The 15 University Royal Navy Units (URNU) provide an opportunity for students to go sea and to broaden their naval understanding. Against a background of constrained funding for the navy, there are some who perceive this as an indulgence of limited value because the URNU does not exist for primarily for recruitment or operational purposes. Here we examine the real value and wider benefits the units offer.
Each of the three armed forces operates University Armed Service units (USUs). Each University Royal Naval Units (URNUs) is independent but under the command of Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. (There is liaison with Universities via the Military Education Committees (MEC)). URNUs were established with the primary purpose of helping students to understand the navy and to develop the leaders of tomorrow. URNU are not intended as an officer recruiting organisation and there is no obligation to join the RN, although obviously it is promoted as a possible career option. Typically each unit will contribute two successful officer candidates each year to begin training at BRNC. On average, a unit has 4 training officers and 51 cadets, recruiting about 17 new entrants each year to replace those graduating. Nationally there are around 880 URNU members but this represents a tiny percentage of the 2.2 million students in the UK. There is some fluctuation in numbers as students may take 3, 4 or 5-year degrees or masters. In some ways, the URNU is like any student society and students who are either ineligible for full membership or who cannot fulfil the training commitment may join as unpaid associates.
The main vision of the URNUs is to provide maritime experience to students and share some of the ethos and values of the RN with those likely to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Some of the students will go on to successful carers and become influencers in wider society. In a nation where the RN’s visibility is receding, it is important, particularly at elite levels, to have advocates with a sympathetic understanding of the navy informed by experience.
Providing a disciplined but fun learning environment is attractive to many young people and benefits both their development and the navy. Besides pay, membership of the unit offers the opportunity to go to sea, learn seamanship, navigational and leadership skills, travel, visit frontline naval vessels as well as a plenty of social activities. Cadets may also be involved in public ceremonial or promotional events, and charitable work.
Each of the URNUs are affiliated to a regional group of Universities dispersed across the UK and draws students from the HQ institution or others located up to one hour’s driving distance from the unit. In addition to classrooms for lectures and training near to the HQ university, each unit has a nominated P2000 fast patrol boat which is used extensively for afloat training.
Joining
Students are normally recruited from one of 64 universities at their societies freshers week. Those indicating interest are invited to attend an introductory evening where they are given more insight into the organisation. Candidates wishing to apply must be 18, on an undergraduate or postgraduate degree programme at a UK university and fit the nationality criteria. They must complete application forms, a medical and sit a selection board chaired by the URNU Commanding Officer. This process is considerably less demanding than joining the regular forces and URNU medical standards are lower because their main mission is to educate rather than recruit. Students must be able to pass the Military Swimming Test (MST) conducted at the first New Entry Weekend, normally held at BRNC.
Cadets are expected to attend at least 24 days of training per year and this should include a 12 day continuous training period, which is normally completed on a P2000. There are typically 16 drill nights each year and at least one sea training weekend per term. As far as possible the timetable is structured around normal student terms, exams and holiday periods. Cadets may sometimes be excused drill evenings if their CO is satisfied pressure of studies is an issue. Cadets are paid for their time and receive travel expenses, earning a bounty payment if they attend the full 24 days each year.
On entry, students are known as Officer Cadets and work towards completion of the URNU Officer Cadet Task Book (and wear URNU tabs only). On completion, they wear URNU tabs with Officer Cadet white tabs above. They then work towards becoming ‘Honorary Midshipmen’ and when qualified, are entitled to wear URNU tabs with Midshipman’s sliders.
Controversies
Critics of the URNUs suggest that the funds could be deployed better elsewhere in the navy. Even the small regular manpower requirement for the URNUs is now under scrutiny. There has always been a debate about the value of cadet units going back decades. Many of the benefits to the RN may be intangible or at least hard to quantify, especially financially or in terms of operational effect. Since the capability of the P2000 boats is very limited, the advantages of ‘showing the flag’ and ‘training civilian leaders of tomorrow’ could be perceived as luxuries.
