The Royal Danish Naval Academy ( or more commonly, ''Søofficerskolen'') educates and commissions all officers for the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...

. Having existed for more than 300 years, it is the oldest still-existing officers' academy in the world.

The education

All

aspirant Aspirant is usually an officer cadet rank used in armies, navies and air forces. In Western Christianity, an aspirant is the first stage in becoming a monastic. Religious use In Western Christianity, the term is also used in reference to rel ...

s (unlike many navies all candidates begin their time as aspirants and then become cadets) begin their education with 6 months of basic military training and general

seamanship Seamanship is the skill, art, competence (human resources), competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, o ...

. Parts of this at the ''Naval NCO and Basic Training School'' (Danish: ''Søværnets Sergent- og Grundskole'') near

Frederikshavn Frederikshavn () is a Danish town in Frederikshavn municipality, Region Nordjylland, on the northeast coast on the North Jutlandic Island in northern Denmark. Its name translates to "Frederik's harbor". It was originally named Fladstrand. The ...

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 (either the master-line for 4 years or engineering-line for 4½ years). 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 Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

, naval warfare, naval history,

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, administration,

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

and

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. 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 (Danish ''premierløjtnant'').

History

* January 1701: General-Admirallieutenant

Ulrik Christian Gyldenløve Ulrik is a male name, a Scandinavian form of Ulrich. Ulrik may refer to: * Ulrik Frederik Christian Arneberg (1829–1911), Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party * Albert Ulrik Bååth (1853–1912), Swedish poet * Ulrik Balling (born 197 ...

proposes the creation of a ''Søe Cadet Compagni'' ("Sea Cadet

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

"), 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''. : Inspiration for the Company was found in the Netherlands and France, where systematic training of naval officers had begun as early as the 16th century. The creation of this Company was also the foundation of the second academic education facility in Denmark, preceded only by the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

(founded in 1479). The educational facility initially was located at Bremerholm, close to Holmen Church (approximately at the current location of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

). * 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'' ("Sea Cadet Academy"). * 1727: The Academy is removed to the twenty-three-year-old opera house (the building now houses the Eastern High Court). * 1788: The Academy is removed to the northeastern palace ( Brockdorff's Palace) of Amalienborg Palace. * 1827: The Academy is removed to the ''Søbøtkerske mansion'', on the corner of ''

Bredgade Bredgade (literal translation, lit. "Broad Street") is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden, Copenhagen, Esplanaden ...

'' 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 museum ''Orlogsmuseet'' and the '' Danish Maritime Safety Administration'' (in Danish, the ''Farvandsvæsnet''). * 1869: The ''Søe Cadet Academiet'' is renamed the ''Søofficersskolen'' ("Sea Officers' School") 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'' ("Cadets' School"). * 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 (lodging at the School now is not even possible); presently, most aspirants and cadets are housed by the navy in Nyboder. * 1966: A naval cadets' association (the ''Søværnets Kadetforening'') is created as a social and educational institution. * 1969: The naval specialty officers' school (the ''Søværnets Specialofficersskole'') 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 (the ''Søværnets Tamburkorps'') 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 ( Danish: Søværnets Tamburkorps), which is the sole musical ensemble in the

Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy (, ) is the Naval warfare, sea-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Denmark, Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and ...

, is a unit of the Royal Danish Naval Academy. In is composed of 24 musicians who play a wide range of instruments, including

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

s, althorns, and the

euphonium The euphonium ( ; ; ) is a tenor- and baritone-voiced valved brass instrument. The euphonium is a member of the large family of valved bugles, along with the tuba and flugelhorn, characterised by a wide conical bore. Most instruments have thr ...

. It has been active since 1964 and is based in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. 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.

Governors

* 1701-1715: Christen Thomesen Sehested * 1715-1727: Andreas Rosenpalm * 1626-1627: Friderich Hoppe * 1728-1751; Gaspard Frédéric le Sage de Fontenay * 1751-1752: Johan Christopher Holst * 1752-1758: Adam Frederik Lützow * 1758-1770: Carl Frederik le Sage de Fontenay * 1770-1781: Frederik Christian Kaas * 1781-1802: Jørgen Balthazar Winterfeldt * 1682-1797: Andreas Henrik Stibolt * 1686-1724: Hans Christian Sneedorff * 1724-1741; Peter Frederik Wulff * 1741-1746: Christian Carl Paludan * 1846-1851: Carl Edward van Dockum * 1751-1863: Edouard Suenson * 1853-1758; Rasmus Christian Malthe Bruun * 1758-1769: Emil François Krieger * 1870-1892: William August Carstensen * 1782-1901: Frederik Carl Christian Bardenfleth * 1891-1905: Peter Carl Bræstrup * 1905-1812; Anton Ferdinand Mazanti Evers * 1912-1921: Anton Ferdinand Mazanti Evers * 1821-1930: Vilhelm Julius Alexander Harttung * 1930-1937: Godfred Hansen * 1937-1939: Johan Wolfhagen * 1838-1845: Christian Vilhelm Evers * 1945-1946: Carl August SeverinWestermann * 1946-1949: Knud Krieger von Lowzow * 1949-?: Gustav Paulsen.

Location

The naval academy is located on Holmen in central

References

Literature

* * * * *

External links

Søkadetakademiet

Søkadetakademiet gennem 250 år
{{authority control Royal Danish Naval Academy 1701 establishments in Denmark Education in Copenhagen Educational institutions established in 1701 Military academies of Denmark Military units and formations of Denmark Royal Danish Navy Naval academies