How did the Royal Navy and its role change? Flashcards
When was the HMS victory launched?
1765
Features of the HMS victory
Floating gun platform
104 guns
Wooden and had sails
First rate ship of the line
When did the HMS victory retire?
In 1824 as one of the most powerful warships
When was the HMS Cyclops?
1839
Features of the HMS Cyclops
Steam frigate (first hybrid)
Large paddle wheel
6 guns, meant to have 16
But was a failure
When was the HMS nemesis?
1840
Features of the HMS nemesis
Sail steamer
2 pivot mounted guns
4 six pound guns
Shallow bottom to get close to shore
Access into rivers as it ran on steam
Metal on hull
When was the Napoleon?
1840 and was French
Features of the Napoleon
90 guns
14 knots
Hybrid
Built 18 new
Converted 41
When was the la Gloire?
1859 and was French
Features of the La Gloire
Iron plates
Ahead of the British
Screw propeller
Wooden with iron outer shell
When was the HMS warrior?
1861
Features of the HMS warrior
Iron plates
Hybrid
Screw propeller
43 guns
Bigger, heavier and reliant on engines
What was the HMS devestation?
1875
Features of the HMS devstation
87 metres long
Armour 250-500 mm thick
Sails were abandoned
Carried 1,380 tons of coal
When was the HMS dreadnought?
1906
Features of the HMS dreadnought
Made other ships absolute
184 older ships were scrapped
When were submarines built?
HMS Holland in 1902
When were submarines used?
5 were used in the Russia-Japan wars until 1905§
What is broadside?
Ships lining up against each other and shot canons as they sailed past
What is breaking the line?
Crossing the T
Breaking broadside
How did sailors get new ships from other countries?
Sailors attacked and took vessels as prizes and crew as prisoners
How were the proceeds divided?
By % between the privateers sponsors, shipowners, captains and crew
What did holding a commission prove?
That the privateer was not a pirate
What % of the ships were 3rd rate ships?
76%
What were the 5th and 6th ships known as?
Frigate and were speedy
Features of 1st and 2nd rate ships
3 gun decks
80-120 canons
Extra gunpowder made them top heavy
Features of 3rd rate ships
64-80 canons on 2 gun decks
Crew of around 500
By 1814 80% of the ships were these
Features of 4th rate ships
Less than 64 canons
Lacked sufficient firepower
Challenges of ships of the line
Less effective outside fleet-on-fleet battles
Sacrificed speed and movement
Dangerous to sail near shores
Unable to be used for patrolling and destroying enemy trade
Features of 5th and 5th rate ships (frigates)
1 gun deck
Faster and easier to move
Operated independently or in small squdrons away from battle fleets
How many French ships were captured between 1800 and 1801 and by who?
53 by Captain Cochrane
How many ships were lost in the Napoleonic wars?
619
By the end of the Napoleonic wars how many ships and frigates did the Royal Navy have?
214 ships and 992 frigates
What was the number of ships of the line reduced to?
214 to 100
What was the number of frigates reduced to?
792 to 162
How many operation ships of the line were there in 1835?
58
What did Naval hegemony cause?
Little desire to experiment with new ship types
Why were hybrid ships helpful?
Sails were used for ocean travel
Steam paddles were used for rivers and navigation
Why was steam propulsion useless?
It was unreliable, slow and consumed a large volume of coal
Difficult to protect from canon fire
Took up valuable broadside space
When was the naval defence act?
1889
What was the naval defence act?
Britain were committed to 10 battleships
42 cruisers
18 torpedo gunships
How did Russia and France counter the naval defence act?
They both had 12 battleships
How much was the naval defence act estimated to cost?
£21.5 million
What was the two power standard?
Royal Navy should be as strong as the next two largest navies combined
Under the Naval defence act
Who was John Fisher?
First sea lord of admiralty in 1904
Created the modernisation programme
What was the modernisation programmed?
To end the arms race by producing warships so technologically advanced all other ships would be absolute
How did other Countries counter the modernisation programme?
Germany and Japan immediately started doing the same yet France and Russia fell behind
When was the age of sail?
1763-1850
When was the age of steam?
1840-1914
When was the age of iron?
1860-1914
What were conditions like for sailors?
Cramped living conditions
Harsh discipline
Injury and death
Forcible recruitment
What was the blue water policy?
Merchant fleet and royal navy were mutually sustainable
Navy protected sea and captured foreign merchantmen
Merchant ships were expected to provide the Navy with skilled sailors
When was the Battle of the Saintes?