URNU Officer Cadets are categorised as RNR List 7 and do not qualify as reservists that could be called up. Many question whether they could make any useful contribution in time of crisis. Hardened matelots may not universally appreciate college students with reduced fitness and training standards sporting naval uniform apparently on weekend ‘jollies’.
As the number of undergraduates has ballooned since the 1990s the old idea that most will become ‘captians of industry’ is fading and today’s graduates will have very diverse career paths. Does the cost of the URNUs justify an entirely unquantifiable degree of civilian advocacy and influence somewhere in the future? In broader terms, the URNU is just like any other part of the armed forces that indirectly contribute to society through the relatively expensive training and experience they provide for people before they leave and enter civilian life.
The Benefits
Despite the controversies, the Navy board continues to take the long view that URNUs are a sensible investment and their relatively modest costs are worthwhile. The goodwill and positive experiences of the URNU are recognised and there is a modest contribution to officer recruitment. Most importantly, to retreat from the Universities would just be another link broken between the RN and wider society, another small contributor to national ‘sea blindness’.
The URNU P2000 boats do have some utility besides training platforms. Although they rarely stay at sea overnight, are constrained by weather conditions and are unarmed, they are another potential surveillance asset that can gather intelligence about activities in UK waters. P2000s participate in some inshore naval exercises and may be used to carry VIPs or attend ceremonial events. They can visit harbours, marinas and small ports that larger RN vessels cannot. This gives the RN an extended visible presence around the UK and Northern Europe and there are few British mariners who are not reassured by the sight of the White Ensign.
With the number of active RN vessels continuing to decline, there are ever-diminishing command opportunities for its officers. Captaining a P2000 boat is a very useful experience for a young lieutenant who may have to wait a long time for the next command or, statistically more likely, will never gain another command. Axing the P2000s would further constrain the options for the important initial career development of junior officers.

The P2000 – a tidy little package
The P2000 (or ‘Archer class’) fast patrol boats form the 1st Patrol Boat Squadron (1PBS) headquartered in Portsmouth. Since 2014, the boats are independent of the units. Instead, the units are supported in a more flexible way from the pool of 1PBS boats that may conduct a range of other naval tasking. They were based on the design of a coastguard cutter built for the navy of Oman and 16 boats entered service between 1985 and 1988. They measure 20m in length have a displacement of 54 tonnes, are constructed of moulded glass reinforced plastic and can achieve speeds of up to 25 knots. Two of the class, HMS Raider and HMS Tracker, are assigned to force protection for submarines entering or leaving the Clyde. They have no connection with URNUs and are armed with three general purpose machine guns and have additional ballistic protection.
With little hope of funding to fully replace these vessels, in 2013 it was decided the Archer Class Ship Life Extension Package (SLEP) was the best option. The first SLEP began on HMS Biter in 2013 and the final boat, HMS Puncher completed her upgrade in 2017. The old twin Perkins CV12 engines were replaced by two Cat C18 ACERT diesels with new gearboxes and generators fitted. New stern tubes, shafts and propellers have also been installed. The exteriors have been repainted with high-performance epoxy paint and a modern fendering system has been fitted. These measures will extend their service lives into the 2030s. Each vessel also conducts an Annual Survey and Repair Period (ASRP) which includes the removing the vessel from the water either using a hoist, ship lift or slipway at various commercial boatyards around the UK.
Each P2000 has a permanent crew of five or six, under the command of Lieutenant, usually with an experienced rating acting as coxswain and second in command. Serving together for two-three years they have to work as a close-knit team in a very confined space and have each will have several duties. Although sometimes deployed on operational or ceremonial tasks without cadets, they usually embark batches of 12 cadets for training. The crew have their own cabins, but the Officer Cadets sleep in the gun-room where midshipmen have traditionally always been berthed. In the P2000s this is literally the case as the gunroom was intended as the magazine for a 20mm cannon which has never been fitted to the vessels.
