The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's

staff college Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For ...

, which provided advanced training for officers. The equivalent in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

was the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

, and the equivalent in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

was the

RAF Staff College, Bracknell The RAF Staff College at Bracknell was a Royal Air Force staff college active for most of the second half of the 20th century. Its role was the training of staff officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of air force matters. I ...

History

The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was founded by an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Ki ...

dated 16 January 1873. The establishment of its officers consisted of a President, who was always a Flag Officer; a Captain, Royal Navy; a Director of Studies; and Professors of Mathematics, Physical Science, Chemistry, Applied Mechanics, and Fortification. It was to take in officers who were already Sub-Lieutenants and to operate as "the university of the Navy". The Director of Studies, a civilian, was in charge of an Academic Board, while the Captain of the College was a naval officer who acted as chief of staff. The Royal Naval War College, which had been established at Greenwich in November 1900 before being removed to first Devonport and then Portsmouth, transferred its activities to the college at Greenwich in 1914. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

the Royal Naval College was requisitioned as a barracks and for scientific experiments. The training of officers was not resumed until 1919. On 30 October 1939 the college began to train officers of 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 ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the College increased the number of officers of both sexes trained for an expanded Navy. Its major task was the training of fighting officers, and around 35,000 men and women graduated during that period. In 1943, the beautiful Admiral's House on the north wing of King Charles Court was damaged by a direct hit from a German bomb; another bomb hit the front of the building. The Navy's Department of Nuclear Science and Technology opened on the college premises in 1959, and

JASON Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

, the department's research and training reactor, was commissioned in the King William building in 1962. In 1967

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

knighted

Francis Chichester Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE (17 September 1901 – 26 August 1972) was a British businessman, pioneering aviator and solo sailor. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world ...

on the river steps of the College, honouring his achievement in circumnavigating the world as a solo yachtsman, using the old route of the

clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. Clippers were generally narrow for their length, small by later 19th century standards, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. "Cl ...

s, becoming the first to do so. His was also the fastest such circumnavigation, taking nine months and one day. The Royal School of Naval Architecture, which had been part of the College since 1873, transferred to

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

in 1967. The Royal Naval College continued to train women until 1976, when their courses were transferred to the

Britannia Royal Naval College 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, ...

. From 1983 the relocated Joint Services Defence College also occupied much of the King Charles building.National Maritime Museum Archive
/ref> With a shrinking Royal Navy, the decision was taken to close RNC Greenwich in 1998. All initial officer training is now carried out at the

, and the new

Joint Services Command and Staff College Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) is a British military academic establishment providing training and education to experienced officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence Civil Service, and serving offic ...

, created in 1997, took over the

functions.

Buildings

The college was established in buildings designed by

Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 church ...

and built between 1696 and 1712, then intended to serve as the Greenwich Hospital, a home for disabled sailors. This closed in 1869, when the pensioners were transferred to other places, leaving the buildings available for a new use. The site of the former hospital had once been occupied by the medieval

Palace of Placentia The Palace of Placentia, also known as Greenwich Palace, was an English royal residence that was initially built by Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in 1443. The palace was a pleasaunce; a place designed for pleasure, entertainment and an escape f ...

, or "Palace at Greenwich", begun by

Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (3 October 139023 February 1447) was an English prince, soldier, and literary patron. He was (as he styled himself) "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of E ...

, in 1428. After the Royal Navy departed in 1998 the buildings were opened to the public as the

Old Royal Naval College The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of "outstandin ...

Presidents

:''See also'' :Admiral presidents of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich The President of the College was a full-time post until 1982 when it became an honorary role held by the

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...

(and from 1994 an honorary role held by the

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (A.C.N.S.) is a senior appointment in the Royal Navy usually a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7. History The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff was originally directly responsible to the Fir ...

).Royal Navy Senior Appointments
at gulabin.com, accessed 9 October 2013 Presidents included: * Vice-Admiral Sir Astley Cooper Key (1873–1875) * Admiral Sir Edward Gennys Fanshawe (1875–1878) *Admiral Sir Charles Frederick Alexander Shadwell (1878–1881) *Admiral Sir Geoffrey Phipps Hornby (1881–1882) *Admiral William Garnham Luard (1882–1885) *Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Brandreth (1885–1888) *Admiral

