The spiritual home of the Royal Navy Officer Corps finally has a motto to spur on the captains of tomorrow, it has been announced.

Despite being one of the pre-eminent maritime colleges in the world, through which thousands of naval leaders – both British and allied – have passed since 1905, Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth did not have a maxim to inspire students.

The Royal Navy said that as part of commemorations to mark the 120th anniversary of the college’s opening, staff decided to put that omission right with a motto, with "something timeless to act as a call to all who join about our values, standards and expectations and encapsulates what is expected of a naval officer".

The result is ‘Lead with Courage’, the three words selected by the college’s Commanding Officer Captain Andrew Bray, from several phrases suggested by the Devon establishment’s staff.

To become the college’s official maxim, it needed endorsement from the Royal Navy’s Head of Personnel and Training, Rear Admiral Jude Terry, and formal approval from the Naval Historical Branch, the Senior Service’s official historians.

They ensured that the motto was not in use elsewhere or did not have any links to any warship’s names that are not currently in commission.

Selecting a motto is one of several milestones planned throughout the college’s 120th anniversary year. All eight of the Vahana work boats – used by officer cadets to learn the basics of seafaring – are to be named after seabirds (cormorant, guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake, fulmar, skua, gannet and tern).

The college will also host former prime ministers to deliver lectures, international conferences and welcome naval colleges from across Europe – such as the French Navy’s École Navale and Germany’s Marineschule Mürwik – to play sporting matches and to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing such institutions in the mid-20th Century.

“When added together with record numbers of new entrants joining the College, and work to modernise the training at BRNC, 2025 will be busy,” said Captain Bray.

“But no matter how busy, the team at BRNC remain focused that it is their role to provide what the Navy needs: naval officers who can ‘Lead with Courage’.”