The boats usually conduct several two-week deployments in the Summer, sometimes in company with other P2000s, which may be around the UK coast or to ports in Northern Europe or Scandinavia. Such deployments are usually memorable opportunities for team building and the cadets to further their training while travelling further afield.
The temptation to close the URNUs and pay off the P2000s for financial reasons will always remain. This would almost certainly prove to be a false economy, given the impact they achieve for a relatively small cost. The more young people given an understanding of the navy and maritime, the better. Only a small percentage will join the regular navy but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the URNU experience spreads goodwill and enhances the RN’s reputation. The P2000s are sometimes deceptively counted as part of the RN’s order of battle but although very small, they deliver a useful presence, training and career development platform.
Served on HMS Archer when it was stationed alongside HMS Helmsdale in Dundee with the RNR, it was my very first boat. We did navigation exercises and combined work with the RAF and SAS. Good little boats although a bit cramped. They can be equipped with a 20mm which might make them useful for inshore anti smuggling and fishery protection work. I do think however that the crews should be not only from the university’s but also for people going through technical apprenticeships and for the RNR.
But I will always have a fond memory of these boats especially as it was due to them that I was giving a chance to show what I could do and get offered my commission.
I’m hoping to join the army version of the URNU (The UOTC) when I start university next month and I am really looking forward to it.
Join the URNU if there is one, with only 51 in a unit it’s a more personal experience with more opportunities than the OTC
Could they be used for Sea Cadet training as well. A good source of recruitment. I’d also think about yachties, many of the RNVR skippers of MTB/MGB’s where sailors before the war.
I am an URNU student, they are used for Sea Cadet’s, Sea Scouts, anything that helps the RN fly the flag.
How much money are we actually talking about?Did I understand correctly that they get paid for this?The huge allowances will be more of a factor.
Old and young boys network and nice easy empire for older officers. Although the whole thing stinks, maybe there is some value. Perhaps it it should be widened to provide training opportunities for all sorts of likley recruits and trainees for the RN and merchant marine, as already suggested ,rather than the rather snobbish arrangement described in the article .Perhaps it could be combined with the coastguard or OPV force to provide wider experience and some useful patrolling work(I’m not against a bit of recreation as well)
“Only a small percentage will join the RN” suggests that we are wasting a lot of money. Massive rethink at the very least.
Yes, what’s the social profile of the cadets? These units seem to be tied to elite Russell Group Universities which serve a narrow social group. The RN needs to diversify it’s talent pool, especially with retention issues in recent years. ‘captians of industry’ [sic] want to join daddy’s hedge fund not the navy.
The boats are already used for a diverse range of takings, including RNR and BRNC.
I don’t know about the old boys network, but having the URNU on my C.V was critical to me working in parliament over my placement year.
The URNU is far more successful than its RAF and Army peers, the unit I am at sends roughly 30% of the intake to BRNC.
In my experience about 1/3 of the unit will put in an application to the RN or RNR upon leaving. The vessels are also used for giving sea time to sea cadet units, RNR and other military burser. And in reply to your snobbish comment, yes the URNU’s are centred around Russel group unis but take equally from ex-pollitexniques and new universities in the area. There is a number of students who are part of the URNU due to family ties in the military but that is not the experience of everyone. As a non-white, student from inland rural England it has given me and many like me the insight into the Navy that I don’t think I could have got anywhere els.
So,it seems that they are already doing a lot of what has been suggested.This is great, but I am still highly suspicious, vague statements about how it enhances the reputation of RN and people commenting how much they enjoyed it are not convincing me that this is value for money.
I am obviously not in the know about the budget but this article really does highlight the other benefits of the URNU and P2000. But just to add, speaking to the members of ships company (people in the RN) most of them see their roll on ship as a good career progression opportunity to gain more responsibility regardless of rank as they work in such as small team. Many of them also get promoted on leaving their P2000 poasting. It can also be a chace for people to be based from home as in areas such as the north east of England it is really the only poasting you can get that can place you near family.
