Commander Joe Da Gama, 47, left Kenya with his family in 1969 at the age of 13. He spent eight years in Basingstoke, where his parents still live, attending Cranbourne School in Kings Furlong.

He joined the Navy in 1977 as a ratings officer and rose to his current rank in 1995.

Cdr Da Gama's success was announced in last Tuesday's Endeavour Awards for leadership and diversity. It is the third time this year that he has been recognised for his work to change the face of the Navy.

He said: "We have worked really heard to recruit ethnic minorities in the past few years.

"To continue that success we had to make the service more embracing. If we were to achieve the targets we had set for ourselves, we had to consider these things before we got the recruits in place. So we have been pro-active."

Cdr Da Gama said that, as a teenager in Basingstoke, he had been the victim of bullying. But he added that the problems now faced by the Navy were different.

"Take people like myself from Basingstoke. I lived in an area that was white and went to school with white children. So we try to change to be less visible.

"You can't change your colour but you can become more integrated.

"I have had 26 terrific years in the Navy and have never encountered bullying.

"I can honestly say bullying isn't rife, but I would be naïve to say it doesn't exist. There's bullying in every part of life."

Since taking over as the Navy's diversity policy officer in 2001, Cdr Da Gama has made changes to improve life for all recruits, not just ethnic minorities.

He said: "What you do not want to do is alienate people and have the white majority say `What about me?'."

Commander Joseph Da Gama, based at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, will be ordained by the Roman Catholic bishop to the armed forces, the Rt Rev Francis Walmsley.

Cdr Da Gama will join the carrier HMS Invincible as Commander Air Engineering. He trained for the permanent diaconate in the Diocese of Plymouth while based at RNAS Culdrose.

He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and joined the Royal Navy 21 years ago.

He is a chartered engineer in aeronautical engineering, and is married with three young children.

Cdr Da Gama, who lives in Somerton, said: "I am delighted that this most special day has eventually arrived after realising I wanted to be a permanent deacon some six years ago.

"I am now very much looking forward to serving in this remarkable ministry, which was restored to the church at the Second Vatican Council."

Cdr Da Gama's duties as deacon on board ship still have to be worked out.

His first duty would continue to be to the Royal Navy, followed by the Catholic Church.