Submariners' "Dolphins" Badge: What It Is and How You Earn It

September 28, 2026

Ask any submariner about their "Dolphins" and you'll get a genuinely proud answer — this isn't a decorative badge, it's proof of one of the more demanding secondary qualifications in the Royal Navy.

A First World War design that's barely changed

The Submarine Service badge — universally known as "Dolphins" — first appeared during WWI, and by 1917 the Admiralty had formally recognised the growing submarine branch with its own symbol: a stylised submarine flanked by two outward-facing dolphins. Remarkably, despite well over a century of uniform changes elsewhere, the core design is still instantly recognisable today. The current version, with two dolphins and an anchor beneath a crown, dates to 1972.

Genuine Royal Navy submariners Dolphin working dress qualification patch

Genuine Royal Navy submariners' "Dolphins" qualification patch, working dress pattern.

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How it's actually earned

Dolphins are a genuine second specialisation, earned only after a sailor has already qualified in their primary trade. Candidates have to pass the Submarine Qualification course in two stages — first "dry" (classroom-based), then "wet" (an actual deployed period at sea) — learning every major system on board their submarine and proving they can handle real emergencies underwater. It's not a badge handed out for simply serving aboard a submarine; it has to be passed, and failing the course means going back to general service without it.

Officers and ratings both earn it, the same way

Dolphins aren't rank-limited — both officers and ratings serving in the submarine flotilla go through the same qualification process and wear the badge once they've passed, just positioned according to their own service's normal insignia conventions. It's one of the relatively few genuine qualification badges that spans the full range of rank within a specialist branch, from junior rating to commanding officer, all having proven the same underlying competency.

Working dress vs full dress versions

Like a lot of genuine Royal Navy insignia, Dolphins come in different versions depending on the order of dress — a more elaborate bullion (metallic embroidered) version for formal dress, and a simpler, more durable braided cloth version, like the one pictured here, for working dress worn day-to-day aboard the boat.

Why it matters if you're buying

Because Dolphins represent a genuinely earned qualification rather than a routine issue item, it's a badge worth treating with a bit more care and accuracy if you're sourcing one for re-enactment, display or costume — it means something specific to anyone who actually served, and mismatching the working dress and full dress versions is the kind of detail a submariner would notice immediately.

Looking for genuine Royal Navy submarine service insignia? Email us at sales@jungleuk.com and we'll help.

Britain's dolphins and America's are different badges

People use "dolphins" for both, which causes no end of confusion in a display case. They are not the same design and they are not interchangeable.

Royal Navy — two dolphins facing one another, flanking a crown.
United States Navy — two dolphins flanking the bow of a submarine, complete with bow planes and conning tower.

Once you have seen the two side by side you will never mistake them again. The British badge is heraldic; the American one is a picture of a boat.

Where it is worn

The badge sits on the left breast, above any medal ribbons. That placement matters if you are assembling a uniform for display, because putting it below the ribbons is the sort of error that anyone who served will spot immediately.

It is also worth knowing that it is a qualification badge, not a rank badge and not a unit badge. It says the wearer passed the course and was judged fit to serve in a submarine. Nothing about it indicates seniority, so it appears on the uniforms of the most junior ratings and the most senior officers alike.