Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College ( BRNC ) , commonly known simply as Dartmouth , is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy , located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth , Devon , England . While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863 , the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905 , and previous students lived in two wooden hulks moored in the River Dart . Since 1998 , BRNC has been the sole centre for Royal Naval officer training . History . The training of naval officers at Dartmouth dates from 1863 when the wooden hulk was moved from Portland and moored in the River Dart . In 1864 , after an influx of new recruits , " Britannia " was supplemented by . Prior to this there had been a Royal Naval Academy ( later Royal Naval College ) at Portsmouth from 1733 to 1837 . The original " Britannia " was replaced by the in 1869 , which was renamed " Britannia " . Sir Aston Webb designed the shore - based college at Dartmouth , which was built by Higgs and Hill and practically completed in 1905 . The first term of cadets entered at the R . N . College Osborne were transferred to Dartmouth in September 1905 . The college was originally known as the Royal Naval College , Dartmouth , and as a Royal Naval shore establishment was later additionally known by the ship name HMS " Britannia ( there was a battleship called from 1904 to 1918 ) . The college received its present name ( ship name : HMS " Dartmouth ) in 1953 , when the name " Britannia " was given to the newly launched royal yacht . The training ship moored in the River Dart at Sandquay , currently the former " Sandown " class minehunter , continues to bear the name " Hindostan " . Cadets originally joined the Royal Naval College , Osborne , at the age of 13 for two years before joining Dartmouth , and spent four years there before starting sea training at 17 . RNC Osborne closed in 1923 , and the entry age was changed to 16 in 1948 , and to 17 and 6 months in 1955 . Until 1941 , Dartmouth was in effect a specialised boarding school , with parents paying fees for tuition and board . During the Second World War students and staff moved activities to Eaton Hall in Cheshire until the autumn of 1946 after six Focke - Wulf aircraft bombed the College in September 1942 . Two bombs penetrated the College ' s main block , causing damage to the quarterdeck and surrounding rooms . The College today . Today , officer cadets , as they are known until passing out from the college , can join between the ages of 18 and 32 . While most cadets join BRNC after finishing university , some still join directly from school . All spend between 28 and 49 weeks at the college , depending on specialisation . There is a large contingent of foreign and Commonwealth students . The Royal Fleet Auxiliary sends its officer cadets to BRNC for an 8 week initial officer training course , before they start at a maritime college . Following the closures of the Royal Naval Engineering College , Manadon , in 1994 and the Royal Naval College , Greenwich , in 1998 , BRNC is the sole naval college in the United Kingdom . Slightly removed from the main buildings is Sand Quay , which is situated below the college on the River . It is primarily used for seamanship and boat handling training . Cadets are required to know that there are 201 steps from the college to Sand Quay . Entry . To enter as an officer cadet , British entrants must have 180 or more Universities and Colleges Admissions Service UCAS points . Prospective cadets then proceed to the Admiralty Interview Board , where they are tested mentally and physically . Several mental aptitude tests are administered , along with a basic physical fitness test and a medical examination . Royal cadets . King George V and King George VI were naval cadets at Dartmouth , as were the Duke of Edinburgh , the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York . It is said that the Duke of Edinburgh met the then Princess Elizabeth at Dartmouth . Prince William spent a brief period at the College after leaving Sandhurst as part of his training with all three of Britain ' s Armed Forces . Sheikh Mubarak Ali Yousuf Suoud Al - Sabah , a member of the Royal Family of Kuwait , attended the Royal Navy Young Officer Course at Britannia Royal Naval College in 2002 . Commanders of the College . " Source for list below : Listing compiled by historian Colin Mackie ; additional references are given in the list .