Sir William Graham ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

(1888–1891) *Admiral Sir Richard Vesey Hamilton (1891–1894) *Admiral Sir Walter James Hunt-Grubbe (1894–1897) *Admiral Sir Richard Tracey (1897–1900) *Admiral Sir Robert More-Molyneux (1900–1903) *Admiral Sir Robert Hastings Penruddock Harris (1903–1906) *Admiral Sir Arthur Dalrymple Fanshawe (1906–1908) *Admiral Sir John Durnford (1908–1911) *Admiral Sir Frederic William Fisher (1911–1914) *Vice-Admiral The Hon. Sir Alexander Edward Bethell (1914–1915) *Vice-Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly (1915–1916) *Admiral Sir Henry Bradwardine Jackson (1916–1919) *Vice-Admiral Sir William Christopher Pakenham (1919–1920) *Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Tudor (1920–1922) *Rear-Admiral

Herbert Richmond Admiral Sir Herbert William Richmond, (15 September 1871 – 15 December 1946) was a prominent Royal Navy officer, described as "perhaps the most brilliant naval officer of his generation." He was also a top naval historian, known as the "Bri ...

(1922–1923) *Admiral Sir George Hope (1923–1926) *Admiral Sir Richard Webb (1926–1929) *Vice-Admiral John McClintock (1929) *Vice-Admiral Sir William Henry Dudley Boyle (1929–1932) *Vice-Admiral Sir Barry Domvile (1932–1934) *Vice-Admiral

Sir Ragnar Colvin ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...

(1934–1937) *Vice-Admiral Sir Sidney Bailey (1937–1938) *Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Kennedy-Purvis (1938–1940) *''Vacant'' (1940–1943) * Commodore Augustus Agar (1943–1946)'Agar, Captain Augustus Willington Shelton', in ''Who Was Who 1961–1970'' (London: A. & C. Black, 1979 reprint, ) *Vice-Admiral Sir Patrick Brind (1946–1948) *Vice-Admiral Geoffrey Oliver (1948–1950) *Admiral Sir Harold Kinahan (1950–1952) *Vice-Admiral Sir Aubrey Mansergh (1952–1954) *Admiral Sir William Andrewes (1954–1956) *Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Barnard (1956–1958) *Rear-Admiral David Cairns, 5th Earl Cairns (1958–1961) *Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Gordon-Lennox (1961–1962) *Rear-Admiral Morgan Morgan-Giles (1962–1964) *Vice-Admiral Sir Ian Lachlan Mackay McGeoch (1964–1965) *Rear-Admiral Patrick Bayly (1965–1967) *Vice-Admiral Sir Horace Lyddon (1967–1968) *Rear-Admiral Edward Gueritz (1968–1970) *Rear-Admiral Martin Noel Lucey (1970–1972) *Rear-Admiral Edward William Ellis (1972–1974) *Rear-Admiral Derek Willoughby Bazalgette (1974–1976) *Rear-Admiral Charles Weston (1976–1978) *Rear-Admiral Anthony John Cooke (1978–1980) *Rear-Admiral John Hildred Carlill (1980–1982) *Admiral Sir Simon Cassels (1982–1986) *Admiral Sir Richard George Alison Fitch (1986–1988) *Admiral Sir Brian Brown (1988–1991) *Admiral Sir Michael Livesay (1991–1993) *Admiral Sir Michael Henry Gordon Layard (1993–1994) *Admiral Sir John Richard Brigstocke (1994–1995) *Vice-Admiral Sir Jeremy Joe Blackham (1995–1997)

Directors of Studies

The following individuals served as Director of Studies:

Notable professors

William Burnside :''This English mathematician is sometimes confused with the Irish mathematician William S. Burnside (1839–1920).'' __NOTOC__ William Burnside (2 July 1852 – 21 August 1927) was an English mathematician. He is known mostly as an early resea ...

, Professor of Mathematics (1885–1919) *

Bernard Parker Haigh Bernard Parker Haigh, MBE (8 July 1884 – 18 January 1941) was a Scottish mechanical engineer. Haigh was educated at Allan Glen's School and the University of Glasgow He served as professor of applied mechanics at the Royal Naval College in G ...

, Professor of

applied mechanics Applied mechanics is the branch of science concerned with the motion of any substance that can be experienced or perceived by humans without the help of instruments. In short, when mechanics concepts surpass being theoretical and are applied and e ...

, known for the Haigh diagram (appointed 1913) * Peter Stanley Lyons, Director of Music (1950–1954) *

John Knox Laughton Sir John Knox Laughton (23 April 1830 – 14 September 1915) was a British naval historian and arguably the first to delineate the importance of the subject of Naval history as an independent field of study. Beginning his working life as a math ...

, Head of Department of

Meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

and Marine Surveying (1873–1885) *

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

, Professor of History (1962–1967) * Bryan Ranft, Professor of History and International Affairs (1967–1977) * Arnold William Reinold, Professor of Physics (1873–1908)

Notable students

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often regar ...

