UK: Royal Navy Gets 130 Young Officers

More than 130 men and women today joined the celebrated ‘band of brothers’ that is the Royal Navy’s Officer Corps as they formally passed out of its spiritual home, Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. Former First Sea Lord Admiral the Lord Boyce was the guest of honour at the passing-out parade, which marked the end of seven months of initial training for the future leaders of the Royal Navy.

The former First Sea Lord and last sailor to hold the highest military office in the land – Chief of Defence Staff – was guest of honour as the officer cadets formally marked the end of their initial training at the spiritual home of the Officer Corps, Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

In all some 240 Royal Navy personnel assembled on the parade ground in front of the impressive college building for the Passing-out Parade.

The ramps surrounding the parade ground teemed with family and friends who had travelled from across the world to witness the parade which included young officers from more than 20 different nations; roughly one in four cadets at BRNC is sent by a foreign navy.

On this occasion, it was the achievement of 130 Royal Navy young officers being celebrated.

After inspecting and speaking to a number of officers passing-out today Admiral Lord Boyce addressed everyone assembled.

He congratulated both the college staff and the young officers on all that had been achieved to reach this day.

Referring to the looming Olympics he draw the analogy between top sporting commitment and performance and training and future career for the young officers on parade.

He reminded them of the need to maintain professional standards and the challenge of leadership ahead of them.

Over the past seven months the training undertaken at BRNC has included numerous challenges of both the physical and academic alongside a frenetic pace of activity.

It has included time at sea where officer cadets experience the daily routines and tasks of all branches and departments in a fully operational warship.

The development of leadership skills has been a continuous process including a demanding progression of exercises initially within the college grounds, moving on to Dartmoor and then ultimately in a final assessed four days in the maritime environment on the River Dart.

The traditional slow march up the Britannia Royal Naval College steps and in through the large, central wooden doors concluded the parade which, at times, was bathed in glorious sunshine and at others lashed by hailstones.

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Naval Today Staff , April 16, 2012; Image: royalnavy