I can only really speak for me, who I guess it would be presumed value for money for (as I have put in my application for the RN as a ME after not considering it as an option before). But even for the people who try the URNU and decide the RN is not for them, I feel it’s helpful in the long run. MOD scemes such as DTUS ( who recruite people as young as 14 into a 6th form and then a Uni scheme where you get payed but are contracted into a number of years in your chosen survive) face high drop out or medical discharge rates making them sound better on paper but in the long term less effective and more expensive. Different things work for differ people and many young people aren’t ready to commit so young. The people from the URNU who go on to join the RN, RNR or RFA usually know what they are getting themselves infore after being well informed by people in the service and keen, which leads to less of this problem in training. This is obviously not a study but just personal experience.
Grubbie by name by nature. Don’t hold others to account by your standards.
Great article that details something that is often forgotten in the rush to reduce costs.
Public services are not just about cost – they are about social stability and culture and from what I can see our culture is moving in the wrong direction.
I would expand this offering but make it a joint officer command whereby officer cadets must do a rotation through all services across a 4 year period – Army, Navy, Airforce and Intelligence/Cyber in any given order.
I also think that some form of public service should be part of a university education and perhaps this should be paid work (or pay towards fees).
Anyway – really informative article, thanks
The enhances reputation and spreading goodwill argument is ridiculess,why not provide paid cruise trips for the general population if that’s your aim?
Similar to the big ship is a deterrent line of reasoning.It dosnt matter to the enermy how big it is,in fact he might be grateful that you didn’t spend the money on a greater number of small ships.
Mr Grubbie,
Because you don’t understand an argument or don’t wish too doesn’t make it ridiculous…mearly you….
Acquire some facts.
Go on then, provide some solid facts.
You have never been envolved in a University Unit.
Be quiet now. Oh of course you won’t empty vessels make the most noise.
Very few people have.No facts or evidence then?Its clear that taxpayers money has been wasted on your education. Perhaps you are drunk?
Fact you haven’t.
You asked you haven’t. Have you?
Nore have you served. Facts. Unless you wish to dispute in public. And I’ll remind you it now a criminal offence to say you have if you haven’t.
You are mad and drunk Hardly anyone has been in the URNU.
Your spelling is better than mine
Well we mainly did Latin. QED.
Should we really be supporting militarisation of our universities?
University students are training to use their critical facualtues and not learning to put on military solutions to what are political problems.
We’re the UK not Junker controlled Prussia.
Simply no. So much was wrong with that statement I’m not even going to start.
Oh what a surprise Iqbal doesn’t like a RN program … I’M SHOCKED.
Hahahaha……I cant believe you typed that Iqbal. Shows you have no understanding whatsoever of the article!
Blah Blah Blah .You and Grubbie ought to move in together.
Is honestly anyone surprised?
‘sea blindness’
Wanting to live within our means isn’t ‘blindness’ just prudent financial management.
Over 90% of the goods traided with the UK are brought by sea, sorry ‘sea blindness’ is a thing!
We are an island, we need to re-focus on the maritime in future and get more British people into jobs in the merchant navy, Royal Navy, coast guard, etc.
Southampton URNU/BLAZER 99-02, best thing I did at uni, and still have great friends from there now. Importantly, prepared me for my RN career (XSM), enabling me to concentrate at BRNC on areas I needed to dev, basics covered before. #madeintheroyalnavy #ButPreparedInTheURNU
Southampton URNU/ WOODLARK then FENCER 1983 – 1986. The best time ever. Defence Medical Service 1990 – 2000 based KING ALFRED.
So?
I personally think what a waste, at times when the T45 programme was halved, and due to budget restraints the New batch of Type 31e and 36 Frigates will also be drastically reduced we should be concentrating on our main line forces. We didn’t need jolly boats like these as a recruitment tool. In the 70’s when I joined up we didn’t have these and didn’t even have any national advertising campaigns on the telly, it was seeing a recruiting Chief at a careers day at school and being part on the sea cadets thats what sold it to me.
Well! We best revert to the 70’s all over again shall we?? Just because it wasn’t like that in the good old days. We should scrap the URNU? It will have little or no effect on the FF/DD situation. Get a grip uncle Albert.
