spanning twenty years he experienced repeated operational deployments to the South Atlantic (Falklands & Antarctica), the Arabian Gulf (ARMILLA & SOUTHERN WATCH) and the Adriatic (SHARP GUARD & DENY FLIGHT).
After transferring to the RAN in 2001, he returned to WA for a posting to HMAS Anzac (01-03) as Gunnery and Air Warfare Officer where he experienced deployments to Christmas Island for Operation RELEX II and the Arabian Gulf for Operations SLIPPER, FALCONER & CATALYST. For his role as the Bombardment Control Officer during FALCONER, when he conducted Naval Gunfire Support against targets on the Al Faw Peninsular (Iraq), he was awarded a Commendation for Distinguished Service.
In 2004 he was employed as the Capability Requirements Manager by the ANZAC Capability Element Manager (ANZCEM) before taking up his appointment as Commanding Officer of the Cairns based Fremantle Class patrol boat, HMAS Townsville (05-06). During his time in Command, he completed a highly successful work up and undertook a deployment to the Pacific and South East Asia for Exercise BERSAMA LIMA and contributed to Operations CRANBERRY, RELEX II and ANODE II. In recognition of Townsville’s achievements during this period, the ship was awarded the Kelly Shield Runner-up (2005). After a brief period at the ANZAC System Program Office (ANZSPO) he moved to Sydney and assumed the role of Capability Development and Integration Manager for the Commander Surface Combatant Force Element Group (SCFEG) and was promoted to Commander in 2007. In this role, he also represented Australia as the RAN representative on the Evolved Sea-Sparrow Missile (ESSM) Requirements Panel. Commander Ingham assumed Command of the WA based Anzac Class Frigate HMAS Toowoomba, in March 2009.
Ivan is a keen but unaccomplished sportsman, Ivan keeps very active with running, tennis and squash. In his remaining spare time he enjoys travel, Top Gear, naval history, biographies of world leaders, collecting books and naval memorabilia, watching test cricket and enjoying fine Australian Red wine.
