# HMS Excellent (shore establishment)

HMS Excellent is a Royal Navy "stone frigate" (shore establishment) sited on Whale Island near Portsmouth in Hampshire. HMS Excellent is itself part of the Maritime Warfare School, with a headquarters at HMS Collingwood, although a number of lodger units are resident within the site including the offices of the First Sea Lord.

## History
### RN Gunnery School afloat

In the 1829 a Commander George Smith advocated the establishment of a Naval School of Gunnery; accordingly, the following year, the third-rate HMS Excellent was converted into a training ship and moored just north of Portsmouth Dockyard, opposite Fareham Creek. Smith was given oversight and set up Excellent not only as a training establishment but also as a platform for experimental firing of new weapons (the creek was used as a firing range). In 1832 Smith was replaced in command by Captain Thomas Hastings, under whom the school grew both numerically and in reputation, as trained gunners began to prove their effectiveness in combat situations. In 1834 the original Excellent was replaced by the second rate HMS Boyne which was duly renamed Excellent.
In 1845 Captain Henry Ducie Chads took over command of Excellent in succession to Hastings. He remained in post until 1854, by which time the Admiralty had purchased 'Whaley Island' (which at the time was little more than a sandbank). Chads was succeeded first by Captain Thomas Maitland and then, in 1857, by Richard Hewlett. In December 1859 the first-rate Queen Charlotte took over the role of gunnery training ship and was likewise renamed Excellent.
In 1863 Hewlett was replaced by Captain Astley Cooper Key, who was in turn succeeded by Captain Arthur Hood some three years later. By this time, a rifle range had been established on the island for the use of HMS Excellent and the first building appeared there, the land having been somewhat drained and levelled. Under Hood's leadership a torpedo section was set up within the school; overseen by Commander Jacky Fisher (who would later return to Excellent as commanding officer), this was made a separate establishment, as HMS Vernon, in 1876.

### RN Gunnery School ashore

It was under Fisher's command, in the 1880s, that approval was given to move the gunnery school ashore, on to Whale Island. The initial proposal had come from a Lieutenant Percy Scott, who (having arrived to train as a gunnery lieutenant in 1878) initially used the island as a running track. The island had grown significantly in size since the 1850s: indeed, up until the early 1890s excavated spoil from the expansion of the Dockyard was routinely conveyed there, using convict labour, to build the island up. Scott returned to Excellent as an instructor in 1883 and took the opportunity to submit a detailed proposal to Fisher which was accepted. (Later in his career Scott was again posted to HMS Excellent on two occasions, returning first as Commander in 1890 and then as Captain of the establishment in the early 1900s.)
The first buildings of the shore establishment were begun in 1885, including what is now known as the Quarterdeck Block. Building work then continued alongside the tasks of draining and levelling the land (the site was known colloquially as 'Mud Island'). By 1891 the whole operation had moved ashore and the old ship was paid off. Centred on a large open drill ground, the site includes the officers' mess in a range to the north with rows of barracks blocks for ratings (demolished and rebuilt c. 2010) arrayed behind. To the west, opposite the Quarterdeck, were long gun battery sheds; the long low drill shed to the south is a listed building (1892). Firing training took place on the batteries and all different varieties of guns were kept on site for instruction on their maintenance and operation. During the 2 February 1901 funeral of Queen Victoria sailors from HMS Excellent provided an honour guard. When the horses of the Royal Artillery intended to pull the gun carriage that bore her coffin from Windsor railway station became unmanageable, the sailors took their place, for which King Edward VII conferred the Victoria medal upon them on 16 March 1901 at Portsmouth, at the commencement of a world tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. The Anti-Aircraft Experimental Section of the Munitions Inventions Department was based here from September 1916, under Archibald Hill. Later, full-sized dummy gun turrets were provided for training purposes. Seagoing training also took place up until 1957 on a series of battleships, cruisers and destroyers that were attached to the facility. From the late 1950s guided missile training was also provided.
The Portsmouth Field Gun Crew, competing in the Royal Navy field gun competition at the Royal Tournament, used to be based at the site. A small museum in the Quarterdeck block preserves artefacts from Excellent's days as a gunnery school; among them is the Royal Navy State Funeral Gun Carriage which is drawn by naval ratings at state funerals of monarchs and other distinguished UK citizens.

### Decommissioning and recommissioning

The gunnery school closed in 1985 whereupon HMS Excellent was decommissioned. The site then became part of HMS Nelson.
The establishment was recommissioned as HMS Excellent in 1994 following the closure of the old HMS Phoenix in nearby Tipner and Horsea Island, and the relocation of the school of Fire Fighting and Damage Control from there to Whale Island.

