Remember this moment, Rear Admiral says, as 150 naval cadets pass out at Dartmouth
One hundred and fifty junior officers, including 16 from 10 allied and partner navies, have finished 29 weeks of training and passed out from the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
Friends and family watched the ceremony and saw a Wildcat helicopter from RNAS Yeovilton pass overhead in acknowledgement of their efforts.
Rear Admiral Rachel Singleton, Director Navy Digital, who attended the pass-out parade as the guest of honour, took the salute and inspected some of the personnel who were passing out, alongside the second inspecting officer, Commodore Alistair Moody, Head of Nuclear Propulsion.
You'll remember the people around you
"As you leave Dartmouth, you take with you far more than professional knowledge and training," Rear Adm Singleton said.
"You will remember the people around you now. Friendships, perhaps life-long, formed here at Dartmouth.
"And you'll remember this moment, standing together, immaculately turned out, your friends and family looking on, bursting with pride."
In addition to the cadets who had become junior officers, 19 senior ratings were commissioned from the ranks.
Midshipman Lily Ann Holloway switched from working as a sailing instructor in Bermuda to serving as a warfare officer in the Submarine Service.
Midshipman Holloway, 19, liked the hands-on side of training, including the 'green' skills, such as living in the field in the middle of winter.
"The most challenging part was putting on wet kit at 3am to go on sentry for an hour," she said.
"The basic sea survival course in Portsmouth was another highlight: we got to enjoy our military lives in the civilian world, away from Dartmouth, and realise how lucky we all are to get paid to do what we do."
Getting past the language barrier
Lieutenant Eimantas Smalakys, 27, who was one of the international students, serves with the Lithuanian navy in its home port of Klaipeda.
"The best part was to study with British and international officer cadets, sharing knowledge, experiences, doing exercises as a team member and team leader," Lt Smalakys said.
"The most challenging part was the language barrier, which made the course a bit harder for me."
Captain Simon Cox, BRNC's Captain, oversaw his first parade in charge since taking over a few weeks ago, and said it was a "significant milestone" for the personnel.
"Their success on the parade ground reflects months of dedication, resilience and determination, supported throughout by their families, friends and the phenomenal staff at Dartmouth," Capt Cox said.
"Each officer leaves Britannia with the ethos, skills and confidence required to lead in an increasingly complex and challenging world."
The newly-commissioned officers will now complete training in their specialist fields before joining ships, submarines, air squadrons and Royal Marines units across the Senior Service.
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