We did have these in the 70’s
EX London Unit, and ex RFA. Being in unit was enough to let me know the Royal Navy not for me, but RFA was- which in itself wasn’t a bad thing to find out at 22, rather than going to BRNC and maybe being an abysmal Navy officer. Generally UNRU a good thing and should expanded , with their remit going beyond simply officer recruitment, to promote a wider service in Navy (& RFA). Social life great, and not just posh kids yachting
Also, a good counter measure to the generally anti military prejudices in schools and university which seems to have got worse since my day
Devon URNU?
Lord West is again spouting nonsense about the navy he built being inadequate to protect the UK. However I suspect that he has a point about fragmentation. Why can’t young navy officers command border agency cutters and university students train on river class patrol boats?They have plenty of spare room for this sort of thing and the extra money from scrapping the URNU could be spent on more time at sea including the occasional cruise.
At a wild guess In the absence of any numbers provided above ,URNU must be costing about £150000 per recruit.
Agreed. I had a staff member desperate to join the RN after Uni. Went to UNI and the URNU but then discovered sea sickness and “diversity issues” so rushed ashore…never to sign up. Bunks are often available on “proper” RN ships in UK waters where UNI cadets would see what the RN was really all about. Young Lieutenants could gain great appropriate experience in Border Force cutters and Sea Cadet vessels…or even foreign navy vessel – till we build more??
Given the current situation with the French fishermen and with Brexit fast approaching would it not make sense to utilise these boats in a fisheries/ border protection role to supplement the woefully small OPV fleet we have just now. Stick a section of Royal Marines on board and you have a pretty effective deterrent. Seems a waste of good boats and sailors if they are only being used for about 30 days a year.
I think that these boats would get smashed up by steel trawlers, but they would be good for anti smuggling. Perhaps they are already used this way, there is not enough information provided in the article. It looks like a wasteful little empire.
I think that the border agency is having a load of similar sized boats built.
No, Border Force are not building OPVs or boats similar to P2000s. However, starting in 2016, they have so far acquired 8 18.8m fast rescue boats for UK coastal patrols. These are basically very large RIBs with a proper bridge and superstructure. Built by Delta Power, they have 2 Cat diesels [1,000hp] driving 2 Hamilton water jets giving a speed of circa 35 knots. Such boats are ideal for the purpose.
One problem with the P2000s in any scenario where boarding is required is that they cannot carry a RIB, and have no means of launching or recovering one in any case. Believe me when I say the last thing you want to do is board from your patrol boat. it’s quite correct to state that a P2000 would come off a certain second best in a close quarters situation with an aggressively handled fishing vessel.
My own experience: Sundry Cod Wars, Island Class OPVs, South Atlantic 5 years. West and Southern Africa 14 years and Yemen 4 years.
David, I agree that they are not the ideal, bespoke vessel for aggressive boarding of large fishing vessels but they could be the eyes we need which is sadly lacking at ‘present’. Instant real time communications make any aggressor move recorded and can thereafter be tracked by a number of assets. The P2000’s could be used to fill a gaping hole in our coastline defence against smugglers (both people and illegal substances) more as a deterrent than anything else. If they come under threat from aggressors then they are entitled to respond in the same way that an armed London cop is allowed to do if there is a life threatening incident. We as an Island Nation need to get our act together.
Grubbie… we know you can’t think.
No facts, no evidence,no evidence of any thought process.Based on the comments alone there are 51 takers, 2/3 have nothing more to do with the RN, the other 1/3 would probably join anyway. The boats are also unsuited for any other role.My assumption was that you were drunk on a Saturday night, now I must assume that you are just a mouthy public school idiot.
Well as you have never served you’re a remarkably balanced individual with a chip on both shoulders.
As you imply that you are you are in the navy, you should be able to bring some enlightenment to the debate but you chose not to. The horrific thought has crossed my mind that you could be a serving officer.
