French Naval Academy

École Navale

Officers designates from the École during ceremonies of the 8 May
Motto	Parere Antequam Prodesse
Type	Military college
Established	1827
Administrative staff	270 military, 30 civilians
Students	1,500 each year
Location	Lanvéoc-Poulmic, Brittany, France
Campus	Naval Base of Lanvéoc-Poulmic
Affiliations	Conférence des Grandes écoles; Conference of the Directors of French Engineering Schools; European University of Brittany
Website	Official site of the École Navale

The École Navale is the French Naval Academy in charge of the education of the officers of the French Navy. They are meant to have responsibilities on board ships, submarines, naval aviation, groups of fusiliers marins and commandos but also in general staff. The École Navale and its research institute (IRENAV) are in Lanvéoc-Poulmic, south of the roadstead of Brest.

The academy was founded in 1830 by the order of King Louis-Philippe. Originally the academy was based on ships, anchored in the harbour of Brest, such as the Borda (previously named Valmy), hence the nickname of "Bordache" given to the students.

In 1914, the École Navale was transferred ashore in Brest. The school was destroyed by Allied bombing raids during World War II, and was moved to nearby Lanvéoc-Poulmic, on the opposite side of the bay of Brest (Rade de Brest). The academy remained in this location, and was officially inaugurated by Charles de Gaulle in 1965.

The École Navale, created in 1830, was for long on board successive vessels based in Brest and nicknamed Borda (from the name of Jean-Charles de Borda, famous scientist of the 18th century): the first vessel on board which it had been set was named Orion; it was then replaced in 1840 by the Commerce-de-Paris, a wooden three-decked ship which was 32 years old. This ship had an inappropriate name for a Naval Academy, so it was renamed Borda. In 1863, the academy was transferred on board the Valmy (Borda, second of the name), then in 1890 on board the Intrépide (Borda, third of the name), and in 1913 on board the Duguay-Trouin (1879), which had been a school vessel for those applying to the Navy between 1900 and 1912. With the exceptions of Orion and Duguay-Trouin, each of these vessels was still christened Borda.

The new pupils were boarded from the pontoon Gueydon, one day before the others. Crammed like sheep in a gunboat, they were bouncy and happy while launching a goodbye to their families. As soon as arrived, they were sorted, numbered, undressed in order to give them the white blouse and linen trousers. Their hair was also shorn.