February 2012

New Royal Navy Sea Survival Training Centre - The new training centre was officially opened at Horsea Island (Portsmouth) to give current and future Navy personnel the best preparation if the worst thing were to ever happen at sea.     The £2.4m project has replaced the old facility established in 1982 following the introduction of the statutory requirement for all Royal Navy personnel to undertake initial and subsequent regular refresher training in ship abandonment and sea survival procedures.   During the 1982 Falklands Conflict, Her Majesty's ships COVENTRY, SHEFFIELD, ANTELOPE and ARDENT were lost together with Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels SIR GALAHAD and SIR TRISTAM which were damaged to such an extent that personnel were required to abandon ship.

The events of 1982 and the subsequent lessons learned brought the training requirements into sharper focus and indeed the dedicated Sea Survival Training Centre at Horsea Island was established in Portsmouth.      Construction was completed on the new facilities in December 2011, slightly ahead of schedule, and was managed by the Royal Naval Infrastructure Organisation (RNIO), with the contract being delivered through a partnering relationship between Babcock (formally VT Flagship) and the principle contractor Mansell Construction, supported by a design team from Gifford Consulting.