Royal Navy initial training begins at HMS Collingwood
The Royal Navy has welcomed its next generation of sailors at HMS Collingwood — for the first time since the Second World War.
Twenty-two young men and women have begun their 10-week course at the Fareham establishment. They are the first of 500 new recruits expected to undertake initial training there as part of Project Shannon.
The base has been mobilised to meet a surge in applicants in the past year during the Coronavirus pandemic. The Royal Navy is expected to recruit 3,000 sailors in total over the next three years.
“The project has required infrastructure investment, particularly new classrooms, to ensure the correct training environment is in place for the recruits,” said Lieutenant Commander Jon Pollard, who will oversee the civilian-to-sailor training at HMS Collingwood.
“As far as is practicable the recruits will receive the same training and lived experience as they do at Raleigh, accepting that given the available infrastructure and geographical location there will inevitably be some subtle differences.”
Outdoor physical activities and exercises will be undertaken on Browndown Camp in Gosport and Salisbury Plain.
Collingwood will be used alongside HMS Raleigh in Cornwall, which has been the traditional home of junior rating training for almost 50 years.
