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University Royal Naval Unit East Scotland
Template:Lang-gd
Crest Of URNU East Scotland
Active1967–present (57 years)
  • 1967–2012 : Aberdeen
  • 2012–2022 : Edinburgh
  • 2022–present : East Scotland
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeTraining establishment
RoleOfficer Training
Size~ 50 Officer Cadets
~ 8 Training Staff
3 Permanent Staff
Part ofBritannia Royal Naval College
University Service Units
Garrison/HQHepburn House, Edinburgh
RMR Strathmore Avenue, Dundee
Nickname(s)URNUES
URNU East Scotland
'East Scotland'
'Scotland'[nb 1]
'Edinburgh'[nb 2]
Motto(s)"The Original and Best"[1]
Colours  Navy Blue
  Gold
MarchOfficial – Heart of Oak
Unofficial – Scotland the Brave
Mascot(s)The Unicorn
EquipmentHMS Archer
Websiteroyalnavy.mod.uk
Commanders
Current
commander		Lt Cdr Nick Bates RN (2022-)[2]
Notable
commanders		Lt Tim Fraser RN (1990-1991)
Lt John Clink RN (1991-1993)
Lt Cdr Richard Bridges RN (1974-1975)
United Kingdom
His Majesty's
Naval Service
of the British Armed Forces
Components
  • Special Forces
History and future
Operations
Equipment
Personnel
Auxiliary services

The University Royal Naval Unit East Scotland (URNU East Scotland or URNUES) (/ˈər.nuː  ... / UHR-noo ..., less commonly /ˈɜːr.nuː  ... / ERR-noo ...) is one of 17 University Royal Naval Units and a Royal Navy training establishment based in Scotland, accepting potential Officer Cadets from universities in Edinburgh, Fife and the Tayside region.[2] It is one of the University Service Units and is under the command of Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. The unit's affiliated P2000 ship is HMS Archer, which is predominantly used for training Officer Cadets.[3]

The unit is commanded by its commanding officer (CO), usually a full-time Royal Navy Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander or Royal Marines Captain. The remainder of its staff consists of a full-time Chief Petty Officer acting as the unit Coxswain (Cox'n or Coxn), a Royal Naval Reserve Lieutenant as the unit's Senior Training Officer (STO) and a number of Training Officers (TOs), who vary between Royal Naval Reserve Acting Sub-Lieutenants,[4] Sub-Lieutenants and Lieutenants. This format, with the exception of rank, roughly mirrors the training staff and format of BRNC.[5] In addition, the unit has a Unit Administration Officer (UAO), who is a civilian and does not wear uniform.[2]

URNU East Scotland primarily operates out of two locations, and is split into three divisions. Two of its divisions are based in Hepburn House, in Edinburgh, with its third division being based at RMR Strathmore Avenue, in Dundee. These two locations, while geographically separated, operate as one unit, and Officer Cadets train interchangeably at both locations.

History

Aberdeen

Gordon Barracks in Aberdeen, the old home of the Aberdeen URNU

URNU East Scotland is the oldest of all the URNUs and was originally formed in 1967 as the Aberdeen Universities' Royal Naval Unit (AURNU) in Aberdeen, Scotland to encourage STEM undergraduates to join the RN from the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University.[6] The unit was based at Gordon Barracks in Bridge of Don, in the north of the city.

Aberdeen URNU's first training ship was HMS Thornham, which was converted to a training ship at the Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth in 1967 for the use of the unit. After the ship was broken up in 1985, the units training duties were moved to HMS Chaser, being replaced by HMS Archer in 1991.

In 1978, HMS Thornham, with AURNU OCs on board, became the first foreign warship to visit the Danish city of Roskilde since the Viking times,[7] when the five Skuldelev ships were sunk in the waterway of Peberrenden, c. 20km north of the city.