### Captains of HMS Excellent

The following list goes as far as 1984. It shows the date of appointment, and rank and decorations held at the time. In some cases a captain held several sequential appointments. It does not show captains held on the books of the Excellent who were not commanding officers of Excellent.
List of captains :
| Name | Date of appointment |
| Commander George Smith | 19 June 1830 |
| Captain Sir Thomas Hastings | 13 April 1832 |
| Captain Sir Thomas Hastings, Kt | 2 December 1834 |
| Captain Sir Thomas Hastings, Kt | 3 June 1842 |
| Captain Henry D. Chads | 28 August 1845 |
| Captain Henry Ducie Chads, KB | 1 July 1847 |
| Captain Henry Ducie Chads, KB | 1 July 1851 |
| Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, KB | 17 January 1854 |
| Captain Richard S. Hewlett, CB | 29 June 1857 |
| Captain Richard S. Hewlett, CB | 31 December 1859 |
| Captain Astley C. Key, CB | 30 June 1863 |
| Captain Astley Cooper Key, CB | 1 January 1866 |
| Captain Arthur W.A. Hood | 3 September 1866 |
| Captain Henry Boys | 13 July 1869 |
| Captain Thomas Brandreth | 18 May 1874 |
| Captain Frederick A. Herbert | 1 January 1877 |
| Captain John O. Hopkins | 4 March 1880 |
| Captain William Codrington, CB, AdC | 21 June 1881 |
| Captain John A. Fisher, CB | 6 April 1883 |
| Captain Compton E. Domvile, AdC | 1 November 1886 |
| Captain Hugo L. Pearson, ADC | 12 June 1890 |
| Captain Lewis A. Beaumont | 12 June 1893 |
| Captain Archibald L. Douglas | 3 July 1894 |
| Captain Edmund F. Jeffreys | 9 November 1895 |
| Captain William H. May, MVO | 10 August 1897 |
| Captain Arthur Barrow, AdC | 21 November 1900 |
| Captain Percy M. Scott, CVO, CS, LL.D, AdC | 1 April 1903 |
| Captain Frederick T. Hamilton, MVO, AdC | 6 March 1905 |
| Captain Reginald G.O. Tupper, AdC. | 15 July 1907 |
| Captain Frederick C.T. Tudor, AdC. | 18 August 1910 |
| Captain Morgan Singer, AdC. | 1 June 1912 |
| Captain Cole C. Fowler | 19 August 1914 |
| Captain H. Ralf Crooke | 23 May 1917 |
| Captain Robert N. Bax CB | 13 June 1918 |
| Captain Francis H. Mitchell DSO | 13 June 1920 |
| Captain Arthur J. Davies | 18 August 1922 |
| Captain Hon M.R. Best DSO MVO | 15 August 1924 |
| Captain F.L. Tottenham CBE | 14 August 1926 |
| Captain Charles A. Scott | 20 August 1928 |
| Captain G.C.C. Royle CMG | 7 May 1930 |
| Captain E.O.B.S. Osborne DSO ADC | 26 July 1932 |
| Captain A. Francis Pridham | 18 July 1933 |
| Captain Arthur J. Power CVO | 3 October 1935 |
| Captain H.M. Burrough | 20 September 1937 |
| Captain A.F.E. Palliser DSC | 19 December 1938 |
| Captain Eric J.P. Brind | 15 May 1940 |
| Captain Oliver Bevir | 28 November 1940 |
| Captain H.A. Packer | 15 June 1941 |
| Captain R.D. Oliver CB DSC | 15 January 1943 |
| Captain W.G. Agnew CB DSO | 23 February 1944 |
| Captain W.R. Slayter CB DSO DSC | 3 September 1945 |
| Captain P.V. McLaughlin DSO | 7 January 1947 |
| Captain S.H. Carlill DSO | 5 January 1949 |
| Captain Robert F. Elkins OBE | 11 April 1950 |
| Captain Varyl C. Begg DSC | 12 April 1952 |
| Captain A. Davies | 1954 |
| Captain W.F.H.C. Rutherford DSO | 11 March 1954 |
| Captain R. Casement OBE | 2 January 1956 |
| Captain H.C. Martell CBE | 21 January 1958 |
| Captain J.S. Dalglish CVO | 7 September 1959 |
| Captain John G. Wells DSC | 3 August 1961 |
| Captain H.H. Dannreuther | 8 February 1963 |
| Captain Arthur M. Power MBE | 15 October 1964 |
| Captain W.J.M. Teale | 31 August 1966 |
| Captain G.R. Villar DSC | 10 January 1969 |
| Captain P.D. Nichol | 11 November 1970 |
| Captain R.S. Falconer | 18 September 1972 |
| Captain M.C.M. Mansergh | 28 October 1974 |
| Captain Peter Lucas | 15 October 1976 |
| Captain Richard K.S. Bethell OBE | 10 October 1978 |
| Captain J.J. Streatfeild-James | 1980? |
| Captain J.T. Lord CBE | 1982? |

## Elements within the site

Maritime Warfare School elements within the site are:
* MWS Phoenix school of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence, damage control and fire fighting HMS Phoenix
* South East Naval Military Training Centre
* Defence Diving School Boat Section
HMS Excellent also provides administrative and infrastructure support to the Maritime Warfare School elements at Defence Diving School, Horsea Island, and small arms ranges at Tipner.

## Lodger units

Lodger units are:
* Navy Command Headquarters – Fleet Commander
* Headquarters of UK Maritime Battle Staff
* Fleet Regional Photographic Unit (South East Region)
* DASA (Navy Branch): Defence Analytical Services and Advice is a Division of the MOD tasked with providing statistical and analytical support to the Navy Statistical Publications produced by DASA Navy

## Cadets

HMS Excellent is home to a number of Royal Navy cadet units:
* Volunteer Cadet Corps
** Portsmouth Division Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps
** HMS Excellent Royal Naval Volunteer Cadet Corps
* TS Alamein Sea Cadet Corps
* Sea Cadet Corps National Training Centre