How Important was technical innovation in the successes of British armed forces during the years 1790- 1918? Flashcards
what development in the royal navy kept British warships in the lead during the mid-19th century?
the royal navy had the latest steam engines and the development of the screw propeller by Ericsson and Smith kept British warships in the lead during the mid-1880s
following its the royal navy’s poor performance in the war of independence, which three figures provided improvements?
Under Lord Howe, Rear Admiral Middleton and Major-General Blomfield, the royal navy underwent major improvements
what initiative was Middleton behind?
he was behind the initiative of coppering, which despite its cost, improved the performance of royal navy vessels and meant that they were able to stay at sea for longer
what did Major-General Blomefield lead?
he led the Royal Ordnance which improved the quality of naval guns
under the lead of Blomefield, how many times did every new naval gun have to be fired before it was installed on a ship?
30 times
-also the firing mechanism was changed to the more reliable flintlock firing mechanism
despite the influence of the individuals that helped improve the navy, what was the most important advancement in naval warfare during this time?
it was the actions of a private company
what was the carronade? and what was it originally designed for?
it was a short cannon that fired grapeshot at a short range.
-Originally it was designed for merchant vessels to give them something to fight back with.
what was the rationale behind the carronade?
-the rationale was that it was far easier to use than conventional naval guns and could be fired from the deck and so would not impinge on the merchantman’s carrying capacity
what gave the carronade a broader angle of fire?
it having a shorter barrel but a wider muzzle gave it a far broader angle of fire, meaning that it would strike more of the target than a conventional cannon
-it was also quick to reload, used very little gunpowder and was devastating when aimed at the deck of an enemy vessel
when was the first use of the carronade?
in 1782 by the frigate, HMS rainbow
-it caused the surrender of the French ship Hebe after a short fight
in 1795 what happened involving the HMS Glatton that shows the power of the carronades?
the HMS Glatton a rare ship in that it was armed entirely with carronades, was overtaken by a squadron of French ships in the Indian Ocean.
-thinking it was easy prey, they came close to it in anticipation of a boarding manoeuvre. the fire of the HMS Glatton was so devastating that each of the French ships had to withdraw due to being badly damaged
after the wars against the French ended what happened to the carronades?
after the wars with the French ended, naval tactics changed. As long-barrelled guns became more accurate and quicker, it became better for the British to conduct naval engagements at a distance where their superior gunnery would give them the upper hand.
-this meant that carronades, which were only effective at short range, began to be less fashionable
by what year where carronades phased out of the royal navy?
by 1851
in what attack was the first successful use of rockets by the royal navy?
the first successful use of rockets by the royal navy was part of an attack on Boulogne
-in October 1806, 24 cutters fired 2,000 rockets at the city. The actual damage was limited but the psychological effect on both the firer and the target was massive
-winding unpredictable flight path of the rocket, along with the smoke and noise and the extent of the damage, made the rocket a powerful weapon.
- Navy then used the same method but added conventional weapons to bombard Copenhagen in 1807
what was the most notable rocket use?
the most notable action was against Fort McHenry in 1814 during the Battle of Baltimore.
-The fierce bombardment lasted over 24 hours, though in this case did not achieve the surrender of the fort.
what did the experience at Fort McHenry show about the issues of rockets?
The experience at Fort McHenry showed the problem with the rockets.
-They were loud and frightening, the inaccuracy of them meant that well-protected troops were unlikely to be physically affected by anything other than direct hit.
how did the navy use rockets? and what were the benefits of using them?
The navy used rockets for ship-to-shore bombardment.
- Rocket rails, along which the rocket was launched, were easy to fix on board and ships were useful for carrying large numbers of rockets.
- Also, rockets had a greater range than conventional guns.
- Ships could then anchor outside gun range and still use rockets to attack onshore targets, like forts or harbours.
what was the drawback of the navy using rockets?
Drawback was that their flightpath was erratic and they did not cause the same damage as canister or cannonballs.
was there much opposition to the introduction of rockets into the army?
yes, some veterans of the Indian Campaigns, such as the Duke of Wellington, were reminded of their lack of accuracy and remembered how, in some cases, they could be as big a threat to the firers as to the target
-other generals were naturally conservative and regarded the new weapon as frivolous and unneeded
-rockets were used in the Battle of Leipzig and Waterloo
were Congreve rockets used after 1815?
yes, but their inaccuracy problems were not solved
when did problems with Congreve rockets become more obvious?
became more obvious as the wars in which the British were involved shifted focus from a European theatre to colonial conflicts
-it also became clear that the rockets did not store well; they lost potency and they reacted badly to extreme temperatures
traditionally, how were firepower weapons loaded?
loaded through the muzzle.
-this meant ramming the gunpowder down the barrel before the projectile was placed. Thus, re-arming a muzzle-loading weapon was a complex process
-having so much gunpowder igniting in the barrel also meant that the inside of the barrel would quickly become fouled and, thereby, less effective
-the answer to this was to load through the breech, a hole or chamber closer to the firer. This meant that the weapon did not need to be moved so much and that the reloading process was much simpler. Breech loading ammunition also needed to be self-contained in a single unit, so that the gunpowder and bullet would be loaded together rather than separately.
by who was the first breech-loading cannon in Britain developed by?
developed by the Armstrong Company at the Elswick works in Northumberland
who was Sir William Armstrong?
he was an industrialist and inventor from the north-east of England
-he founded his own engineering company in 1847 as Elswick near Newcastle and enjoyed success designing and manufacturing hydraulic cranes.
-he was also the founder of Newcastle university
explain the background to Armstrong designing a new cannon?
-inspired by the problems highlighted in the Crimea War (1854-56), Armstrong set about designing a new cannon for the Royal Artillery.
-he was told that his five-pounder gun was too small and so he set about developing an 18-pounder
-the design for Armstrong’s new cannon was meant to overcome the traditional problems faced by artillery: slow loading time, barrel wear and poor accuracy.
-it was widely understood in Europe that the answers to these problems lay in the development of a reliable, robust, breech-loading cannon.
how did Armstrong solve the loading time problem?
-by placing the projectile in the breech
-Armstrong’s gun had a screw thread on the breech, so that it could be replaced and screwed back into position before the gun was fired
-other designs used a sliding block to seal the breech when the gun was fired