After being a male-only unit for its first 20 years, Aberdeen URNU finally allowed women to join its ranks in 1987, being the first URNU nation-wide to do so.[8]

For a brief period in late 1990 and into the summer of 1991, while HMS Archer was being handed off to the Aberdeen URNU, the unit was commanded by (then) Lieutenant Tim Fraser, who is the former Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, holding the rank of Admiral.[9][10] Immediately following Lt Fraser's command of the unit, between 1991 and 1993 AURNU and HMS Archer were commanded by (then) Lieutenant John Clink, who subsequently achieved the rank of Rear Admiral.[11]

In 2005, Aberdeen URNU and HMS Archer had their first female Commanding Officer, (then) Lt Samantha Coulton, less than 5 years after the first female CO of a warship, (then) Lt Mel Robinson took command of Cardiff URNU (now URNU Wales) and its tender, HMS Express.

From the 2012 academic year, Aberdeen URNU paused its recruitment in anticipation of a move to Edinburgh, which occurred the following year.

Edinburgh

In 2012,[12] the unit and HMS Archer were moved to the capital, Edinburgh, due to political pressures, allegedly relating to the Scottish independence referendum, which was announced earlier that year.[13] The former Aberdeen URNU was provisionally named the East of Scotland Universities' Royal Naval Unit (ESURNU),[14] before soon changing its name to the Edinburgh Universities' Royal Naval Unit (EURNU). The unit was moved to Hepburn House in Bonnington, northeast of the city centre, while HMS Archer was moved to be berthed first at Rosyth,[12] then to its current location in Leith. As part of this shift, the unit began exclusively recruiting from the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University.[2]

ESURNU, once moving to Edinburgh, gave its commitment to the 10 remaining Aberdeen students to see through their training to the end. They would travel down to Edinburgh or Rosyth periodically for their training.[14] One of these students was (then) A/Mid Andrew Bowie, who, since becoming a Member of Parliament in 2017, has been petitioning the government for the unit and Archer's relocation back to Aberdeen,[15] to no avail.

In June 2017, EURNU OCs onboard HMS Archer, in company with HM Ships Smiter, Ranger and Exploit, deployed to the Baltic to take part in NATO's BALTOPS exercise, the first time that Royal Navy P2000s have been involved in such an exercise.[16] Archer, and OCs from the unit, have been attending the exercise every year since, with the exception of 2022, due to increased tensions in the region following the re-escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

In 2021, in an URNU-wide naming change, the unit was renamed University Royal Naval Unit Edinburgh (URNUE).[2]

In 2022, URNU Edinburgh opened a satellite division based in Dundee known then as URNU Edinburgh, Tayside Division.

East Scotland

In mid-2022, Rear Admiral Jude Terry, Director of People and Training, approved the change of the unit name from URNU Edinburgh to the University Royal Naval Unit East Scotland to better reflect the new, expanded footprint of the unit, after the then-recent inclusion of Officer Cadets from the Tayside region, beginning in the autumn of 2021.

URNU East Scotland today

class=notpageimage|
Unit division locations
Hepburn House in Edinburgh, home of the Edinburgh Divisions

The unit is currently split into three divisions, where two of the divisions, the Cunningham and Cochrane divisions (named after Royal Navy Admirals, Adm. of the Fleet Andrew Cunningham and Adm. of the Red Thomas Cochrane respectively) are based in Edinburgh and the last division, the Tayside division, is based in Dundee. Each of these divisions has a divisional officer, in charge of the wellbeing of the division, with the divisional officer for the Tayside division being known as the 'Tayside representative'.

In Edinburgh, the unit uses the basement of Hepburn House as its main training area, consisting of two classrooms, an office, a casual lounge area (known as the Buffers' Shack) and a drill hall, which is shared with A company, 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland. In addition, the unit has use of the Sergeants' mess on the first floor of the building, dubbing it, in naval fashion, the Gunroom.

After seeing a slight dip in numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unit has recently expanded to encompass the majority of universities over the east coast of Scotland, and is looking to recruit more Officer Cadets and Training Officers.

