Representatives from the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) have been given a tour of the facilities used to train Royal Navy submariners at HMS Raleigh, in Cornwall.
The group of five visitors included Captain Toshiaki Hoshina the Director of the JMSDF Education Division and Captain Keizo Kitagawa, the Defence Attaché, from the Embassy of Japan in London.
During a morning at the Royal Navy Submarine School, the visitors were shown the extensive facilities available to train submariners to operate beneath the waves.
To make the training as realistic as possible, the facilities include a mock-up of a submarine’s control room, complete with a periscope, and a weapons compartment, where a submarine’s crew can practise loading torpedoes and missiles.
The visitors were also able to visit the Submarine School heritage centre to see the artefacts and displays which records the history of the Silent Service from its conception in 1901.
Commander Irvine Lindsay, the Officer Commanding the Royal Navy Submarine School , said: “We provide a range of training here at the school from initial induction to new recruits to career courses to prepare Officers and ratings for promotion to the next level.
“It is always good to welcome visitors from our allied nations to our facilities and show them how we train.”
Image: Royal Navy