New accommodation opened at HMS Raleigh

The Commanding Officer of HMS Antelope, one of the ships lost in the Falklands conflict, unveiled a commemorative plaque on 27 May 2010 to mark the formal opening of HMS Raleigh's new accommodation blocks.

Four new blocks named Antelope, Ardent, Sir Galahad and Conqueror have been built at the Torpoint based Royal Navy training establishment as part of a major upgrade of facilities.  The blocks were named after units which were part of the UK Task Force sent to recover the Falkland Islands in 1982.

The building project has been overseen by the Fleet Royal Naval Estates Organisation.  VT Flagship was the prime contractor, with building work being carried out by Mansell Construction Services Ltd.

Veterans who served on the ships and the submarine were also invited to attend the ceremony at HMS Raleigh, along with Sea Cadets from the Training Ship (TS) Ardent from Bollington, Cheshire. 

Following tours of the new buildings, Captain Tobin cut a commemorative cake during a reception assisted by trainee Logistician Natalie Skilton, aged 16, the youngest sailor undergoing specialist training at HMS Raleigh.

Ardent and Antelope blocks are home to the trainees of Corporate Squadron who are undergoing their professional training within the Defence Maritime Logistics School, the Royal Navy Submarine School and the Royal Navy School of Seamanship.  Conqueror block is the new base for the National Sea Cadet Training Centre and Sir Galahad will be used to accommodate sailors returning to HMS Raleigh for career progression courses.

Ardent and Antelope blocks have been configured with eight person bedrooms, known as mess decks, a significant improvement on the previous accommodation, where sailors slept up to 28 to a mess deck.  The Sea Cadets will sleep 12 to a mess deck, while Sir Galahad will accommodate six per mess deck.

Each mess deck has its own utility area, common room and bathroom facilities. Offices for instructional staff and a lecture room, complete with state-of-the-art audio visual equipment, are situated on the ground floor of each building.

Captain Steve Murdoch, the Commanding Officer of HMS Raleigh, said: “Corporate Squadron stood up in October 2009 and feedback from the trainees accommodated in the first two blocks to become available has been very positive.