2.1- changing nature of the Royal Navy

Question 1

when was the Battle of Trafalgar?

Answer 1

1805

Question 2

what were British captains + admirals trained and encouraged to do in battle?

Answer 2

adopt hyper-aggressive tactics, frequently seeking to break enemy lines + engage at close range

Question 3

what was a ship of the line?

Answer 3

a ship deemed strong enough to take its place in the line of battle

Question 4

describe 1st and 2nd rate ships of the line

Answer 4

• 3 gun decks
• 80-120 cannon
• top heavy -> less manoeuvrable
• used as flagships (e.g. Nelson’s 100-gun Victory)

Question 5

describe 3rd rate ships of the line

Answer 5

• backbone of the fleet
• 64-80 cannon
• 2 decks
• made up 76% of all RN ships of the line in 1794, 80% in 1814

Question 6

what was a disadvantage of ships of the line?

Answer 6

they were less effective outside fleet-to-fleet pitched battles
- bc firepower + extra gun decks meant manoeuvrability + speed were sacrificed

Question 7

what were 5th + 6th rate ships known as?

Answer 7

frigates

Question 8

describe frigates

Answer 8

• single gun deck -> faster + more manoeuvrable
• could be used near shore

Question 9

why was Britain slow to innovate ship types?

Answer 9

they had naval hegemony so there was little desire within the admiralty to experiment with new ship types
but they were quick to imitate when rivals made new developments

Question 10

where were steamships effective for using?

Answer 10

ares were sailing ships didn’t have room to navigate using wind - particularly river systems

Question 11

what was the first impact of the Age of Steam?

Answer 11

to open prev inaccessible inland areas to naval forces

Question 12

when were the first steam-propelled frigates launched by Britain + France?

Answer 12

Britain 1843
France 1845

Question 13

what initialised the naval arms race which continued until 1914?

Answer 13

French launched 90-gun Napoleon, capable of reaching 14 knots without wind

Question 14

when did the two power standard become official policy?

Answer 14

1889 Naval Defence Act

Question 15

what was the ‘blue water’ policy?

Answer 15

merchant fleet + the RN were seen as mutually sustainable

Question 16

what was the ultimate guarantor of Britain’s free-trade Empire?

Answer 16

the RN
RN ships sailed the world’s oceans to support Britain’s commercial Empire

Question 17

what was the most lucrative trade route for British shipping by the late 18th century?

Answer 17

the slave trade
with >150 ocean-going ships leaving British ports annually on the long triangular voyage

Question 18

what was described as the ‘nursery of the RN’?

Answer 18

the slave trade

Question 19

when did the RN become the enemy of the slavers?

Answer 19

1807

Question 20

when was a new squadron created to stop the transatlantic trade slave?

Answer 20

1808

Question 21

how did the squadron try to achieve their role?

Answer 21

torturous negotiations
the RN could board + seize foreign spacing ships but typically they could only act if slaves were actually being carried
the RN was sometimes allowed to act unilaterally against ships from weaker countries like Portugal in 1839 + Brazil 1845

Question 22

how many slaves were freed by the RN between 1810-60?

Answer 22

150,000 BUT this was only about 10% of the total number shipped to the Americas during this period

Question 23

when was the transatlantic slave trade finally ended?

Answer 23

1865

Question 24

give an example of how the RN protected commerce from piracy.

Answer 24

Arab pirates continued to threaten shipping from the Red Sea to Bombay -> RN increasing its operations + surveyors chartered the Red Sea area 1800-09

Question 25

when was the attack on Algiers?

Answer 25

1816

Question 26

when was the 7 Years’ War?

Answer 26

1756-63

Question 27

when was Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific?

Answer 27

1768-71

Question 28

why was Cook’s voyage important?

Answer 28

• showed it was possible for am expedition to stay at sea for 3 years w/o losing an unacceptable no. of men to disease
• proved the effectiveness of new tech for making accurate charts
• it established a British claim to new lands in Australia, New Zealand + the Pacific

Question 29

when was a Hydrographic Office established but he Admiralty?

Answer 29

1795
(to collate charts)