Royal Corps of Naval Constructors facts for kids

The Royal Corps of Naval Constructors (RCNC) is a special group within the British Royal Navy and the Admiralty. They are experts in designing and building ships, and also in marine, electrical, and weapon engineering. It was created in August 1883, thanks to an idea from a naval architect named Sir William White. Before the RCNC, there was a school called the Royal School of Naval Architecture in London.

Members of the RCNC are civilians, but they are a key part of the Defence Engineering & Science Group. Some members can even wear a uniform similar to the Royal Navy's and are treated with the same respect as naval officers.

History of the RCNC

For a very long time, since the days of the Tudors, Royal Navy ships were built in special places called Royal Dockyards. A person called the Master Shipwright looked after the building, and the Surveyor of the Navy designed the ships.

In 1805, people saw how much science was changing industries. So, a group led by Lord Barham suggested creating a School of Naval Architecture. This school would train people to design ships and manage the dockyards. The first school opened in 1811 in Portsmouth. Later, it moved to Greenwich in 1873.

The people who finished these schools became Naval Architects. They were very good at their job. Their work, along with the Industrial Revolution (a time of big changes in how things were made), led to the creation of the Institution of Naval Architects in 1860.

By 1875, there were 27 trained Naval Architects working on warships. But sometimes, ships were still designed without listening to their advice, which caused problems. A big issue was that these skilled Naval Architects didn't have good career paths, which made it hard to find new people to join.

To fix these problems, William White, who worked for the Director of Naval Construction, suggested a better training plan and career path. His ideas were approved in 1882. Then, on August 23, 1883, Queen Victoria officially approved the creation of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors.

The first head of the RCNC was Sir Nathaniel Barnaby. But he became ill, so Sir William White took over in 1885.

By 1901, the RCNC had 91 Naval Architects. They played a huge part in getting ready for the First World War. One of their most famous achievements was quickly designing and building HMS Dreadnought. They also helped with new weapons, machinery, and submarine designs.

Between 1915 and 1922, the RCNC even worked on airship designs. But more importantly, they helped change ships to carry aircraft. They also designed and built the first ship made just for aircraft, HMS Hermes. The success of these ships, along with submarines and escort ships designed by the RCNC, helped make Britain's navy very strong.

During the Second World War, shipbuilding grew a lot. Many RCNC members served in uniform, some even becoming Constructor Rear-Admirals.

After the war, a big achievement for the RCNC was designing and keeping up a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The RCNC itself also changed over time.

In 1977, the RCNC joined forces with the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers from the Royal Naval Engineering Service (RNES). Before this, RCNC uniforms had a grey stripe between their gold stripes, while RNES had a dark green stripe. After they combined, all officers of the larger RCNC wore the grey stripe. They also later joined with weapon designers.

In recent years, this bigger RCNC has been key in designing and building amazing modern warships. These include the Type 45 class air warfare destroyer, Astute-class submarines, and Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. These ships have very complex and powerful engineering systems.

Today, the RCNC has nearly 100 naval architects, marine, electrical, and weapon engineers. They continue to provide highly skilled engineers to design, build, and maintain Royal Navy ships. Their skills are also wanted by other shipbuilders in the UK and around the world, giving the RCNC a strong network of professionals.

Sadly, six naval constructors lost their lives while on duty. Arthur K Stephens was lost in 1916 when HMS Queen Mary sank during the Battle of Jutland. F. Bailey and A.A.F. Hill were lost in the HMS Thetis disaster in June 1939. H.H.Palmer was lost at sea in August 1941 while traveling for work. During World War Two, F. Bryant was killed in the bombing of Bath in 1942, and R. King was killed in Mombasa.

The RCNC and the Royal Navy

The person on the right in the front row is a Constructor Captain, RCNC, during World War 2.

Because of the original order that created it, the RCNC is part of the Royal Naval Service. This means members of the RCNC have ranks that are similar to Royal Navy ranks. For example, they might be called "Constructor Commander A. Nonsuch, RCNC."

Constructors can wear a special version of the standard Royal Navy uniform. The main difference is that they have grey bands between the gold stripes on their sleeves and shoulder boards. Constructors can wear their uniform in certain jobs, especially at naval bases in the UK and in some places overseas.

RCNC Uniform Ranks