2.1- changing nature of the Royal Navy Flashcards
how did the role of the RN evolve in the years 1763-1914?
when was the Battle of Trafalgar?
1805
what were British captains + admirals trained and encouraged to do in battle?
adopt hyper-aggressive tactics, frequently seeking to break enemy lines + engage at close range
what was a ship of the line?
a ship deemed strong enough to take its place in the line of battle
describe 1st and 2nd rate ships of the line
- 3 gun decks
- 80-120 cannon
- top heavy -> less manoeuvrable
- used as flagships (e.g. Nelson’s 100-gun Victory)
describe 3rd rate ships of the line
- backbone of the fleet
- 64-80 cannon
- 2 decks
- made up 76% of all RN ships of the line in 1794, 80% in 1814
what was a disadvantage of ships of the line?
they were less effective outside fleet-to-fleet pitched battles
- bc firepower + extra gun decks meant manoeuvrability + speed were sacrificed
what were 5th + 6th rate ships known as?
frigates
describe frigates
- single gun deck -> faster + more manoeuvrable
- could be used near shore
why was Britain slow to innovate ship types?
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
where were steamships effective for using?
ares were sailing ships didn’t have room to navigate using wind - particularly river systems
what was the first impact of the Age of Steam?
to open prev inaccessible inland areas to naval forces
when were the first steam-propelled frigates launched by Britain + France?
Britain 1843
France 1845
what initialised the naval arms race which continued until 1914?
French launched 90-gun Napoleon, capable of reaching 14 knots without wind
when did the two power standard become official policy?
1889 Naval Defence Act
what was the ‘blue water’ policy?
merchant fleet + the RN were seen as mutually sustainable
what was the ultimate guarantor of Britain’s free-trade Empire?
the RN
RN ships sailed the world’s oceans to support Britain’s commercial Empire
what was the most lucrative trade route for British shipping by the late 18th century?
the slave trade
with >150 ocean-going ships leaving British ports annually on the long triangular voyage
what was described as the ‘nursery of the RN’?
the slave trade
when did the RN become the enemy of the slavers?
1807
when was a new squadron created to stop the transatlantic trade slave?
1808
how did the squadron try to achieve their role?
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
how many slaves were freed by the RN between 1810-60?
150,000 BUT this was only about 10% of the total number shipped to the Americas during this period
when was the transatlantic slave trade finally ended?
1865
give an example of how the RN protected commerce from piracy.
Arab pirates continued to threaten shipping from the Red Sea to Bombay -> RN increasing its operations + surveyors chartered the Red Sea area 1800-09
when was the attack on Algiers?
1816
when was the 7 Years’ War?
1756-63
when was Cook’s voyage to the South Pacific?
1768-71
why was Cook’s voyage important?
- 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
when was a Hydrographic Office established but he Admiralty?
1795
(to collate charts)