The unit is also expanding its outreach and regularly undertakes exercises and adventurous training with its counterparts in the Scotland and Northern Ireland region, URNU Glasgow and URNU Belfast.[17]

Affiliated establishments

URNU East Scotland is affiliated with a number of ships, which often lend a few spaces onboard for Officer Cadets to undergo training. These are never in combat zones, as URNU OCs are non-combatants, however may be in faux-battle scenarios or training exercises, such as BALTOPS.[18]

URNU East Scotland is also affiliated with a number of other naval and military units, who lend either their buildings, training staff, or expertise, to help train officer cadets. In addition, the unit collaborates with a number of other University Service Units (USUs) in military training, adventurous training and social events.

The unit is also overseen by a number of Military Education Committees (MECs), who uphold the relationship of the USUs with their affiliated universities.

A list of these ships, units and committees is as follows:

Ships

HMS Queen Elizabeth in Gibraltar, February 2018

Units

The Hawker Beechcraft Avenger T1, the main training aircraft of 750 Naval Air Squadron

University Service Units (USUs)

Military Education Committees (MECs)

  • City of Edinburgh MEC
  • Tayforth MEC
  • Aberdeen MEC

Training Ships

HMS Chaser off Hartlepool c.1991

The role of a training ship in the unit, sometimes known as the unit's tender, is to provide opportunities for Officer Cadets to receive practical training and gain experience afloat. The training ships' programmes are generally divided into two durations of training – a weekend, or the longer deployments that take place during the university Easter and summer holidays, which can be 1-3 weeks long.

The wooden name boards of both former training ships, HMS Thornham and HMS Chaser, currently reside in the primary gunroom of the unit in Hepburn House.

HMS Thornham

Main article: HMS Thornham (M2793)

HMS Thornham, built in 1958, was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers and was named after the civil parish of Thornham in Norfolk. She was the Aberdeen URNU's first tender, and was based at Aberdeen Harbour throughout her service with the unit.

She was converted to a training ship at the Royal Naval Dockyard Rosyth in 1967 (just prior to the foundation of AURNU) for the sole use of the unit. The ship was broken up in 1985, and the unit's training duties were handed off to HMS Chaser the same year.

She gives her name to the 'Thornham Prize', which is given at the annual prize-giving ceremony to the Officer Cadet who shows the most proficiency with working on ship at sea.

HMS Chaser

Main article: HMS Chaser (P282)

HMS Chaser was built in Southampton, originally used for RNR training, before being transferred to the Aberdeen URNU in 1985. Like Thornham, she was also permanantly based at Aberdeen Harbour for the duration of her service with the unit. She served in her role for six years, until 1991, after which she was decommissioned and sold to the Lebanese Navy a year later. She is currently in use as the Lebanese patrol boat Jbeil.

HMS Archer

Main article: HMS Archer (P264)
HMS Archer afloat with a commodore onboard

HMS Archer has been the unit's training ship since 1991, and until March of 2017,[19][20] was commanded by the Commanding Officer of the unit. Since then, she has had her own CO, and although her primary role is still to train the Officer Cadets of URNUES, she now performs more tasks with the Coastal Forces Squadron, of which she is now a member. Officer Cadets from the unit are often taken on board during these deployments to undergo operational training.

She was originally berthed at Aberdeen Harbour, similar to her two predecessors, until 2012 when the unit was moved to Edinburgh. She was then temporarily based out of Rosyth Naval Dockyard until final arrangements were made to have her be berthed at Leith, where she remains today.

Tayside Division

In January 2022, after striking an agreement with HMS Scotia, Tay Division, the unit opened a satellite division known now as URNU East Scotland, Tayside Division (often abbreviated to Tay Div), named for the Firth of Tay which runs just south of Dundee, the city in which the division is based. It is based out of a Royal Marines Reserve base in the north of the city, RMR Strathmore Avenue (more fully called 'Royal Marines Reserve and Cadet Force Centre, Strathmore Avenue').

