New warship virtual reality simulator revolutionising Royal Navy training

Officers at Britannia Royal Naval College are training with a cutting-edge simulator that takes them virtually onto the bridge of a ship.

Personnel on the initial Warfare Officer's Foundation Course are learning how to operate and navigate a vessel using virtual reality technology.

Lieutenant Commander Mark Raeburn, the head of navigation training at BRNC, told Forces News: "Before, we had a very much older simulator, some 20 years old.

• HMS Lancaster rotates 200-strong crew for Middle East missions over Christmas
• Watch: HMS Prince of Wales returns to Portsmouth after landmark US deployment
• Immortals return: 809 Squadron rises from the ashes to operate the F-35B

"It didn't have the same fidelity, didn't have the same navigation systems, didn't have the same radar systems.

"We had the old picket boats - didn't have any radars on them - so this now, it will help condense the training and produce officers that'll be more successful."

The simulators are called HMS Beagle and HMS Adventure and can be transformed to replicate a variety of vessels. Personnel from the RFA and Royal Navy are using the innovative technology to improve a breadth of skills.

The imagery shown on the screens and headsets is controlled by a computer operator and can be changed on demand.

Sub Lieutenant Lucy Sylvester said of her VR training: "[It's] a bit weird, actually, because it's a bit like a video game in a way, but like a really cool high-tech video game.

"Just like a real warship, obviously you can’t zoom in like in a game and see what vessel is there, you have to use the binos on the QM's chair and see what vessel it is and I think I struggle with identifying vessels.

"I think if we didn't have a sim [simulator] as good as this, I think I'd definitely have doubts going onto a real bridge.

"I think having this background knowledge and having the foundation, learning here is really important, so when I go onto my next phase of training, I'll have that confidence to do anything."

The Royal Navy has more than doubled the number of simulators it has across numerous establishments.

For those at the beginning of their career at Britannia Royal Naval College, the VR training is a vital step towards understanding the maritime environment while using sophisticated technology.