Abul Kalam Azad Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al- Hussaini Azad (; 11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958) was an Indian independence activist, Islamic theologian, writer and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress. Following In ...

, Bangladeshi Naval officer and current Chairman Mongla Port Authority. * Commodore Augustus Agar (1890–1968) * Admiral of the Fleet

David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty (17 January 1871 – 12 March 1936) was a Royal Navy officer. After serving in the Mahdist War and then the response to the Boxer Rebellion, he commanded the 1st Battlecruiser Squadr ...

(1871–1936) * George Richard Bethell (1849–1919), Royal Navy officer and Conservative politician *Admiral Hugo Biermann (1916–2012), Chief of the South African Navy and the South African Defence Force * Basil Charles Barrington Brooke (1895–1983), admiral and first-class cricketer * Sir Henry Harvey Bruce (1862–1948), admiral *Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope (1883–1963) * Vice Admiral A. H. Asoka de Silva (1931–2006), Commander of the Navy of Sri Lanka from 1983 to 1986 * Vice Admiral Henry George DeWolf (1903–2000), Canadian naval officer *

John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry (20 July 184431 January 1900), was a British nobleman, remembered for his atheism, his outspoken views, his brutish manner, for lending his name to the " Queensberry Rules" that form the basis o ...

(1844–1900), after whom the Marquess of Queensberry Rules are named * Admiral Sir Frederic Charles Dreyer (1878–1956) *Admiral Sir William Wordsworth Fisher (1875–1937) *H.R.H.

Prince Charles, Count of Flanders nl, Karel Theodoor Hendrik Anton Meinrad , image = Karel van België Charles de Belgique Karl von Belgien.jpg , image_size = 230px , spouse = Jacqueline Peyrebrune , issue = Isabelle , birth_date = , birth_place = Bruss ...

, Prince-Regent of Belgium * Admiral D. Basil Gunasekara (born 1929), Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy from 1973 to 1979 * Admiral Henry Perera, Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy from 1979 to 1983 * Hugh Alfred Vernon Haggard (1908–1991), Royal Navy submariner *Admiral of the Fleet

Lord Hill-Norton Admiral of the Fleet Peter John Hill-Norton, Baron Hill-Norton, (8 February 1915 – 16 May 2004) was a senior Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Second World War as gunnery officer in a cruiser operating on the Western Approaches and in th ...

(1915–2004) * Vice Admiral Sir J. G. T. Inglis (1906–1972), Head of Naval Intelligence * Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse (1880-1923), of the Siamese royal family, a founder of modern Royal Thai Navy * Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin (1920–1999) * Rear-Admiral Simon Robert Lister (born 1959), Royal Navy officer, now Director, Submarines * Dudley Leigh Aman, 1st Baron Marley (1884–1952), soldier and Labour politician * Rear Admiral Sir David Martin (1933–1990), Royal Australian Navy officer and Governor of New South Wales *Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces *Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979), last Viceroy of India, First Sea Lord, Chief of the Defence Staff *

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Arthur Ernest Percival Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

(1887–1966) *

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff (CAS), who were ...

Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford Marshal of the Royal Air Force Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford, (21 May 1893 – 22 April 1971) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as a bomber pilot in the First World War, and rose to become fi ...

(1893–1971), Chief of the Air Staff *Admiral Sa Zhenbing (1859–1952), Premier of the Republic of China, Chief of the Republic of China Navy * Prince Arisugawa Takehito (1862–1913), of the Japanese imperial family, a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy *Rear Admiral David Watson Taylor (1864–1940), naval architect and engineer of the United States Navy *Admiral of the Fleet

Tōgō Heihachirō Marshal-Admiral Marquis , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He claimed descent from Samurai Shijo Kingo, and he was an integral part of preserving ...

(1848–1934), Imperial Japanese Navy *Admiral of the Fleet Lord Tovey (1885–1971) * Sir Patrick Wall (1916–1998), Royal Marines commando and Conservative politician *

Josiah Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood Colonel Josiah Clement Wedgwood, 1st Baron Wedgwood, (16 March 1872 – 26 July 1943), sometimes referred to as Josiah Wedgwood IV, was a British Liberal and Labour politician who served in government under Ramsay MacDonald. He was a promine ...

(1872–1943), Liberal and later Labour politician

Since decommissioning

Now known as the

, the college's former buildings are open to the public and are the home of three attractions; the

Painted Hall The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as being of "outstanding ...

, the Chapel, and the Discover Greenwich visitor centre. The site has also been used as a film location, appearing in '' Sherlock Holmes'' (2009) and ''The Foreigner'' (2017) and as the setting for the final clash on Earth in '' Thor: The Dark World''.