Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth,[1] also known asDartmouth, is thenaval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of theRoyal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port ofDartmouth, Devon, England. Royal Naval officer training has taken place in Dartmouth since 1863. The buildings of the current campus were completed in 1905. Earlier students lived in two woodenhulks moored in theRiver Dart. Since 1998, BRNC has been the sole centre for Royal Naval officer training.
Wooden hulks Britannia and Hindostan at Dartmouth in 1893.
The training of naval officers at Dartmouth dates from 1863, when the wooden hulkHMS Britannia was moved fromPortland and moored in theRiver Dart to serve as a base.[2] In 1864, after an influx of new recruits,Britannia was supplemented byHMS Hindostan.[3] Prior to this, aRoyal Naval Academy (later Royal Naval College) had operated for more than a century from 1733 to 1837 atPortsmouth, a major naval installation. The originalBritannia was replaced by thePrince of Wales in 1869, which was renamedBritannia.[4]
The foundation stone for a new building at the college was laid byKing Edward VII in March 1902.[5] SirAston Webb designed the shore-based college at Dartmouth, which was built byHiggs and Hill[6] and practically completed in 1905.[7]
From September 1903, officer cadets first entered theRoyal Naval College, Osborne, then after two years transferred to Dartmouth, and the first such intake was in September 1905.[7]
TheBritannia training establishment was closed at the same time. The cadets under instruction were embarked on two cruisers to complete their programme under the old system. The headquarters of the cruisers was established atBermuda, where suitable arrangements had been made to house 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.
The college was originally known as theRoyal Naval College, Dartmouth (RNC). As a Royal Naval shore establishment, it was later known also by the ship nameHMSBritannia (a battleship calledBritannia operated from 1904 to 1918). The college was renamedHMSDartmouth in 1953, when the nameBritannia was given to the newly launched royal yachtHMY Britannia. The training ship moored in the River Dart at Sandquay, aSandown classminehunter formerly known asHMS Cromer, continues to bear the nameHindostan.[8] As of 2025, eight 15-metreSea-class workboats (Cormorant, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Skua, Gannet and Tern) are assigned to the College for the purpose of training officer cadets.[9][10][11]
Cadets originally joined theRoyal Naval College, Osborne, atOsborne House, at the age of 13 for two years' study and work before joining Dartmouth. The Royal Naval College, Osborne closed in 1921.[12]
During theSecond World War, after sixFocke-Wulf aircraft bombed the College in September 1942, students and staff moved activities toEaton Hall inCheshire until the autumn of 1946. Two bombs had penetrated the College's main block, causing damage to the quarterdeck and surrounding rooms.[13][14]
In 2020, a group ofJunior Rates were trained at BRNC to help alleviate added pressure onHMSRaleigh, after a surge in recruitment. On 13 August 2020, a troop of 34 Ratings and 130 officers passed out simultaneously for the first time in the history of the Royal Navy.[16] They were followed by a second class of Junior Rates who passed out on 17 December 2020.[17]
Prospective cadets entrants must meet a minimum academic requirement. They then proceed to theAdmiralty Interview Board, where they are tested mentally and physically. Several mentalaptitude tests are administered, along with a basicphysical fitness test and a medical examination. Officer cadets, as they are known until passing out from the college, can join between the ages of 18 and 39.[18] While most cadets join BRNC after finishing university, some join directly from secondary school.[19] The commissioning course is 30 weeks, with Warfare Officers and Aircrew spending a further 19 weeks studying academics at the college.[20][21] A large contingent of international andCommonwealth students are part of the student body. TheRoyal Fleet Auxiliary sends its officer cadets to BRNC for a 10-week initial officer training course, before they start at a maritime college.[22]
AnOfsted report on BRNC in 2023 described the college as being filled with "rot and mould". Inspectors also cited unsafe structures, ill-fitting equipment, staff shortages and medical inspection delays. Inspectors noted how windows in some dormitories were boarded over due to rot while "mould is growing on window frames and ceilings".[23]
Dartmouth was rated by Ofsted as inadequate. Amanda Spielman, Ofsted's Chief Inspector, said Dartmouth received the rating due to the poor state of the college's infrastructure which was due to "a lack of investment over many decades".[24]
SheikhMubarak Ali Yousuf Suoud Al-Sabah, a member of the Royal Family ofKuwait, attended the Royal Navy Young Officer Course at Britannia Royal Naval College in 2002.[28][29] Sheikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the eldest son of theCrown Prince of Bahrain, also underwent training at BRNC (including time at sea in RN warships) from 2014 to 2015, prior to commencing active service in theRoyal Bahrain Naval Force.[30]
Royal Navy
