Harbour master and manager welcomed aboard

Billy Johnson will take up the post next month, and said he was looking forward to the challenges the new position presented, and to joining the harbour board team.

After studying geography at Loughborough University, Billy joined the Royal Navy, training at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

A Harbour Board spokesman said: “He enjoyed a varied career in the Royal Navy before undertaking specialist training as a Hydrographic Surveyor and in 2005 joined HMS Roebuck as Navigating Officer deploying with NATO taskgroups to West Africa and the Baltic.

“Since leaving the Navy in 2008, Billy has been working with Associated British Ports in Southampton, as Port Hydrographer responsible for the routine survey and dredging of the berths and approaches to one of the busiest ports in the UK.”

Billy lives in Littlehampton, with his wife and two daughters, and said he was a keen Rugby fan, having played at university and represented Royal Navy Scotland, and now played for Littlehampton RFC.

West Sussex County Councillor for Arundel and Wick, Nigel Peters, who was appointed chairman of the Harbour Board in April, said he was pleased to have been involved in the recruitment of our new harbour master and manager.

“The standard of applicants was high and we are delighted to have appointed someone with Billy’s background and experience. We look forward to welcoming him in September,” he added.

Billy takes over from Anne Carnegie, who replaced Colin Hitchcock, when he was controversially sacked as harbour master and manager at the end of 2009. He later lost a claim for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal.