Sea Cadets (United Kingdom)
National youth charity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sea Cadet Corps (SCC), usually shortened to Sea Cadets, is a national youth charity operating in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland,[5] Malta and Bermuda. Cadets follow an ethos, training plan and rank structure similar to that of the Royal Navy, and are recognised by the UK Ministry of Defence.
4,260 Adult Volunteers
6 regional watersports centres
5 offshore vessels
4 national training centres
| Sea Cadet Corps | |
|---|---|
| |
| Founded | 1856[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type | National youth charity sponsored by the Royal Navy |
| Size | 13,730 Cadets (as of 1 April 2023)[2] 4,260 Adult Volunteers 6 regional watersports centres 5 offshore vessels 4 national training centres |
| Headquarters | London |
| Motto | Ready Aye Ready |
| Website | Sea Cadets |
| Commanders | |
| Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps | The Princess Royal |
| Captain Sea Cadets | Capt Hannah MacKenzie RN |
| Insignia | |
| Ensign |  |
| Badge |  |
History
In 1854, a vicar in Whitstable, Kent, returned from the Crimean War and founded an orphanage where sailors taught nautical skills to prepare orphans for future careers.[6] Multiple similar orphanages were founded across the country, and the organisation became known as the Naval Lads' Brigade. In 1899 Queen Victoria presented £10 (equivalent to £1,670 in 2026) to the Windsor Unit to purchase uniforms.[4]
In 1910, the Navy League sponsored a small number of units as the Navy League Boys' Naval Brigade, and in 1919 the organisation adopted the name Navy League Sea Cadet Corps. In 1937, Lord Nuffield donated £50,000 (equivalent to £4.42 million in 2026) to fund an expansion of the Corps.[4]
King George VI became the Admiral of the Corps in 1942 and the name was changed to the Sea Cadet Corps. The Sea Cadets had approximately 400 units and 50,000 Cadets. The Girls Naval Training Corps was also formed (later renamed Girls Nautical Training Corps in 1950).[4] Queen Elizabeth II became the Patron of the Sea Cadets in 1952.[4] In 1955 the Sea Cadet Council agreed to the formation of the Marine Cadet Section.[4] The Girls Nautical Training Corps became affiliated with the Sea Cadet Corps in 1963. The Royal Naval Association began planning the first British colonial unit in Bermuda in 1964, with TS Bermuda formed on 12 January 1966.[4][7] Located at Admiralty House, Bermuda, it was followed by two further units (TS Venture at the former Roman Catholic chapel of the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda and TS Admiral Somers at Convict Bay, St. George's, another former Admiralty property).[8][9][10]
On 31 March 1980 the Ministry of Defence approved the admission of girls into the Sea Cadet Corps. The successful integration of girls into the Sea Cadet Corps led to the dissolution of the Girls Nautical Training Corps in 1992.[4]
Ethos
The Sea Cadets' ethos is made up of three parts: its values, its mindset, and the customs and traditions of the Royal Navy. The promise made by every cadet who joins the Sea Cadet Corps is as follows:
The Sea Cadet Promise: I promise to serve my God, my King, my country, and, the Sea Cadet Corps and to obey the orders of my superior officers. I will be proud of my uniform and be smart and seamanlike in wearing it, and, always do my duty.[11][a]
The ethos is underpinned by the Sea Cadet Values which are: Courage, Commitment, Discipline, Respect, Loyalty, Honesty, and Integrity.[12] These are taught by staff throughout the time cadets are with a unit; chaplains will also take a lead in such delivery.[12]
Cadets
Junior Sea Cadets
For 9 to 12-year-olds, Junior Cadets have their own training programme and uniform, based on a more practical version of the Sea Cadets training programme.[13][14]
Sea Cadets
For 12 to 18-year-olds, young people can join as a Sea Cadet and work their way up through the training programme.[13]
Royal Marines Cadets
For 13 to 18-year-olds, the Sea Cadets has detachments of Royal Marines Cadets.[13]
Structure and organisation
The headquarters of Sea Cadets are in Lambeth, South London. The country is divided into six areas:[15]
- Eastern (including Malta)
- Northern (including Northern Ireland and Bermuda)
- Southern (including the Channel Islands & Falkland Islands)
- North West (including the Isle of Man)
- London
- South West
Volunteers fulfil roles such as water sports instructors, fundraisers, administrative staff, etc. Sea Cadets has both uniformed adult volunteers and non-uniformed adult volunteers.[16]
Training regime
Skills learned in a cadet's time in the Sea Cadets fall into four groups: (i) unit section, (ii) waterborne section, (iii) community and citizenship section, and (iv) outdoor and recreation section.[17]
Ranks and rates
From new entry through to able cadet, Sea Cadets are promoted based on their completion of various task-based modules. The ranks to progress through are: new entry, cadet, cadet 1st class, ordinary cadet, and able cadet. The non-commissioned officer ranks are leading cadet and petty officer cadet.[18]
Sea Cadets Corps |
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No insignia | |||||
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| Petty officer cadet |
Leading cadet |
Able cadet | Ordinary cadet | Cadet 1st class |
Cadet | New entry | ||||||
| POC | LC | AC | OC | CFC | CDT | NE
| ||||||
Royal Marines Cadets (Part of the SCC) |
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No insignia | No insignia | |||||||
| Cadet sergeant |
Cadet corporal |
Cadet lance corporal |
Marine cadet | Marine cadet recruit | ||||||||
| CDT SGT | CDT CPL | CDT LCPL | MC | MCR | ||||||||
Junior Sea Cadets Corps |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Leading junior cadet |
Able junior cadet |
Junior cadet first class |
Junior cadet |
| LJC | AJC | JCFC | JC |
| Sea Cadet Unit Officers (NCOs) | Warrant Officer 1 (SCC) RNR | Warrant Officer 2 (SCC) RNR | Chief Petty Officer (SCC) | Petty Officer (SCC) | Probationary Petty Officer (SCC) | Civilian Instructor (SCC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank Slide |  |
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| Royal Marine Unit Officers (NCOs) | Warrant Officer 1 (SCC) RMR | Warrant Officer 2 (SCC) RMR | Colour Sergeant (SCC) | Sergeant (SCC) | Probationary Sergeant (SCC) | Civilian Instructor (SCC) |
| Rank Slide |  |
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No Rank Slide or |
Officers are commissioned under the Cadet Forces Commission.[19]
| Sea Cadet Corps officers | Captain (SCC) RNR[b] | Commander (SCC) RNR | Lieutenant Commander (SCC) RNR | Lieutenant (SCC) RNR | Sub-Lieutenant (SCC) RNR | Midshipman (SCC) RNR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insignia |  |
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| Royal Marine Cadet Corps officers | Lieutenant Colonel (SCC) RMR[c] | Major (SCC) RMR | Captain (SCC) RMR | Lieutenant (SCC) RMR | Second Lieutenant (SCC) RMR | |
| Insignia |  |
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Another rank is Chaplain, they also commission under the Cadet Forces Commission.[19]
| Rank | Chaplain (SCC) RNR |
|---|---|
| Insignia |  |
Admiral and captain of the sea cadets
| Picture | Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral King George VI | 1942 | 6 February 1952 | 10 years, 1 month | [20] | |
| Admiral Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh | 6 February 1952 | 1992 | 39 years, 10 months | [21] | |
| Admiral Prince Andrew, Duke of York | 1992 | 8 December 2019 | 27 years, 11 months | [22] | |
| None | 8 December 2019 | 2021 | 1 year, 1 month | ||
| Admiral Anne, Princess Royal | 2021 | present | 5 years, 4 months | [23] |
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| Picture | Captain Sea Cadets | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain Mark Windsor | 2009 | 5 July 2013 | 4 years, 6 months | [24] | |
| Captain Jonathan Holloway | 5 July 2013 | 30 April 2015 | 1 year, 9 months | [25] | |
| Captain Phil Russell | 30 April 2015 | 21 July 2021 | 6 years, 2 months | [26] | |
| Captain Neil Downing | 21 July 2021 | 19 December 2025 | 4 years, 4 months | [27] | |
| Captain Hannah MacKenzie | 19 December 2025 | present | 4 months | [27] |
Uniform
Cadets are issued two uniforms. Some units ask for a deposit for uniforms that is returned after the uniform is given back. The primary uniforms that cadets receive are:
- No. 1s (Formal Dress) - Seaman's cap, blue class II jumper, blue Class II trousers, shirt uniform class II (white front), seaman's blue collar, black scarf assembly, lanyard, and black boots/shoes[28]
- Royal Navy Personal Clothing System (RNPCS) No. 4 Dress (General Duty Rig) – Replacing the No. 8 Action Work Dress,[29] this involves Navy blue beret, blue PCS jacket, black t-shirt, blue belt, blue PCS trousers, black working boots, navy jersey, and an RN foul weather jacket[30]
Ships
Current offshore fleet
TS Royalist
TS Royalist, the Sea Cadet flagship, is a tall ship owned by the MSSC (Marine Society and Sea Cadets). She is used to providing week-long training courses for Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets. The ship was launched in 2014 to replace the previous TS Royalist, which was over 40 years old when decommissioned. In 2013 there had been an appeal to replace the ageing flagship: £250,000 was needed this target was achieved in April 2013.[31]
She is rigged as a 34m brig,[32] with a sail area of 536 square metres (641 sq yd). Her draught is 3.25 metres (10 ft 8 in).[33] The ship's hull is of high tensile steel, with her superstructure of glass reinforced plastic. She has a crew of eight, plus up to twenty-four Cadets and two adult trainees. Twelve passengers can also be carried.[34]
TS City of London and TS Sir Stelios
TS City of London and TS Sir Stelios are the Sea Cadets' Rustler 42 yachts provided in 2017 and 2018 respectively; they replaced the Tradewind 35 yachts TS Vigilant and TS City Liveryman. They provide nationally-recognised RYA training for those wishing to gain qualifications and experience in yacht sailing.[35]
TS John Jerwood and TS Jack Petchey
These two vessels are the cadets' offshore powered training-ships. They are 24 m (78 ft 9 in) long and each cost about £2.6m. TS Jack Petchey is so named because the Jack Petchey Foundation donated £1m in order for it to be built. The Jerwood Foundation donated £1,216,700 for the construction of TS John Jerwood. The training ships can hold between 12-16 cadets, four permanent staff, and two CFAVs (cadet force adult volunteers) and provides an experience at sea focussing on deck work, navigation, bridge watchkeeping, cooking/stewarding, and marine engineering. Each vessel is fitted with twin Perkins Sabre Type M215C Turbo Diesel main engines, each providing 200 shp (150 kW) at 2,500 rpm.[36]
Current Inshore Fleet
Trinity 500 rowing boats
The Trinity 500 is a stable fixed-seat rowing boat, purpose-built for the Sea Cadets to deliver the full SCC Rowing Scheme. The boat has also been approved by British Rowing, to allow for the delivery of their Explore Rowing Scheme.[37]
Investigation into sexual abuse
In 2012 payouts made to victims of sexual abuse across all Cadet Forces totalled £1,475,844. In 2013 payouts totalled £64,782, and in 2014 payouts totalled £544,213.[38]
In 2017, a Panorama episode entitled "Cadet Abuse Cover-Up" highlighted sexual abuse cases in the British Cadet Forces. In a 1979 case of sexual abuse of a 14-year-old cadet in Hertfordshire, the boy's parents were dissuaded from reporting the offender to police by Sea Cadet officers in full uniform, who had visited their home. The offender was neither dismissed or suspended but instead promoted to oversee 10 cadet units in London.[39] Further historical cases have been investigated with settlements being made.[40] In the years 2012 to 2017 there were 28 allegations of sexual abuse made against SCC volunteers, including historical allegations. All 28 offenders were dismissed and referred to the police.[39]
See also
Other elements of the Community Cadet Forces
Other MoD sponsored cadet forces
Other Sea Cadet organisations
- Australian Navy Cadets
- Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps
- Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
- Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps
- New Zealand Sea Cadet Corps
- United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps
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