Its foundation was an important 'first' for the Royal Navy in regards to the URNU programme. Although the then URNU Edinburgh was a large and thriving unit, it was recognised that its distance from other cities and universities in the region was inhibiting recruitment at a time when the Royal Navy was actively expanding the URNU initiative.

Tay Division has become the testbed for a potential scheme to extend the URNU footprint, with it starting recruitment in the autumn of 2021, and starting training in early 2022.

The division, while under the jurisdiction of URNU East Scotland and its CO, has its own Officer in Charge (OiC) of the division, currently a part-time Lieutenant RNR. The administration and resources however, are still headquartered in Edinburgh, with the Tayside Division having no dedicated full-time staff.

The new division was created to recruit Officer Cadets from the University of Dundee, Abertay University, the University of St Andrews, the University of Stirling, Perth College and, in a return to the unit's history, Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen.

Notable Alumni

Admiral Fraser as VCDS in 2020
Member of Parliament Andrew Bowie in 2019

Royal Navy

Civillian

Commanding Officers

Aberdeen

HMS Thornham command shared with Aberdeen URNU

  • 1967 – 1968 : unknown
  • 1968 – 1969 : Lt Cdr Christopher Terrell[30]
  • 1969 – 1970 : unknown
  • 1970 – 1971 : Lt Cdr William Crutchley[31]
  • 1971 – 1972 : Lt Cdr John Douglas[32]
  • 1972 – 1973 : unknown
  • 1973 – 1974 : Lt Cdr Anthony Bensted[33]
  • 1974 – 1976 : Lt Cdr Richard Bridges (Later Cdre)[22]
  • 1976 – 1977 : A/Lt David E. Mitchell (Later Lt)[34]
  • 1977 – 1978 : Lt Cdr Ian Parkinson[35][36]
  • 1978 – 1979 : unknown
  • 1979 – 1980 : Lt Cdr David Pritchard[37]
  • 1980 – 1981 : Lt Cdr David Ludbrook[38]
  • 1981 – 1982 : Lt Cdr Richard Potez[39]
  • 1982 – 1985 : Lt Cdr Henry Milner[40][41]

HMS Chaser replaces HMS Thornham as AURNU's affiliated ship

  • 1985 – 1987 : unknown
  • 1987 – 1989 : Lt Cdr Colin Milne[42]
  • 1989 – 1991 : Lt Tim Fraser (Later Adm)[43]

HMS Archer replaces HMS Chaser as AURNU's affiliated ship

  • 1991 – 1991 : Lt Tim Fraser (Later Adm)
  • 1991 – 1993 : Lt John Clink (Later RAdm)
  • 1993 – 1995 : Lt Cdr Glen MacDonald[44]
  • 1995 – 1997 : Lt Cdr Malcolm Pollock (Later Cdr)[45]
  • 1997 – 1999 : Lt James Clark (Later Lt Cdr)[46]
  • 1999 – 2001 : Lt Cdr Ian Wiseman (Later Cdr)[47]
  • 2001 – 2003 : Lt Paul Hammond (Later Cdr)[48]
  • 2003 – 2005 : Lt Stuart Armstrong (Later Cdr)
  • 2005 – 2007 : Lt Samantha Coulton (Later Lt Cdr)[49]
  • 2007 – 2009 : Lt Cdr Jamie Wells[50]
  • 2009 – 2011 : Lt Michael Hutchinson (Later Lt Cdr)[51]
  • 2011 – 2012 : Lt James Martin[52]

Edinburgh

  • 2012 – 2014 : Lt James Martin
  • 2014 – 2015 : Lt Iain Giffin[53]
  • 2015 – 2017 : Lt Andrew Platt (Later Lt Cdr)[54][19]

HMS Archer and Edinburgh URNU command separated

  • 2017 – 2018 : unknown
  • 2018 – 2020 : Lt Cdr Ollie Loughran[55]
  • 2020 – 2022 : Lt Gordon Pickthall (Later Lt Cdr)[2]

East Scotland

  • 2022 – 2022 : Lt Gordon Pickthall (Later Lt Cdr)
  • 2022 – present : Lt Cdr Nick Bates

See also

University Service Units

Other

References

  1. ^ "Wayback machine - AURNU". Archived from the original on 9 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Royal Navy - URNU East Scotland". Royal Navy. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Royal Navy - HMS Archer". Royal Navy. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  4. ^ "BR3, Ch 110 – The University Royal Naval Units and Cadet Forces" (PDF). Royal Navy Books of Reference. Royal Navy. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Captain BRNC STO Twitter Post". Captain BRNC. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Aberdeen UNRU Reunion page". Navy Net. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Flådebesøg i 1978" (PDF). Søværns-Orientering. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  8. ^ "History of Aberdeen UOTC". Aberdeen UOTC. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  9. ^ "NLR Fraser". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Tim Fraser Biography". Gov.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b "ESURNU intro Scotsman". Scotsman. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  12. ^ Clegg, David (11 January 2012). "Independence referendum: Scotland facing constitutional chaos". The Courier. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  13. ^ a b "MEC minutes" (PDF). Aberdeen MEC. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  14. ^ "North-east MP calls for Navy to bring back uni reserves to Aberdeen". The Press and Jornal. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  15. ^ "1st Patrol Boat Squadron's Baltops endeavour". Royal Navy. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  16. ^ "SNI Sports Weekend Twitter Post". Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  17. ^ "1st Patrol Boat Squadron's Baltops endeavour". Royal Navy. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  18. ^ a b "EURNU Twitter Post". Twitter. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Archer Twitter Post". Twitter. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  20. ^ "NLR Fraser". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Richard Bridges LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Rev Scott Brown URNU Twitter Post". Twitter. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Aberdeen URNU MP Article". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Bowie joins RNR". The Times. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  25. ^ Konstam, Angus (June 2007). "About Angus" (PDF). anguskonstam.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  26. ^ "Edinburgh URNU Twitter Post". Edinburgh URNU. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Seniors Making a Difference Panellist: Alice Loxton". Wycombe Abbey School. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Alice Loxton TikTok". TikTok. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  29. ^ "NLR Terrell". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  30. ^ "NLR Crutchley". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  31. ^ "NLR Douglas". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  32. ^ "NLR Bensted". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  33. ^ "NLR Mitchell". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  34. ^ "Suburban memories of life in the Granite City". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  35. ^ "NLR Parkinson". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  36. ^ "NLR Pritchard". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  37. ^ "NLR Ludbrook". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  38. ^ "Navy News 09/1981". Navy News. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  39. ^ "Navy News 07/1982" (PDF). Navy News. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  40. ^ "NLR Milner". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  41. ^ "NLR Milne". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  42. ^ "NLR Fraser". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  43. ^ "Glen MacDonald Biography". MHFA England. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  44. ^ "Dave presented with service medal". Tavistock Today. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  45. ^ "NLR Clark". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  46. ^ "NLR Wiseman". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  47. ^ "Paul Hammond Biography" (PDF). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  48. ^ "NLR Coulton". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  49. ^ "NLR Wells". Navy List Research. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  50. ^ "HMS Tamar RN Article". Royal Navy. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  51. ^ "Cumbrian Officer sails Navy ship into Whitehaven". ITV. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  52. ^ "Navy List 2014". Royal Navy. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  53. ^ "HMS Shoreham ITV Article". ITV. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  54. ^ "HMS Archer Twitter Retweet". Twitter. Retrieved 3 July 2022.

Notes

  1. ^ The nickname 'Scotland' is usually only used when no other Scottish units (URNU Glasgow) are present
  2. ^ Even though the unit is no longer named URNU Edinburgh, the nickname lives on, due the location of the unit's HQ and due to that fact that its largest contingent of Officer Cadets are based in Edinburgh
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