{{Short description|Royal Navy Vice Admiral (born 1953)}} {{About|the Royal Navy admiral|the Scottish writer|Allan Massie}} {{EngvarB|date=April 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}} {{Infobox military person |honorific_prefix = Vice Admiral |name = Sir Alan Massey |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB|CBE}} |image= Vice Admiral Massey (cropped).jpg |caption = Vice Admiral Massey in 2013 |birth_date= {{birth date and age|df=y|9 March 1953}} |birth_place= |death_place= |nickname= |allegiance= United Kingdom |service_years= |rank= Vice admiral |branch= Royal Navy |commands={{HMS|Newcastle|D87|6}}<br>{{HMS|Campbeltown|F86|6}}<br>{{HMS|Illustrious|R06|6}}<br>{{HMS|Ark Royal|R07|6}}<br>Naval Home Command |unit= |battles= Afghanistan War<br>Iraq War |awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath<br>Commander of the Order of the British Empire |other_work= }} Vice Admiral '''Sir Alan Michael Massey''', KCB, CBE (born 9 March 1953) is a former senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as the Second Sea Lord.
==Early life and education== Massey was educated at the University of Liverpool and Britannia Royal Naval College.
==Naval career== Massey trained as a seaman officer, specialising in above water warfare and as a fighter controller and navigator. His first posting was to {{HMS|Bulwark|R08|6}} in 1979.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-45832 |title=Massey, Vice Adm. Sir Alan (Michael)|publisher=Who's Who |date=1 December 2017 |website=Who's Who & Who Was Who |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U45832 |isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 |access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> Massey's first command was {{HMS|Newcastle}} in 1993, and he later saw service as captain of HMS ''Campbeltown'', HMS ''Illustrious'' during operations against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001 and as captain of HMS ''Ark Royal'' when his ship led the amphibious assault into Iraq in 2003.<ref name=bio>[http://royalnavy.wordpress.com/author/alanmasseytmpukrn/ Sir Alan Massey] Ministry of Defence</ref>
Staff tours included three appointments to the Ministry of Defence in London, serving in the NATO policy directorate, Defence Programmes and as assistant director of Navy Plans. He also served twice in NATO staff appointments: as military assistant to the chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels (1991–1992) and head of plans for the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia (1999–2001). As a commodore, he led the Operations Division of the Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood and then went on to be Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in July 2005,<ref name=bio/> with the rank of rear admiral on 5 July 2005.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=57693|supp=y|page=8687| date=5 July 2005}}</ref> He assumed office as Second Sea Lord in a ceremony aboard HMS ''Victory'' in July 2008.<ref name=bio/>
==Later life== Having left the Navy, Massey was appointed chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on 20 July 2010.<ref>[https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20090708010515mp_/http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/ZipLoader.ashx?itemID%3D385408%2526Type%3D1%2526userId%3D1%2526userLocale%3D2 New Chief Executive for Maritime and Coastguard Agency]</ref> During his time at the MCA, Massey was responsible for leading the MCA through a period of change, which included a reorganisation of HM Coastguard and the UK's search and rescue helicopter capability.<ref name="DailyEcho">{{cite web |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/16092209.sir-alan-massey-retiring-mca-eight-years-helm/ |title=Sir Alan Massey is retiring from the MCA after eight years at the helm |date=16 March 2018 |publisher= Southern Daily Echo |access-date=10 October 2022}}</ref> Massey's other responsibilities at the MCA included leading the UK's efforts to improve safety at sea.<ref name="DailyEcho"/> Massey stepped down as chief executive on 31 October 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brian Johnson appointed Chief Executive of MCA |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/brian-johnson-appointed-chief-executive-of-mca |website=GOV.UK |accessdate=17 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="DailyEcho"/>
Massey was appointed a non-executive director at Shoreham Port in January 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shoreham Port bids farewell to long standing board member and welcomes sir alan massey to the board|url=https://www.shoreham-port.co.uk/need-to-know/news/shoreham-port-bids-farewell-to-long-standing-board-member-and-welcomes-sir-alan-massey-to-the-board-1966/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=Shoreham Port|language=en}}</ref>
==Honours== On 31 October 2003, Massey was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services whilst on operations in Iraq during the period 19th March to 19th April 2003".<ref name="LG 31 October 2003">{{London Gazette |issue=57100 |date=31 October 2003 |page=2 |supp=y }}</ref> He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59090 |date=13 June 2009 |page=2 |supp=y }}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-mil}} {{s-bef|before=Adrian Johns}} {{s-ttl|title=Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff|years=2005–2008}} {{s-aft|after=Robert Cooling}} |- {{succession box|title=Second Sea Lord|before=Sir Adrian Johns|after=Charles Montgomery|years=2008–2010}} {{end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, Alan}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Category:Her Majesty’s Coastguard personnel (United Kingdom) Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:Lords of the Admiralty Category:Royal Navy vice admirals Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Iraq War Category:Royal Navy personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:People educated at Northgate Grammar School, Ipswich
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