The Regiment is made up of six Squadrons:
- 142 Queen’s Own Oxfordshire Hussars Vehicle Squadron - Banbury
- 232 Port Squadron - Bodmin
- 264 Headquarters Squadron - Derriford.
- 265 Port Squadron - Derriford
- 266 Port Squadron - Southampton
- 710 Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars Operational Hygiene Squadron - Aylesbury
The Regiment is also paired with a Regular unit, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC.
Britain’s Armed Forces have the capacity to deploy, sustain and recover combat forces anywhere in the world - with the bulk of movement occurring by sea. 165 Port and Maritime Regiment provides real life support within this by:
- Providing a sea point of embarkation or disembarkation using an established port, an austere port, or a suitable beach.
- Moving all variants of military vehicles by road, rail, sea and air.
- Managing, maintaining and piloting the British Army’s vessels.
- Supporting medical Regiments on exercise and deployments.
We operate a wide variety of vehicles, load handling plants and vessels, including:
- Combat Support Boats
- Army Work Boats
- Mexeflote rafts
- Rough terrain container handlers
- Dockside cranes
- Rough terrain forklifts
All of our soldiers are trained to the same level as their Regular counterparts and frequently undertake training alongside them.
We offer numerous different roles, some of which can only be found in our Regiment - this is what makes us the most unique Regiment within the Army Reserve. We employ personnel from a number of different RLC trades, including:
- Port Operator
- Mariner
- Marine Engineer
- Chef
- Vehicle Specialist
We also offer roles such as: Operational Hygienist, Medic and Clerk.
Corporal Natalie Mitchem
I decided to transfer from the Regular Army to the Reserve Army as it still gave me the same opportunities; deployments, courses, sports and the sense of being part of something big. More importantly, it gave me the flexibility to work around my busy family lifestyle.
Within the RLC, there are so many opportunities to challenge yourself. Since I joined 710 Operational Hygiene Squadron, there have been deployments to Canada, Jordan and Morocco, as well as skiing in France and Germany and sailing around the Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Sporting Opportunities
165 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC actively supports all sports participation for its personnel and we have soldiers competing at all levels - Unit, Brigade, Corps and Army. We have proven success in a number of sports, including: skiing (Nordic and Alpine), golf, cross-country and sailing.
The Regiment also actively participates in Adventurous Training which is designed to expose recruits to challenges, enabling them to develop fortitude, rigour, robustness, initiative and leadership skills; a key requirement of military personnel. These skills are transferrable to the civilian environment and a key aspect that makes military personnel stand out from the crowd.
Lieutenant Tony Gray
I joined the Army Reserve to develop my leadership skills, meet new friends and to travel. Since commissioning as an Officer into the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC), I have led soldiers on a number of demanding operations across Europe, Oman and at sea; delivering logistic support to both the British Army and Royal Marines. The training I received from The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), along with the RLC Troop Commanders course, gave me an excellent foundation of skills to build upon.
My role as a Reserve has also seen me involved in many sporting opportunities including skiing and sailing where I have enjoyed challenges and experiences that I otherwise may not have had. There are so many benefits to being a Reservist and it opens up so many opportunities, both in the Army and in civilian employment.
