A ROYAL Navy officer has spoken of the huge privilege of sailing her own ship into her home town port.

Lieutenant Commander Catherine Jordan, 36, navigated fishery protection vessel HMS Severn into Hartlepool yesterday for a three-day visit.

Friends of Lt Cdr Jordan, one of only two women in command of an operational warship in the Royal Navy, were on hand to greet the crew as they sailed into the port.

“It has been a huge privilege to come to Hartlepool,”

she said. “It is where I was born, so it is very special to bring a warship here.

“It is funny how different a place looks from the sea. As a child I use to think Middlesbrough was miles away, but it really isn’t.”

Lt Cdr Jordan grew up in Easington, County Durham, and went to Wellfield School, in Wingate.

She became interested in the Royal Navy as a teenager.

She hopes to catch up with her family, who still live in the North-East, over the next few days.

HMS Severn will host several trustees of the historic ship HMS Trincomalee during her visit, and Sea Cadets from TS Trincomalee will also be invited on board for a training night.

The warship, alongside sister ships HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, conduct fishery protection duties around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

She has a crew of more than 30 sailors and spends more than 300 days a year at sea patrolling British fishery limits, liaising with the Marine Management Organisation.

If navigating a warship was not difficult enough, Lt Cdr Jordan had to identify more than 70 types of fish in order to get the job.

“I never thought we had so many types of fish in our waters, but I can assure you we do,” she said. “We need to know what to look out for when we stop a fishing vessel.

“I love what I do and I am very proud of my job. Obviously, if I am lucky enough to get promoted one day they will give me a bigger ship.”