The People Who Organise the Reunions and Events for Us

Hugo Stacey - President

Hugo's connection to Andromeda goes back further than most. He attended the ship's commissioning ceremony in 1968, aged eleven,  his father, Captain Michael Stacey, was Andromeda's first Commanding Officer. He later spent a week aboard at sea. It clearly made an impression.

In January 1980 he joined Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, as a WAFU, and completed his training as a Sea King pilot in early 1982,  just in time to sail south to the Falklands aboard RFA Fort Grange. It was there that he was reacquainted with Andromeda, flying regular Vertrep sorties to her during the conflict.

After that start, Hugo went on to fly for a further 34 years, predominantly based at RNAS Culdrose on Sea Kings and Merlins, with an exchange tour with the US Navy and a final posting as a Test Pilot.

When the association was formed, Captain Stacey was invited to become its first President. After Michael passed away in 2013, the association invited Hugo to take over the Presidency,  keeping the connection between the Stacey family and Andromeda unbroken from the very first day of the ship's life to the present.

Ian "Spoons" - Chairman

Spoons joined the Royal Navy in June 1983 as a Junior Seaman and went on to have the kind of career that only the Andrew can produce,  varied, unpredictable, and never quite what it said on the tin.

After training as an Active Sonar Operator at HMS Vernon, he joined HMS Birmingham in 1984, where he spent most of his 20-month draft working in the Senior Rates' Dining Hall party. A spell with Fleet Maintenance at Rosyth followed, where he picked up his Able Seaman's rate while spending the majority of his time carpet cleaning and tile laying on Ton-class sweepers and Island-class vessels,  a long way from active sonar, but the Navy has a talent for keeping people on their toes.

In April 1986, he flew out to join RFA Diligence as Bosun's Yeoman, sailmaker, and boats coxswain, operating in the Falklands around San Carlos. From there it was HMS Kent supervising Sea Cadets, a brief stint in Fishery Protection, and, in July 1986,  training as a tour guide on HMS Victory.

Spoons joined Andromeda in September 1989, spending nearly all of his time aboard as Gunnery Office and Routine Office Writer. It was during this draft that he decided on a career change, re-categorising to the Writer Branch and leaving Andromeda in Liberia on 18th June 1990. After Writer training at Raleigh and further courses at HMS Sultan and HMS Mercury, he was drafted to HMS Fearless in January 1992 as Tech Office Writer for the Weapons Engineering Department. He put his notice in while serving aboard Fearless, spent his final year as a security guard at SCU Leydene, and left the Royal Navy in January 1995.

From sonar operator to dining hall party, carpet layer to sailmaker, Victory tour guide to Gunnery Office writer,  it's a varied and diverse career that develops a lot of skills and life experiences.

Alan - Secretary

Alan joined the Royal Navy in 1976 as a fresh-faced JEM and built a career in naval engineering and leadership that would span 36 years. In 1981, he joined Andromeda as a Leading Hand,  and served aboard her during the Falklands War in 1982.

He gained a commission in 1992 and continued to serve until leaving the Royal Navy in 2012. After the Navy, he joined Babcock International at Devonport Dockyard as a Project Manager, providing worldwide engineering support to Royal Naval ships based in Devonport. He fully retired in 2021.

Today, Alan enjoys a well-earned retirement spent playing golf, walking the dogs, tackling DIY projects,  mainly, he admits, in his grown-up children's houses,  and travelling with his wife Wendy. 

As Secretary, he's the person who keeps the association running and the one to contact if you want to join, ask a question, or just say hello: hmsandromedasecretary@gmail.com.

Taff - Treasurer

Taff joined the Royal Navy in 1975 at HMS Ganges and built a career in Naval Weapon Engineering. After completing his Killicks course in 1980, he joined Andromeda, and picked up his PO's rate in 1981, just in time to sail south with the ship for the Falklands in 1982.

After the Falklands, Taff went on to Mechs Course, then HMS Boxer looking after Towed Array, followed by a posting to CinCFleet WE running the Towed Array desk. He left the Royal Navy in 1991 and moved into technical sales, where he's been ever since.

When he's not looking after the association's pennies, Taff spends his time on long walks with his partner Jan, supporting Welsh rugby, and dabbling as an amateur chef,  though the ship's company has yet to confirm whether his cooking has improved since his days in the mess.