David Shinkfield

Summary
David William Shinkfield, colloquially referred to as "Shinky," is the Chief Operations Officer of the USS Hunt. Up until James Copper was drafted back into the Captain's chair, Shinkield was supposed to serve as the executive officer under Mirra Boleros, however in the reshuffle was assigned the Operation Officer's station. Despite this he still maintains his original rank of Commander, and is considered "Number 2," much to the amusement of his fellow bridge officers.

Appearance
Shinkfield is a very imposing figure, standing at well over 6'3" tall and very muscular. He is clean shaven and sports a completely bald head. He has a scar under his left eye. He was born in Rochdale on Earth. He has a slight speech impediment from a boxing injury he sustained as a young man.

Personality & Lifestyle
Shinkfield is a very reserved man considering his size. He is a skilled marksman and explosives technician, as well as understanding the inner workings of a phaser array like no-one else. He likes a good laugh however and has a somewhat childish streak when in all-male company. He could be considered as James Copper's closest male friend.

Pre-Starfleet Life
Born in Rochdale in 2369 to Maria and John Shinkfield, he graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2388, approximately a year before James Copper. They became friends at the Academy despite being in different grades and regularly played football together. Both were reprimanded for locking down the training holodeck for 90 minutes whilst they re-enacted the 1966 World Cup.

Starfleet Career
His first posting was on board the New Orleans with Mirra Boleros, and regularly partook in away missions where he made best use of his skills as a demolitions expert. Late in 2388 he was taken hostage by Orion Slavers and endured six days of imprisonment before Mirra could negotiate his rescue.