April 1782
What happened in the Battle of the Saintes?
Planned invasion of Jamaica by France
Abandoned after British showed Naval supremacy
How did the British fight slavery?
They patrolled the seas to capture British who still trade enslaved Africans
What place did the British still protect?
The Caribbean which still used slave labour
What was the West African squadron?
2 ships in 1808 were sent to patrol 5000 km of West Africa
Where was slavery still legal in and till when?
In British colonies in the West Indies until 1834
How many ships did the African squadron have in 1821 compared to 1831
1821: 6
1831: 7
What were some challenges with the West African squadron?
Long time at sea
No welcoming cities
Mosquitos and heat
How many sailors died in 1829?
204/792 died
How did nations challenge the Royal Navy?
They carried papers or put up flags of nations that the Navy were not permitted to seize
Challenges that faced the Navy
After peace with Europe it became harder to seize ships
They could only act if slaves were actually being carried
Could not take action on ships that were just equipped
How did enslavers counter the British?
Threw enslaved people over-board
How many enslaved people were free between 1810 and 1860?
150,000
What was set up in Sierra Leone?
Freetown which housed only 10% of all enslaved Africans
Where was there no effort made to eliminate slavery?
On the East coast
Never an attempt to end it in the Red sea or the Indian Ocean
Why was the isle de France important?
It linked China, East Indies, India and Britain
Why was the isle de France a threat?
French privateers operated out of it and attacked British shipping
How did the British stop the French?
They at first tried to blockade the attacks but the French ships were too fast for the British
Captured it in 1810 and renamed it Mauritius
Where did Arab pirates operate out of?
The red sea to Bombay
How did the British eliminate pirates in Mocha?
Treaties were signed for the protection of British commerce
When was Mocha bombarded?
In 1820 until they accepted a commercial treaty
What occurred in Berbera?
Berbera was blockaded from 1827 to 1832 until compensation was paid for attacking British shipping
What was the straits of Malacca and how many pirate ships operated out of it?
A narrow channel linking China to India with around 100 pirate ships operating out of it
How did the British challenge piracy?
The straits of Malacca were divided up and they introduced naval patrols
Was piracy elimanted
It was reduced
What were pirates in the Algiers like?
They were well organised and armed enough to capture shipping and undertake coastal raids
How many Europeans were captured between the 16th and 19th century?
1-1.25 million and they were ransomed of enslaved
How did Beys grow rich?
From a 10% share in the piracy
Why were the barbery states important?
Had natural harbours and experienced sailors
Relied on piracy for economic survival
Attacked American and European ships
What was the history of control in the Barbery states?
Secured treaties after bombarding Tripoli in 1675 and Algiers in 1682
France bombarded Algiers 3 times and Tripoli once in the 1680s
American government paid $1 million in ransom
What did Lord Exmouth do and when?
Under Admiral Pellow he secured treaties with the Beys of Tunis, Tripoli and the Algiers in 1816
Why did Exmouth return?
The Beys captured 200 Corsicans, Sicilians and Sardinians and were massacred on the Algerian island of Bona
What happened the second time Lord Exmouth went to the Barbery states?
50,000 cannonballs sunk 40+ vessels
Bey of Algiers were captured
80,000 was paid in ransom money
3000 slaves were freed
Did piracy remain?
Beys were heavily reliant on it
British bombarded again in 1820
Piracy was eliminated when France conquered the Algiers in 1830
What was the significance of British involvement in the Algiers?
Britain was willing to use the Navy to protect foreigners under British protection
When was Cook’s first voyage
1768-1771
What was Cook’s first voyage?
To improve oceanic navigation by charting the Transit of Venus from Tahiti
Made claim to New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific
When was Cook’s second voyage?
1772-1775
What was Cook’s second voyage?
Royal society commissioned Cook to circumnavigate the globe at Southern latitude
Explore Tahiti, friendly islands, Easter islands, Norfolk islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu
When was Cook’s third voyage?
1776-1779
What was Cook’s second voyage?
To find the North West passage, trade routes linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
When did Cook die?
14 February 1779
What does scurvy cause?
Feeling tired and listless
Joints swell up
Teeth fall out
Delerium
Death
More sailors died of it than combat
How did Cook eliminate scurvy?
By promoting cleanliness and ventilation
No drinking of the fat from boiling pans as it irritated bowels and made absorption of vitamins harder
Diet
