The Royal Navy’s top man joined military and civilian personnel to celebrate the 50th anniversary of HMS Neptune, the shore establishment which evolved into HM Naval Base Clyde.

In a day of pomp and ceremony to mark the golden celebrations, The First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones, reviewed military personnel during ceremonial divisions.

Special guests, including veterans and former naval base workers, looked on as Admiral Jones reviewed the assembled ranks of submariners, sailors and Royal Marines from the base.

Officially opened by HRH The Queen Mother on May 10, 1968, the naval base is now the home of the UK Submarine Service and around 6,800 military and civilian staff who support the Royal Navy Fleet from Scotland, making it the largest military site in Scotland.

The base will become the sole home of the UK Submarine Service from 2020. And with the UK Government investing millions of pounds into the site, personnel is set to increase by another 2,000.

All submarine training will also be moved to Faslane over the next 10 years.

However, the base has been the focus of long-term, high-profile protests from anti-nuclear campaigners, and the peace camp close to the base has been occupied since June, 1982.

The SNP’s aim of banning nuclear weapons from an independent Scotland has also put the base at the centre of fierce debate locally and nationally.

In an interview with the Reporter, Admiral Jones said: “From my perspective, as head of the Royal Navy, this reinforces the place of the Royal Navy in Scotland and that is something we are really keen to do at the moment.

“We are going to be here for a long time to come because we are investing massively here.”

Discussing the impact the base investment would have on the local area, Admiral Jones urged young people locally to actively consider a naval career.

He said: “I would encourage them to look at what a career in the Navy offers, because, firstly, it makes them part of something, something bigger than them, and something that goes back over 100s of years of recognition.

“We are offering fabulous careers with really high-quality technical training.”

Captain Craig Mearns, Captain of HMS Neptune and Captain of the naval base, told the Reporter: “You can have all the best kit in the world, but none of it works without people and that’s what they have achieved.

“What we are hoping to see is that as more and more submariners come up here.

“What we find is that is when people have a home to go to in the evening when they are not at sea, it makes for a much more stable and happy existence.”

Commodore Mark Gayfer, Naval Base Commander Clyde, said: “To achieve an unbroken chain of continuous deterrent patrols for almost 50 years is a testament to the hard work and determination of generations of submariners, base workers and their families.

“The Clyde has a proud maritime history and I am confident that the naval base and HMS Neptune will continue this tradition of world-class engineering and personnel support for another 50 years or more.”

Argyll and Bute’s SNP MP Brendan O’Hara said it was hard to believe Faslane is now in its 50th year.

He added: “There are many who are opposed to what the base has come to symbolise. “My view has always been that Faslane is a strategically vital installation and there is no reason why it shouldn’t always have a bright non-nuclear future for ourselves and our NATO allies.”