Navy reform Flashcards
what was the role of the RN after the Battle of Trafalgar?
protect the global trade routes
protect British commerce
secure the growing British Empire
police the abolishment of the slave trade
by 1817, how many RN battleships remained from the Napoleonic Wars?
17
what was the RN reorganised into after the Battle of Trafalgar?
squadrons to ensure the world was adequately covered by RN ships
allowed for gunboat diplomacy
what was gunboat diplomacy?
the navy would be anchored in strategic positions during diplomatic discussions in order to threaten the opposition
used to promote British ideas of:
- free trade
- democracy
examples when gunboat diplomacy was used by the RN
in Brazil to persuade the Portuguese into accepting Brazilian independence
in China during the Opium Wars
what were the three major reforms to the RN?
changes to RN ships
Graham reforms
Fisher reforms
who oversaw the construction of the first operational steamships in the RN?
Sir James Graham
what were the first steam-powered ships?
HMS Medea
HMS Gladiator
why did the British govt not pursue the construction of more steam-powered paddle ships?
too expensive for a peacetime nation
had many impracticalities
what were the impracticalities with the use of steam-powered paddle ships?
the paddle which propelled the boat was vulnerable to enemy fire
the paddle was found in the middle of the ship which meant a full broadside could not be fired
what would replace the steam-powered paddle system in the 1850s?
a screw-propellor
found at the back of the ship
typical modern day propellor
what was the first steam-powered battleship used by the RN?
HMS Agamemnon
but still had sails
when was HMS Agamemnon commissioned?
1852
when was the first steam-powered battleship without rigging used by the RN?
1873
what was a major limitation of using steam-power for RN ships?
all RN ships at the time were made out of wood which could not handle the weight of the steam engines and the coal needed
what material replaced wood in the RN?
iron
what was an ironclad?
ship with wooden hulls but with iron sheets on the outside
what was the first fully iron warship produced by the RN?
HMS Warrior in 1860
what were the benefits of having iron warships?
could hold the steam engine and coal
could hold more guns of larger sizes
which gun was implemented into the RN iron warship fleet?
the Armstrong cannon
what had the introduction of the Armstrong cannon to the RN lead to?
the end of broadsiding
Armstrong cannons were too heavy to place below deck
instead they were placed on turrets
what was the armour given to the ships made out of?
iron sheets attached to the hull
when were the Graham reforms?
1832
what did Graham do to the RN fleet?
he ordered the refitting of existing RN ships and the construction of new battleships
important in restoring the naval power Britain had lost after 1815 and cuts in spending
what was the impact of Graham’s reform to the RN fleet?
made the RN fleet more powerful with more battleships
refitting RN ships also increased the longevity of many RN ships
what did Graham do with gunnery?
he ordered all crews at sea or in harbour to perform gunnery related exercises to prepare the crew for combat
commissioned the HMS Excellent to serve as a school for gunnery
who was in charge of HMS Excellent and what did they do?
Captain Thomas Hastings
he brought about a standardised system of naval gunnery
all crews were taught how to load and fire single rounds for maximum impact
what was the impact of Graham’s reform to gunnery?
improved the training of crews
improved the fighting efficiency of RN ships to prepare them for battle
ended double and triple shotting
what was double and triple shotting?
firing more than one projectile at once
this reduced the velocity of the shot which led to weaker impact
what was the Navy List?
list of captains serving in the RN
how many names on the Navy List?
800
what was the issue with captaincy in the RN before Graham?
so many captains and not enough ships
many captains kept their positions and received half pay, despite not being in command of a ship