Go on then, enlightenment us about the position with which some fool has chosen to trust you with the nations defence.
Oh, shut up Grubbie…..give it a break!
We definitely need to permanently keep the 3 batch 1 river class o.p.v.s and even 8 is the absolute bare minimum for a country with the length of our coastline, especially when you consider not all are always available and some are on patrol thousands of miles away (e.g. the Falklands). If anything we need more of them.
If we did away with the URNU it would free up crew and money to actually operate the ships we already have.
You want more OPVs,don’t worry the type 31e will be along shortly.
15 URNU boats and 5 full time RN personnel per boat! Hardly an amount that will solve the manning problem of 19 FF/DD will it.
Enough crew and probably enough dosh to operate 2 rivers.
I can’t see this as a very cost effective way of supporting recruitment. A good argument can be made for all sorts of capabilities but it is only by putting them in context can we see their relative value. Cuts have to be made across all nice to do functions so that must do functions can be better funded. If we listed capabilities in order of priority then I suspect this would be close to the bottom.
I agree with many comments below. With minimal assets, each Service needs to evolve rapidly, building on, but not locked into, tradition and history. Limited military resources has to be very much linked to ‘sweating the assets’ and making maximum operational benefit/value from dwindling manpower and assets through multi-tasking and multi-role leverage of resources. The P2000s need to be used for URNU and Sea cadet experience and positive recruiting to fill dwindling RN billets across all branches and trades: additionally, they need to support RNR training and keeping competencies up. As national, taxpayer funded assets, craft and crews should support Border Patrol and inshore national security tasks, including anti-people and commodity smuggling, fishing area policing, small harbour policing, littoral small vessel inspections and boarding, etc – armed and using UAVs if necessary to extend range of influence and effect. Joint patrols and tasks with Border Force, Maritime Police and Coastguard personnel and vessels/aircraft should be the norm alongside RN tasks. MOD/RN needs to squeeze every £ value out of these assets and resources by using them far more effectively and smarter for national coastline, border and national territorial water security, defence resilience and emergency responses. The same is the case for University Air Sqn and University Officer Training Corps units, but their remit should now extend beyond just targeting potential future officers: recruiting potential NCOs is also needed for all 3 Services. These units should be supported or supplemented by medically downgraded Service personnel who might not be fit for full duties, but could release added value with reduced fitness in a training/recruiting and skills continuity function, and support getting service personnel back to full duties. Every Armed Forces resource needs to provide maximum value for money and provide service personnel with fulfilling jobs and tasks to aid retention. These assets could also be used to bring in revenue by providing maritime seamanship and bridge leadership training and skills for the Border Force, Maritime Police, Coastguard, Merchant Navy, commercial shipping companies. If the P2000s do need to be replaced in the near future, why couldn’t the new SEA class fleet be used as the basis, and the current 18m workboat hull (or a new extra 20/25m hull) be used to generate a littoral armed fast training/inshore patrol boat module if the current ones planned are not suitable? If SEA class can do 25 knots in Sea State 4 (P2000 is 20.5 m, 54 tonnes and Batch 2 does 24 knots) why not rapidly evolve the new SEA workboat fleet with another variant to gain the benefits of commonality and modularity, the current shipyard work, and generate potential exports also? Perhaps standardise small RN vessel fleet by replacing the Scimitar Class with similar/same? Just a ‘light blue’ view hoping to support the ‘dark blue’ Senior Service to negotiate current troubled waters.
https://www.navylookout.com/in-focus-the-versatile-new-workboats-being-built-for-the-royal-navy/
You live on an island, keep and maintain in a Bristol manner as many sea craft as possible.
A few of these turned up in Cobh to visit the Irish Navy earlier in the year, must have been interesting sailing for such small boats, first time I’d seen them. Given the relative small costs even with the RN budget I don’t think they are a waste but I certainly wouldn’t think they could handle any Fishery Patrol actions
I’m only 12 but I know laser sailing
What’s the age of joining the URNU
I would love to sail the flag.
Though how much dose it cost