MSSCHQ The Marine Society and Sea Cadet Headquarters ( MSSCHQ ) is the home of the Captain of the Sea Cadet Corps ( CSC ) , currently Captain Mark Windsor who is a serving Captain of the Royal Navy . He has also been appointed director of training and plans , and is one of the Sea Cadet Corps trustees . MSSCHQ is in London near Westminster at 202 Lambeth Road of which parts are also controlled for MoDHQ ( Ministry of Defence Headquarters - Whitehall London ) . This is where all nationally made decisions , such as the Sea Cadet Regulations and other such items are made . The Marine Society & Sea Cadets Corps ( MSSC ) is a charity formed in 2004 from a merger of The Marine Society and the Sea Cadet Association . The Sea Cadet Corps is a British voluntary uniformed youth cadet organization and the first named organization of its kind . It consists of about 400 units and 15 , 000 young people learning nautical and life skills . The Sea Cadet Corps first came together in 1845 and has kept its high standards to present . Organization of the Sea Cadet Corps . The Sea Cadet Corps from Headquarters is divided into six areas ( Northern , Southern , etc . ) . The areas have a controller as it were a commanding officer ( Normally a Serving Commander in the Royal Navy or a Senior Lieutenant Commander ( SCC ) RNR ) and then from those individual areas into districts normally there are about six or seven units in one area ( such as Berkshire , Oxford and Buckinghamshire etc . ) . Districts are controlled by District Officers , with the assistance of the Deputy District Officer ( DDO ) and in some districts an Assistant District Officer ( ADO ) in conjunction with the District Training Officer and the District Juniors Officer . Together they make the District Staff . Normal officers and instructors can apply to be Area Staff Officers and Headquarters staff officers in individual subjects such as Piping , Drill and Ceremonial , Boating , etc . They apply to Headquarters for the position and then they are interviewed and the new Headquarters Staff Officer ( HQSO ) is selected . Ranks and Rates in the Sea Cadet Corps . From the junior cadets age 10 and above the ranks start as Junior Second Class , Junior First Class and Junior Leading . Those are the junior cadet ranks . They are just an introduction to the Sea Cadets from age 10 to 12 . After the juniors section cadets move on to a New Entry which is the probationary period toward becoming a senior enrolled cadet . Age 12 and above . Juniors can do their New Entry ( NE ) training when they are juniors and can be promoted to Cadet ( Cdt ) as soon as they turn 12 years old . When a fully enrolled cadet can say the Sea Cadet Promise they become a Cadet ( one star ) and from then can achieve Ordinary Cadet normally when they are 13 about one rank every year . For example : Ordinary Cadet ( SCC ) J Bloggs Promotion to Able Cadet comes at approximately 14 . This is the start of the Senior Ratings , where the Able Cadet will be the Duty Leading Hand ( DLH ) and take responsibility at Colours and Evening Colours and insure the smooth running of the ship . As an Able Cadet takes on more responsibility , teaches lessons and controls bad behaviour by junior and younger cadets that may not be as mature as the Able Cadet . Promotion to Leading Cadet requires going away on a Board / Examination to pass . This must be done at a district level and can not be done by the ship ' s Commanding Officer / Officer in Charge . Candidates must be 15 years old to achieve this rank and also must have certain qualifications before the promotion in conjunction with ASCR ( Appendix to the Sea Cadet Regulations ) 1 - Training Instructions ( TIs . ) The final and most senior cadet rank of the Sea Cadet Corps is Petty Officer Cadet ( POC ) also just known as Petty Officer . Candidates must be 16 years old and have been a Leading Cadet for at least six months to become a POC . Promotion again requires going to a Board / Examination course at district level to become the rank and certain qualifications . Staff of the Sea Cadet Corps . Sea Cadet Staff must always use SCC in brackets after their rank such as : Lieutenant Commander ( SCC ) to show they are part of the Sea Cadets and not the Royal Navy its self . Also they must have RNR ( Royal Naval Reserve if it is an officer not Warrant Officer and below such as : Lieutenant Commander ( SCC ) J K Bloogs RNR . The ranks of the Sea Cadet over 18 year old staff members : The Sea Cadets have recently brought in the rank of Commander . There are only 7 in the UK so far . All SCC Commanders are the area Senior Staff Officers ( SSO ) . The Royal Naval Reserves can go up to a Commodore RNR . Sea Cadet Officers wear the RNVR uniform , the current RNRs have the Royal Navy Rank Insignia however the small R in the bottom of the cuff has been recently removed from RNR Uniform .