The
Royal Naval Academy was a facility established in 1733 in
Portsmouth Dockyard to train officers for the
Royal Navy . The founders' intentions were to provide an alternative means to recruit officers and to provide standardised training, education and admission. In 1806 it was renamed the
Royal Naval College and in 1816 became the
Royal Naval College and the School for Naval Architecture . It was closed as a training establishment for officer entrants in 1837.
Training
In 1733, a shoreside facility was established in the dockyard for 40 recruits. A comprehensive syllabus provided theoretical and practical experience in the dockyard and at sea. Graduates of the Academy could earn two years of sea time as part of their studies, and would be able to take the lieutenant's examination after four years at sea instead of six. The Academy did not, however, achieve the objective of becoming the preferred path to becoming a naval officer; the traditional means of a sea-going "apprenticeship" remained the preferred alternative. The vast majority of the officer class was still recruited in this manner based on family ties, and patronage. Family connections, "interest" and a sincere belief in the superiority of practical experience learned on the quarterdeck ensured that the officer class favoured the traditional model. William IV summed up this view when he remarked that "there was no place superior to the quarterdeck of a British man of war for the education of a gentleman".
There was a clear prejudice against graduates. The then rating of midshipman-by-order, or midshipman ordinary , was used specifically for graduates of the Royal Naval Academy, to distinguish them from midshipmen who had served aboard ship, who were paid more. After two years at sea, graduates of the academy were eligible to be promoted to midshipman.
In 1806 the Academy was reconstituted as the "Royal Navy College" and in 1816 was amalgamated with the "School of Naval Architecture ".
The college closed as a young officer training establishment on 30 March 1837, meaning that from that date all youngsters setting out on a naval career proceeded directly to sea. The closure of the college created a gap in officer training, and in 1857 the two-decker Illustrious Britannia Portland in 1862 and to Dartmouth in 1863.
Notable individuals
A distinguished Academy graduate was Philip Broke , who attended the Academy in 1791. He achieved particular fame as captain of HMS Shannon in its victory over USS Chesapeake in the War of 1812 . Two of Jane Austen 's brothers, Francis and Charles , attended the Academy in 1786 and 1791, respectively. Both went on to become admirals.
Another veteran of the War of 1812, Henry Ducie Chads , attended the Academy before joining the Royal Navy. He was First Lieutenant of HMS Java during her capture by USS Constitution . Command of the ship fell to Chads when her captain was mortally wounded near the close of the action. He was forced to surrender the heavily damaged Java .
Governors
Governors
Lieutenant-Governors
Masters
1733–1740 Thomas Haselden, FRS
1740–1755 John Walton
1755–1766 John Robertson, FRS
1766–1785 George Witchell, FRS
1785–1807 William Bayly
1807–1838 James Inman as Professor of the Royal Naval College
Notes
^ Dickinson 2007 , p. 32^ Lewis 1939 , p. 217^ Dickinson 2007 , p. 38^ Hill, John R. and Bryan Ranft Eds. 2002 p. 251
^ Dickinson 2007 , p. 57^ Dickinson 2007 , p. 66^ "Philip Broke" . Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online . Retrieved 6 September 2018 .^ Stephen, Leslie , ed. (1887). "Chads, Henry Ducie" Dictionary of National Biography ^ The British Society for the History of Mathematics ^ Eclipse Maps
References
Dickinson, H W (2007), Educating the Royal Navy , Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-37641-9 OCLC 221337177 {{citation }}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link )Hill, John R. and Bryan Ranft Eds. (2002) The Oxford Illustrated History of the Royal Navy , Oxford University Press
Lewis, Michael (1939), England's Sea-Officers , London: George Allen & Unwin, OCLC 1084558 Roger N A M, The Wooden World, An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy , Fontana, 1988
Kenedy G, Nelson K, Eds. Military education past, Present, and Future , Greenwood Publishing group, 2002
