Royal Navy: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 15:49, 21 July 2004

The Royal Navy is the navy of the United Kingdom. It operates a number of aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates, fifteen nuclear submarines, and various other ships, as well as aircraft and Britain's amphibious forces, the Royal Marines.

History

The Royal Navy has historically played an extremely important role in the defence and warfare of England, and later Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Empire. Because Britain is an island and no point in the UK is more than 74 miles (120 km) from the sea, any enemy power (at least, pre-aircraft) would have to cross the sea to be able to attack the nation and any that achieved naval superiority would put the nation in great peril. Moreover, a strong navy was vital in maintaining the security of supply and communication links with distant locations in the Empire.

England's first navy was established by King Alfred, but soon fell into disrepair. The first reformation and major expansion of the Navy Royal, as it was then known, occurred during the reign of King Henry VIII whose ships the "Great Harry" and the "Mary Rose" engaged the French navy in a battle in the Solent in 1545. By the time of Henry’s death in 1547 his fleet had grown to 58 vessels. The second reformation was under Admiral Robert Blake during Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth.

The Naval Service didn't really exist until the mid 17th century when the Fleet Royal was taken under Parliamentary control following the defeat of Charles I in the English Civil War. The incorporation of the royal navy was in contrast to the land forces, which are descended from variety of different sources including both royal and anti-royal parliamentary forces.

Between 1690 and the beginning of World War I, the Royal Navy was the strongest navy in the world with almost uncontested power over the world's oceans. In that time, the Royal Navy suffered only one major defeat, at the Battle of the Chesapeake, and was able to defeat decisively all challengers, as at the Battle of Trafalgar. They did, however, lose numerous small engagements.

Life in the early Royal Navy, like in most armed forces of the time, was harsh and flogging was used to enforce discipline. The Navy also used the controversial practice of impressment where seamen were effectively kidnapped to serve on HM ships. This reached its peak in the 1700s and early 1800s.

During World War II, the Royal Navy played a vital role in keeping the UK supplied with food, arms and raw materials. See Battle of the Atlantic (1940). It was also vital in guarding the sea lanes that enabled Britain to fight in remote parts of the world such as North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Far East. Naval supremacy was vital to the amphibious operations carried out, such as the invasions of Northwest Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy. See British military history of World War II.

After World War II, the growing power of the United States and the retreat from empire reduced the role of the Royal Navy. The most important post-war operation conducted solely by the Royal Navy involved defeating Argentina in the Falkland Islands War.

In the latter stages of the Cold War, the Royal Navy was reconfigured with three ASW aircraft carriers and a force of small frigates and destroyers. Its purpose was to search for and destroy Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic.

The Royal Navy also participated in the Gulf War, the Kosovo conflict, the Afghanistan Campaign and the 2003 Iraq War.

Nicknames include "The Mob", "The Andrew" and "The Senior Service", nicknames for British sailors include "Limeys". One point of pride of the Royal Navy is that it is known simply as "the Royal Navy", as most other navies include their national name. Another is the fact that the Royal Navy is considered the 'Senior Service' in the UK; the Army is technically older but because the Army once mutinied it is denied the title.

The formation of Royal Dockyards at London; Devonport in Plymouth; Portsmouth; Chatham; Rosyth...

The Napoleonic campaigns of the navy have been the subject of many novels including Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey, C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho.

HMS (acronym) = Her (or His) Majesty's Ship

Component and associated units of the Royal Navy

Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) - disbanded 1993
Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) - disbanded 1918

Royal Navy Timeline

1588 The Spanish Armada
1690 Battle of Beachy Head
1692 Battle of La Hougue
1759 Battle of Quiberon Bay
1780 Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
1781 Battle of the Chesapeake
1782 Battle of the Saintes
1794 The Glorious First of June
1797 Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)
1798 Battle of the Nile
1801 Battle of Copenhagen
1805 Battle of Trafalgar
1821 First steam paddle ships for auxiliary use (tugs etc)
1840 First screw driven Steamship, HMS Rattler
1905 First Steam turbine battleship, HMS Dreadnought (1906)
1914–1918 First Battle of the Atlantic
1914 Battle of Heligoland Bight, Battle of Coronel, Battle of the Falkland Islands
1916 Battle of Jutland
1939–1945 Second Battle of the Atlantic
1939 Battle of the River Plate
1940 Operation Dynamo (Dunkirk)
1941 Battle of Cape Matapan
1941 Sinking of HMS Hood and the Bismarck
1944 D-day invasion
1950 Korean War begins
1956 Suez campaign
1962 Indonesian Konfrontasi begins in Borneo
1982 Falklands War
1991 Gulf War
1999 Kosovo conflict
2001 Afghanistan Campaign
2003 Iraq War

Famous sailors of the Royal Navy

In approximate chronological order / seniority.

Famous ships of the Royal Navy

For a full list, see List of Royal Navy ship names

HMS Ark Royal
HMS Victory - Nelson's flagship.
HMS Bounty - scene of the mutiny.
HMS Hood - destroyed by the Bismarck
HMS Beagle - carried Charles Darwin on his voyage.
HMS Dreadnought - first "all big-gun" battleship
HMS Resolution - first submarine of the Resolution Class
HMS Warrior - first iron-clad warship
HMS Hercules
HMS Nelson
HMS Vanguard - last battleship built for the Royal Navy

Weapons Systems

External link

Official Website of the Royal Navy

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 The Royal Navy also participated in the [[Gulf War]], the [[Kosovo conflict]], the [[U.S. invasion of Afghanistan|Afghanistan Campaign]] and the [[2003 Iraq War]].
-Nicknames include "The Mob", "The Andrew" and "The Senior Service", nickname for British [[sailor]]s include "Limeys".  One point of pride of the Royal Navy is that it is known simply as "the Royal Navy", as most other navies include their national name.  Another is the fact that the Royal Navy is considered the 'Senior Service' in the UK; the Army is technically older but because the Army once mutinied it is denied the title.
+Nicknames include "The Mob", "The Andrew" and "The Senior Service", nicknames for British [[sailor]]s include "Limeys".  One point of pride of the Royal Navy is that it is known simply as "the Royal Navy", as most other navies include their national name.  Another is the fact that the Royal Navy is considered the 'Senior Service' in the UK; the Army is technically older but because the Army once mutinied it is denied the title.
 The formation of Royal Dockyards at [[London]]; [[Devonport Dockyard|Devonport]] in [[Plymouth]]; [[Portsmouth]]; [[Chatham, England|Chatham]]; [[Rosyth]]...