A group of sailors have achieved new degrees after initiatives to promote higher education in the Royal Navy paid dividends.

Lt Rolf Kurth, of amphibious ship HMS Ocean, is the first person in the Senior Service to be awarded a Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) Masters – a title which operations in Iraq helped him to earn.

The junior officer served as PWO(C) in the helicopter carrier during Operation Telic, and used his experiences in his final paper on Network Enabled Capability – using the information superhighway in fighting a modern war – for the Kingston University degree.

The 5,000-word document was just one of the challenges Rolf faced before passing – he also had to give an hour-long presentation on the subject, and endure an oral test and cross-examination in front of Naval and external examiners.

Rolf joined the Navy in 2001 in a change of career after writing Debrett’s Guide to Correspondence – although writing the book paled by comparison with the essays he had to produce to earn his degree.

“I was wondering what I’d do with all my spare time now that I’m finished, but I’m sure the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) staff will find ways to help me,” he said.

Meanwhile, the first sailors have passed through a new ‘fast-track’ degree course for engineers.

Petty Officers Gary Carpenter and Steve Cole and Leading Hand Kenny Dickson all collected degrees through the new Upper Yardman (Engineer) scheme, set up by the Royal Navy with the University of Portsmouth.

The trio have spent the past year on the final stage of a three-year course – and PO(WEA) Carpenter also picked up the RN Student of the Year title from Rear Admiral Peter Davies, Flag Officer Training and Recruiting (FOTR).

And in Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel HMS Atherstone, A/LOM(MW) Elton Dobson is another sailor with a ‘first’ – the first rating to complete his Foundation Modern Apprenticeship.

The qualification – recognised in civilian circles – rewards students for their technical Naval knowledge as well as general numeracy, literacy and IT skills. Some 3,000 ratings are currently registered for the scheme.