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‘Like nothing else out there’: Navy’s crucial support arm Royal Fleet Auxiliary welcomes new officers
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4 August 2025
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary has welcomed 24 would-be leaders of tomorrow as they completed the first stage of a lengthy journey to becoming officers in the Royal Navy’s vital support arm.
Rear Admiral Phillip E Sobeck, the head of US Military Sealift Command – the American counterpart to the RFA - and Commodore Sam Shattock, Commodore RFA, were guests of honour at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, joining friends and family as the trainees formally passed out.
The ceremony at Dartmouth welcomed the second batch of officers of the year into the service, which celebrates its 120th birthday this month.
Trainees spend a few weeks at the spiritual home of the Royal Navy’s officer cadre to undergo the transition from civilian to sailor, learn about the Senior Service and how it works with and relies on the RFA worldwide, and get to grips with some of the fundamentals of seafaring.
From there, they will complete specialist training both ashore and at sea in their chosen branches such as deck officers (seamanship), engineering, communications and logistics.
They will go on to serve in ships as varied as the Tide-class tankers which provide the Fleet with fuel; Bay-class amphibious ships working with the Royal Marines; new seabed/underwater surveillance ship RFA Proteus; and ammunition/supply ship Fort Victoria or is successor Fleet Solid Support Ships.
As such, Commodore Shattock told the trainee officers that they were embarking on a unique career.
The work that we do is like nothing else out there. We are amongst the very select group that go out and do this kind of work for any navy.
“Welcome to the family. I wish you the very best success.”
With no upper age limit in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, there’s a wide range in the latest group of officers.
While most are in their early to mid-20s, there are at least two making mid-life changes.
45-year-old Ben Pitts from Liverpool is keen to become a deck officer and is eyeing up going to sea.
“I was looking for a career which is exciting and challenging,” he said. “My time at Dartmouth has been a real eye-opener, challenging, rewarding, and a great experience to learn and grow whilst working as part of a team.”
Toni Cupit is a leading athlete from Devon, competing at the highest level in the HYROX fitness competition.
The 53-year-old wanted a career change and regretted not joining the Royal Navy earlier in life, signing up to become a logistics officer in the RFA. She’ll now join a ship at sea before conducting specific career courses at Worthy Down near Winchester.
“Dartmouth was a good opportunity to gain an appreciation of the Royal Navy, and an excellent opportunity to learn and meet future colleagues,” Toni said.
At 19 Tobias Woodhouse from Dorset is one of the youngest of the RFA officers completing his induction at Dartmouth and now moves on to specialist instruction as a deck office at Warsash Nautical College in Hampshire.
“The first few days were tough and a culture change. But I’ve enjoyed my time and have enjoyed getting to know everyone