Misplaced Pages

Royal Naval Engineers

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Engineering branch of the Royal Navy

The Royal Naval Engineers is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for engineering, as a branch they have existed since 1835.

Naval engineers are in charge of the management and upkeep of ship-board machinery. Traditionally this included engines, motors, pumps and other mechanical devices, but modern engineers are now responsible for both mechanical systems and high-tech electronics such radar and sonar systems and nuclear-power plants.

Ranking

When the corps was first created, there were three ranks for engineers: First, second, and third. Over the years this ranking system has changed several times:

  • 1835 - First, second and third engineer.
  • 1847 - Inspector of machinery, chief engineer; assistant engineer.
  • 1886 - Chief inspector and inspector of machinery (r.adm and captain), fleet engineer (cdr), and staff engineer (senior lieutenant).
  • 1903 - Standard executive rank titles with an "engineer" prefix.
  • 1956 - "Engineer" prefix and rank branch distinction cloth removed finally making engineers indistinguishable from seaman officers.

Fields of expertise

After graduating from university and receiving a basic training, naval engineer officers specialize in a particular field.

  • Marine engineer officer (MEO) - deals with the fuel, air, water, electrical, and propulsion systems including nuclear reactors for those appointed to submarines.
  • Air engineer officer (AEO) - maintenance and upgrading of engines and electrical systems in aircraft.
  • Weapon engineer officer (WEO) - ensures that weapon systems are working properly.

Students

In 1888 engineer studentships were created. Today, there are several different student-scholarship programs available including the University Cadetship Entry, a competitive program in which students enlist and train at Britannia Royal Naval College before going to university.

References

  1. Engineer Officer, Royal Navy.
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075442/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/static/pages/4746.html


This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wood, James, ed. (1907). The Nuttall Encyclopædia. London and New York: Frederick Warne. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)


Stub icon

This United Kingdom military article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Stub icon

This job-, occupation-, or vocation-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: