The Royal Danish Naval Academy educates and commissions all officers for the Royal Danish Navy. Having existed for more than 300 years, it is the oldest still-existing officers' academy in the world.
The education
All aspirants begin their education with 6 months of basic military training and general seamanship. Parts of this at the Naval NCO and Basic Training School near Frederikshavn and other parts on the training vessel Georg Stage. This goes to both aspirants that begin their education without prior military service and those who are recruited among enlisted and petty officers. Then follows an intensified NCO-training for another 6 months. If these periods are completed and passed, then the aspirant will move onto the Naval Academy. Here follows the education for the two functional lines. Included in these periods, where the aspirants of each line, is separated, is also an 11 months leadership training period, where both lines are educated together in courses like leadership, naval warfare, naval history, teaching, psychology, administration, social sciences and economics. At this time, the aspirant becomes a cadet. After 5–5½ years of training and education from the very start the aspirant is commissioned as an officer. Besides career-officers, the naval academy also trains civilian licensed marine engineers and first officers, towards naval commissioning. This training period is 11 months for first officers, and 14 months for engineers. The naval academy also runs the junior staff officers course. This course runs for 11 months, and requires satisfactory service as an OF-1.
History
January 1701: General-Admirallieutenant Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve proposes the creation of a Søe Cadet Compagni, in which young men can receive training in seamanship, military tactics, and navigation for the purpose of becoming naval officers.
26 February 1701:King Frederick IV approves the creation of the Søe Cadet Compagni.
26 April 1701: Commodore C. T. Sehested adjourns as the first chief of Søe Cadet Compagniet.
1709: The Søe Cadet Compagniet is renamed the Søe Cadet Academy.
1727:The Academy is removed to the twenty-three-year-old opera house.
1827: The Academy is removed to the Søbøtkerske mansion, on the corner of Bredgade and Esplanaden. The mansion itself no longer stands, but a bookstore is now located at the site.
1865: The Academy is removed to the former administrative complex of the naval artillery on Christiansholm. These buildings do still exist; they now house the Danish naval museumOrlogsmuseet and the DanishMaritime Safety Administration.
1869: The Søe Cadet Academiet is renamed the Søofficersskolen and is removed to a facility at Gernersgade, in Nyboder. This facility was built in 1856, originally to house a girls' school. Today, the building houses several companies.
1903: The Søofficersskolen is renamed the Kadetskolen.
1946: The School is removed to its current buildings, on Holmen Naval Base. The buildings had been completed in the 1930s, but relocation of the School had been postponed by the outbreak of World War II and subsequent German occupation of Denmark.
1951: The Kadetskolen is renamed the Søværnets Officersskole, by which it is known currently.
1964: Aspirants and cadets are no longer required to live at the School ; presently, most aspirants and cadets are housed by the navy in Nyboder.
1966: A naval cadets' association is created as a social and educational institution.
1969: The naval specialty officers' school is disbanded and all instruction is conducted at the naval academy.
1970: The program of education is completely restructured and ten faculties are created.
2007: Under the 2005–2009 defence agreement, the naval musical corps is moved to Holmen and made part of the naval academy, as are all training facilities on Holmen.
Royal Danish Naval Band
The Royal Danish Naval Band, which is the sole musical ensemble in the Danish Navy, is a unit of the Royal Danish Naval Academy. In is composed of 24 musicians who play a wide range of instruments, including piccolos, althorns, and the euphonium. It has been active since 1964 and is based in Copenhagen. The band is employed during many different events, including military tattoos and baptism of ships, both of which would require the whole band to travel for days around the country and abroad.
Location
The naval academy is located on Holmen in central Copenhagen.
