The Royal Fleet Club was founded in 1853 as the Devonport Sailors’ Home:

“to provide a comfortable board and lodging house with medical attendance and washing for men-of-war’s men, marines, yachtmen and merchant seamen of all nations, where they may be received and entertained at the lowest possible charge when paid off ships, on leave, detained by stress of weather, discharged from hospital, waiting to join a ship or in any way requiring such accommodation and where religious, useful and nautical instruction is afforded to them without extra charge”.

The Foundation was the outcome of the exertions of Captain W H Hall RN, who called a meeting of residents and Naval Officers of the neighbourhood, drawing attention to the frauds and impositions to which seamen were subject ashore in Plymouth. Premises at No.16 Aubyn Street, Devonport were rented - as a temporary measure - and the Home was transferred to Duke Street, Devonport in September 1855. In consequence of receiving Quenn Victoria’s Patronage, the Home was renamed the Devonport Royal Sailors’ Home in January1855.

The Duke Street premises were bought by the Home in 1862; 29 cabins were provided and 48 beds in dormitories. Charges were

breakfast with fish 6d;
dinner and pint of ale 9d;
supper and pint of ale 9d;
bed only 4d;
weekly board and lodging 10/6d.

The Home was financed by an annual grant from the Admiralty of £150, by donations and the house trading. Weekly Bible classes were held, a room was provided where the Commanding Officers of HM Ships could come to recruit men, a facilities was provided for the lodging of sailors’ money for safe custody (£3,625 in 1876), a billiard table and two baths were installed in 1870 and a bar in 1897.

The purchase of the present site in Morice Square, just below the Marlborough Street shopping centre in Devonport was completed in May 1899, by Lord St.Levan. Building began in August 1900, with Lady Charles Scott laying the memorial stone on the right of the entrance of the building on 14th December 1900 and premises were formally opened by Admiral Lord Charles Scott (Commander-in-Chief) on the 29th April 1902. The Admiralty made a grant of £2,000 towards the cost of the new building, which thanks to donations and the sale of the Duke Street property was completely paid for by 1926.

The Royal Fleet Club remained open throughout the Second World War despite a HE bomb penetrating the roof and falling through the entire building, eventually settling in a ground floor kitchen on the 8th July 1940. Although the kitchen was utterly wrecked the bomb never exploded and the building remained operational. There were no other direct hits but bombs falling in the vicinity did considerable damage to the local area, and as a result meals and accommodation were provided for over 700 homeless civilians in April 1941.

At a special general meeting held 2nd March 1949, the following reconstitution of the Club was agreed. The name to be changed to the Royal Fleet Club, the Council of Management to consist of two Naval Officers nominated by the President of the Club and eleven naval ratings from ships and establishments in the port, WRNS ratings to be permitted full membership, subscriptions to be paid by HMS Raleigh, HMS Fisgard, RN Commando School and the WRNS.

In the more recent past (15 years) over £1.5 million has been spent transforming the Royal Fleet Club with numerous refurbishments and in 1988 the present patron HM The Queen officially opened the first stage of the modernisation programme, and in May 1990 Admiral Sir Brian Brown, the then Second Sea Lord, officially opened the second stage of the modernisation. On 27th November 1996 Rear Admiral Peter M Franklyn RN officially opened the newly refurbished public rooms and in 1997 a lift was installed in the main staircase, which was made possible by a very generous grant from the HMS Dorsetshire Association.

Although a charitable foundation the Royal Fleet Club is a self supporting organisation which in April 2002 created a Limited Company trading arm which allowed it to offer its facilities and services to a wider client base, and as such anyone can now utilise the Royal Fleet Club, although the strong Naval links, history and tradition still remain in place.