Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known simply as Dartmouth, is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and previous students lived in two wooden hulks moored in the River Dart. Since 1998, BRNC has been the sole centre for Royal Naval officer training

History

The training of naval officers at Dartmouth dates from 1863 when the wooden hulk HMS Britannia was moved from Portland and moored in the River Dart. In 1864, after an influx of new recruits, Britannia was supplemented by HMS Hindustan. Prior to this there had been a Royal Naval Academy (later Royal Naval College) at Portsmouth from 1733 to 1837. The original Britannia was replaced by the Prince of Wales in 1869, which was renamed Britannia. Sir Aston Webb designed the shore-based college at Dartmouth, which was built by Higgs and Hill[4] and practically completed in 1905. The first term of cadets entered at the R.N. College Osborne were transferred to Dartmouth in September 1905.

“The Britannia training establishment was closed at the same time, the cadets then under instruction being embarked on two cruisers for the purpose of completing their instructions under the old system. The headquarters of the cruisers was established at Bermuda, where suitable arrangements had been made for the convenience of the cadets. The cadets entered in September under the old system, and those entered in January 1906 (the last to be so entered), were received at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, where they were instructed, as far as possible, side by side with the cadets transferred from Osborne”.

Lord Tweedmouth, First Lord of the Admiralty, 26 February 1906

The college was originally known as the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and as a Royal Naval shore establishment was later additionally known by the ship name HMS Britannia (there was a battleship called Britannia from 1904 to 1918). The college received its present name (ship name: HMS Dartmouth) in 1953, when the name Britannia was given to the newly launched royal yacht HMY Britannia. The training ship moored in the River Dart at Sandquay, currently the former Sandown class minehunter HMS Cromer, continues to bear the name Hindostan.

Cadets originally joined the Royal Naval College, Osborne, at the age of 13 for two years before joining Dartmouth, and spent four years there before starting sea training at 17. RNC Osborne closed in 1923, and the entry age was changed to 16 in 1948, and to 17 and 6 months in 1955. Until 1941, Dartmouth was in effect a specialised boarding school, with parents paying fees for tuition and board.

During the Second World War students and staff moved activities to Eaton Hall in Cheshire until the autumn of 1946 after six Focke-Wulf aircraft bombed the College in September 1942. Two bombs penetrated the College's main block, causing damage to the quarterdeck and surrounding rooms.[6][7]

The College today

Today, officer cadets, as they are known until passing out from the college, can join between the ages of 18 and 32. While most cadets join BRNC after finishing university, some still join directly from school.[8] All spend between 28 and 49 weeks at the college, depending on specialisation. There is a large contingent of foreign and Commonwealth students. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary sends its officer cadets to BRNC for an 8 week initial officer training course,[9] before they start at a maritime college.

Following the closures of the Royal Naval Engineering College, Manadon, in 1994 and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in 1998, BRNC is the sole naval college in the United Kingdom.

Slightly removed from the main buildings is Sand Quay, which is situated below the college on the River. It is primarily used for seamanship and boat handling training. Cadets are required to know that there are 201 steps from the college to Sand Quay. [10]

Entry

To enter as an officer cadet, British entrants must have 180 or more Universities and Colleges Admissions Service UCAS points. Prospective cadets then proceed to the Admiralty Interview Board, where they are tested mentally and physically. Several mental aptitude tests are administered, along with a basic physical fitness test and a medical examination.

Royal cadets

King George V and King George VI were naval cadets at Dartmouth, as were the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. It is said that the Duke of Edinburgh met the then Princess Elizabeth at Dartmouth. Prince William spent a brief period at the College after leaving Sandhurst as part of his training with all three of Britain's Armed Forces.

Sheikh Mubarak Ali Yousuf Suoud Al-Sabah, a member of the Royal Family of Kuwait, attended the Royal Navy Young Officer Course at Britannia Royal Naval College in 2002.