SubSea Craft appoints Penny Mordaunt as company Chair

Image courtesy SSC

The appointment follows the announcement of the defence start-up’s second international partnership for overseas manufacture support. Having recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Athens-based Skaramangas Shipyards, the company is looking to establish a foothold in Europe to provide the Hellenic Navy and NATO allies with stronger access to its maritime technology, including its flagship covert submersible craft, VICTA.

Mordaunt will take over from previous Chair and founder of SSC, Graham Allen, in a year that sees the company set to demonstrate a number of its platforms around the world.

Following 14 years as the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North, involving 10 ministerial tenures including as Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Minister of State for Trade Policy as well as the Secretary of State for Defence, SSC will leverage Mordaunt’s leadership experience to help shape the next phase of the business, engaging both the UK and its allies to utilise its research and manufacturing capabilities.

At the forefront of these capabilities is VICTA, a covert craft that operates both on and below the water. Designed to travel up to 40kts above water, the craft can rapidly transition sub-surface in two minutes to a 30m depth where it can navigate for up to four hours to discreetly deliver operators and payload to designated destinations.

The company is currently working with AUKUS partners to undertake trials on its latest craft, MARS, an advanced unmanned surface vehicle which will be able to work in tandem with the autonomous capabilities of VICTA to deliver increased safety and agility to naval and special forces insertion missions.

Building on its international expansion in Australia and now Greece, there is significant opportunity for the Portsmouth business to begin exporting to and collaborating with UK allies across the world.

With a background in the Royal Navy Reserve, Mordaunt has a long history of championing UK maritime innovation, from establishing a Martime Task Force to reinvigorating Portsmouth dockyard, promoting shipbuilding and disaster relief vessels whilst Secretary of State for International Development and as the UK’s Minister for resilience and civil contingencies at the Cabinet Office.

Penny Mordaunt, Chair of SubSea Craft, said: “In the battle for technical superiority we need nimble and brilliant companies. There are few UK firms that have been able to attract the sustainable investment required to produce the level of innovation and expertise SSC has achieved. The potential is clear and I am delighted to be Subsea Craft’s latest team member. These are exciting times to be joining as we prepare to scale the manufacture of world leading capabilities, following the recent signing of our Greek partnership.

“I look forward to assisting SubSea Craft into a truly international asset, resourcing both our own domestic needs and those of our allies”.

Camilla Martin, CEO of SubSea Craft, said: “Penny’s appointment comes at a significant time in SubSea Craft’s journey as we enter the next phase of our business expansion.

“Her international experience and reputation will help ensure our naval engineering platforms can be scaled to meet the needs of the UK and its allies across the globe.

“I’m very excited to get to work and continue from the strong start to 2025 with Penny on board.”