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Department Experimental Department Fire Control Group Greenwich Hospital Department Inspector of Telegraphs Inspector of Repairs Joint Warfare Establishment Medical Consultative Board Medical Examining Board Historical Section Hydrographic Department Marine Department Marine Pay Department Materials and Priority Department Medical Consultative Board Medical Department Medical Examining Board Movements Department Nautical Almanac Office Naval Artillery and Torpedo Department Naval Engineering College Naval Equipment Department Naval Historical Branch Naval Construction Department Naval Intelligence Department Naval Medical Service Naval Law Division Naval Manpower Department Naval Mobilisation Department Naval Ordnance Department Naval Ordnance Inspection Department Naval Ordnance Stores Department Naval Personnel Services and Officer Appointments Department Naval Publicity Department Naval Regional Offices Naval Reserve Department Naval Security Department Naval Stores Department Naval Training Department Naval Works Department Navy, Army and Air Force Institute Navy and Army Canteen Board Navy Works Department Navigation Department Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope Office of the Admiral Commanding Coast Guard and Reserves Office of the Admiral Commanding, Reserves Office of the Admiralty Chemist Office of the Adviser on the Naval Construction to the Board of Admiralty Office of the Assistant Controller Office of the Assistant Controller Research and Development Office of the Clerk of the Journals Office of the Chief Polaris Executive Office of the Deputy Controller of Navy Office of the Deputy Controller Production Office of Extra Naval Assistant to Second Sea Lord Office of the Inspector Gun Mountings Office of the Keeper of Records Office of the Senior Psychologist (Naval) Office of the Senior Psychologist of the Navy Office of the Translator of French and Spanish Languages Office of the Vice Controller Air Office of the Vice Controller of the Navy Organisation and Methods Department Packet Service Regional Organisation for Merchant Shipbuilding and Repairs Royal Corps of Naval Constructors Royal Flying Corps Royal Marine Police Royal Marines Office Office of the Chaplain of the Fleet Royal Naval Academy Royal Naval Aircraft Workshops Royal Naval Air Service Royal Naval Air Stations Royal Naval Armaments Depot Royal Naval Auxiliary Service Royal Naval Cordite Factories Royal Naval Propellant Factory Royal Naval College Royal Naval College and the School for Naval Architecture Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal Naval College, Greenwich Royal Naval College, Keyham Royal Naval College, Osborne Royal Naval Engineering College Royal Naval Film Corporation Royal Naval Hospital Royal Naval Medical Depot Royal Naval Minewatching Service Royal Naval Mine Depot Royal Naval Patrol Service Royal Naval Scientific Service Royal Naval Sick Quarters Royal Naval Torpedo Depot Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Naval War College Royal Naval War College, Portsmouth Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Medical Service Royal Navy Shore Signal Service Royal Observatory, Greenwich Royal School of Naval Architecture Salvage Department School of Mathematics and Naval Construction Scientific Research and Experiment Department Sea Transport Branch Sea Transport Department Sea Transport Division Ship Department Ship Design Department Signal Department Signal School Sixpenny Office Statistics Department Steam Department Superintendent of De-magnetisation Torpedo Experimental Establishment Transport Department Undersurface Warfare Department Victualling Department Volunteer Boys and Cadet Corps Weapons Department Weapons Department (Naval) Women's Royal Naval Service Wireless Telegraphy Board Direction/Command of the Fleet Naval formations after 1707
1st Fleet 2nd Fleet 3rd Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Africa Atlantic Fleet Commodore, Arabian Seas and Persian Gulf Australia Station Cape of Good Hope Station Cape and West Africa Station Battle Cruiser Fleet Battle Cruiser Force Caspian Flotilla Channel Fleet Channel Squadron Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Ireland Cork Station Coast of Scotland Commander-in-Chief, China Commander-in-Chief, Dover Flag Officer, East Africa East Indies Station East Indies and China Station Eastern Fleet Far East Fleet English Channel Grand Fleet Flag Officer Gibraltar Harwich Force Home Fleet Jamaica Station Leith Station Commander-in-Chief, Levant Levant and East Mediterranean Commander-in-Chief, Leeward Islands Mediterranean Fleet Medway Newfoundland Station New Zealand Division New Zealand Naval Forces Nore North America and West Indies Station Commander-in-Chief, North Sea Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands Pacific Fleet Pacific Station Admiral of Patrols Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth Queenstown Station Royal East African Navy Royal Indian Navy Flag Officer Submarines Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth Reserve Fleet Scotland and Northern Ireland Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic South East Coast of America Station Commander-in-Chief, Thames and Medway West Africa Squadron Flag Officer, West Africa Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Naval formations before 1707 Direction of Naval Finance Departments under the Direction of Naval Administration Branches and offices under the Civil Administration Departments under the Legal
Leadership Components
History Operating Fleet Ships Administration Senior Personnel Equipment Former
50°48′00″N 1°06′20″W / 50.8000°N 1.1055°W / 50.8000; -1.1055
