West was born in Lincolnshire and studied mathematics at the University of Hertfordshire before entering Britannia Royal Naval College in September 1995.

She also took a law degree whilst on active service in the Middle East and is an expert in large-scale naval planning, mine clearance, weapons systems and underwater warfare.

She was with Commander Amphibious Task Group from 2005 as the underwater warfare specialist, then at Permanent Joint Headquarters at Northwood from 2007, followed by work with the Middle East Operations Team.

[2][3] West left the ship during a seven-month deployment to the Caribbean in mid-2014, after allegations that she had had an affair with one of her officers.

[5] On 8 August 2014 the Navy announced that West had been removed from command, citing an "internal matter", and that she would be reappointed to another post.