HMS ''Raleigh'' is a stone frigate (shore establishment), serving as the

basic training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique deman ...

facility of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

at Torpoint,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. It is spread over several square miles, and has

damage control In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft. Examples are: * rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and * damage from grounding (runn ...

simulators and

fire-fighting Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter. Firefighters typically ...

training facilities, as well as a permanently moored training ship, the former HMS ''Brecon''. Its principal function is the delivery of both New Entry Training & Basic Training.

History

HMS ''Raleigh'' was commissioned on 9 January 1940 as a training establishment for Ordinary Seamen following the Military Training Act which required that all males aged 20 and 21 years old be called up for six months full-time military training, and then transferred to the

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

. During the Second World War, 44 sailors and 21 Royal Engineers were killed when a German bomb hit the air-raid shelter they were in at ''Raleigh'' on 28 April 1941. In 1944, the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

took over the base to use as an embarkation centre prior to the

Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

. ''Raleigh'' was transferred back to the Royal Navy in July 1944 to continue training seamen. Early in 1950 the base became the new entry and engineering training establishment for stoker mechanics. The cruiser was used for "onboard training, boiler room, auxiliary machinery, ships boats etc". The base was modernised through the 1970s, and in the early 1980s, Raleigh took on the Part I training for the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

, and Artificer Apprentices as well as adding the Royal Naval Supply School. These had previously taken place at , and HMS ''Pembroke'' respectively. Briefly between 1980 and 1981 it was home to Rowallan Division providing training before entry to

BRNC Dartmouth Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

. In 1990, the training of male and female recruits was merged, and over the following ten years the base absorbed the Cookery School (from the Army Catering Corps headquarters)and the

Submarine School A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

from . The Cookery School closed in early 2022 with all activities being transferred to Worthy Down, with the Submarine School due to relocate upon the completion of the new Royal Navy Submarine Centre in Faslane. This is scheduled for 2027. In 2007, phase one training for all new Royal Navy recruits was increased to nine weeks and subsequently ten (from eight) of their career at the base, which also provides courses in

military training Military education and training is a process which intends to establish and improve the capabilities of military personnel in their respective roles. Military training may be voluntary or compulsory duty. It begins with recruit training, proceed ...

seamanship Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics a ...

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

and

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

operations. It also delivers training for crews preparing for operational deployments. HMS ''Raleigh'' was also the home of Defence Maritime Logistics School (DMLS) providing training for the Royal Navy's logistics officers, chefs, stewards, clerks (called Writers), and supply chain ratings, the Seaman Specialist School (prior to its relocation to Worthy Down) the

and HM Royal Marines Band

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Captain, New Entry Training Establishment (“HMS Raleigh”)

Post holders included: * Rear-Admiral

Charles Otway Alexander Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

: October 1939-March 1944 * Captain Harold Hickling: September 1944-January 1945 * Captain Alexander H. Maxwell-Hyslop: January 1945-June 1946 * Captain George F. Stevens-Guille: June 1946-February 1948 * Captain Philip C. Taylor: February 1948-May 1949 * Captain Iain G. Maclean: May 1949-December 1950 * Captain William E.C. Davy: December 1950-September 1953 * Captain Ivan O. Backhouse: September 1953-June 1955 * Captain William G. Pulvertaft: June 1955-July 1957 * Captain Archibald G. Forman: July 1957-May 1959 * Captain John A. Osborne: May 1959-June 1961 * Captain George C. Crowley: June 1961-May 1963 * Captain Denis Jermain: May 1963-February 1965 * Captain Peter White: February 1965-March 1967 * Captain Peter G.R. Mitchell: March 1967-February 1969 * Captain James F.R. Weir: February 1969-April 1971 * Captain Malcolm C. Denman: April 1971-July 1973 * Captain Henry E. Howard: July 1973-February 1976 * Captain Robert W.F. Gerken: February 1976-February 1978 * Captain Richard E. Lambert: February 1978-October 1979 * Captain John Jacobsen: October 1979-March 1982 * Captain Brian R. Outhwaite: March 1982-February 1984 * Captain Brian T. Brown: February 1984-1985 * Captain Robert C.F. Hill: 1986-1987 * Captain Peter J. Grindal: October 1987-1989 * Captain John C.L. Wright: 1989-1991 * Captain Richard O. Irwin: April 1990-October 1992 * Captain Peter A. Dunt: October 1992-1994 * Captain Richard A.Y. Bridges: 1994-September 1995 * Commodore

Hugh W. Rickard Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

: September 1995-1998 * Commodore Roger G. Lockwood: 1998-2000 * Commodore Laurence P. Brokenshire: 2000-July 2003 * Commodore David W. Pond: July 2003-January 2006 * Commodore W. John Keegan: January 2006-January 2008 * Commodore S. Jonathan Woodcock: January 2008-December 2009 * Captain Stephen Murdoch: December 2009-September 2012 * Captain Robert Fancy: September 2012-September 2014 * Captain Robert J.A. Bellfield: September 2014-September 2016 * Captain Eleanor L. Ablett: September 2016-September 2018 * Captain Richard Harris: September 2018-September 2020 * Captain Suzi Nielsen: September 2020-September 2022 * Captain Jane Roe: September 2022-Present

References

{{Royal Navy shore establishments Royal Navy bases in England Military of the United Kingdom in Cornwall World War II sites in England Military training establishments of the United Kingdom Royal Navy shore establishments Training establishments of the Royal Navy