Reformers - Navy

Question 1

How and why did the priorities of the navy change after the Napoleonic war?

Answer 1

No navy of significance left in the world - protection of Britain no longer a priority

New focus = policing trade routes and protecting British commerce + enforcing slave trading ban

Question 2

How many battleships were on active duty in 1817 compared to before?

Answer 2

Only 13 compared to 100 during the wars

Question 3

What is ‘gunboat diplomacy’?

Answer 3

The use of naval forces anchored strategically while negotiations are taking place to get their own way

Question 4

Name two locations which were bombarded by the navy as retaliation for acts thought to be against British interest

Answer 4

Algiers (1816) and Acre (1840)

Question 5

Using ‘gunboat diplomacy’, what did the British convince Portugal to do?

Where did they anchor their ships?

Answer 5

Accept Brazilian independence

Tagus

Question 6

How did Britain use the navy during the Opium Wars with China?

Answer 6

Used the naval threat so that China would open up their ports for international trade

Question 7

Why was the transition from sail to steam slow progress?

Which first lord of the Admiralty refused a request for a new steamer in 1828, saying that it was ‘calculated to strike a fatal blow to the empire’

Answer 7

Sea lord were conservative, thought that steam was unreliable compared to sail

Lord Melville

Question 8

What was the weakness that steamships were considered to have? (2)

Answer 8

The steam-powered paddle was thought to be vulnerable to enemy fire + its position in the middle prevented the ship from firing a full broadside

Question 9

When did the French start introducing steam engines to their ships?

When did the British follow, fearing the French had stolen a march?

What design was used instead of the steam-propelled paddle?

Answer 9

French = 1840s

British = 1850s

Screw propellors and quick-firing cannons from turrets situated on deck.

Question 10

What was the name of the navy’s first steam-powered battleship?

When was it built?

Answer 10

HMS Agamemnon (built 1852)

Question 11

Why did the introduction of steam-powered ships lead to the transition from wood to iron?

Answer 11

Steam engines and coal were heavy - wooden hulls could only carry their equivalent weight so limited the size of steam engine

Question 12

What was the first way that iron was introduced into shipbuilding?

When did the French first start building this type of ship?

How did the British respond?

Answer 12

Ironclads - wooden hulls with iron sheets on the outside

1858

Built the first fully iron ship, HMS Warrior, which was launched in 1860

Question 13

Why did the changing weapons lead to the transition to iron battleships? (2)

Answer 13

Armstrong’s cannon (designed in the 1850s) was much larger than earlier guns

The new high explosive shells could rip through wooden hulls

Question 14

How did the increasing size of warships and guns change naval tactics?

Answer 14

Guns became so big that they needed to be mounted in on-deck turrets.
This brought an end to the full broadside

Question 15

When were Graham’s reforms?

Answer 15

1832

Question 16

What policy to do with ships did Graham reverse when he became the first lord of the Admiralty?

Answer 16

Reversed policy of downsizing on battleships - thought it had gone too far and that Britain’s position as a world power depended on Royal Navy

Question 17

What did Graham order all crews should do to improve the art of gunnery, which had been neglected since Trafalgar?

Answer 17

All crews should perform an exercise related to gunnery

Question 18

What ship did Graham commission to set up a permanent school of gunnery and who was in charge of it?

How did he improve gunnery practices? (2)

Answer 18

HMS Excellent - run by Sir Thomas Hastings

Made a more standardised system so that seamen could be transferred to any ship and be effective

Clear routines of loading and firing a single round were encouraged rather than double and triple shotting (reduced velocity of the shot)

Question 19

Why was there a large number of officers and not enough ships for them to serve in after the Napoleonic Wars?

How many names did the Navy List have by 1830?

Answer 19

The reduction in the number of vessels

800 names

Question 20

Why was there a problem with the promotion system in the Royal Navy before Graham’s reforms? (2)

Answer 20

It was possible for captains to move up to the rank of admiral and retire without ever having been to sea.

Captains who had been waiting for an available ship could find themselves superseded by a young captain with influence

Question 21

How did Graham reduce the pressure on the ranks of the navy?

What limits did the reform have?

Answer 21

Introduced a regulation that before being considered for rank of commander, officers must have had two years experience at sea as a lieutenant

Didn’t solve the long Navy List or the unfairness of patronage

Question 22

What reforms did Graham make to the supply and admin of the navy?

What 5 principal officers were created, to be overseen by the Board of the Admiralty?

Answer 22

Abolished the Naval Office and Victualing Board ad placed them under the control of the navy

Surveyor of the navy, accountant-general of the navy, store-keeper general of the navy, controller of the victualling, and medical director-general

Question 23

What was the main advantage of the new admin system that Graham introduced?

Answer 23

All the principal officers worked at the Admiralty so communication was much quicker - personal conversations instead of written correspondence

Question 24

What was the main advantage of the new system that Graham introduced in terms of servicing and resupplying ships?

Answer 24

Royal Navy gained control over dockyards and victualling yards - having naval officers of experience over yards led to greater efficiency

Question 25

When were Fisher’s reforms?

Answer 25

1904-10

Question 26

Why did preventing a blockade became the major concern of the Royal Navy?

Answer 26

Population growth + repeal of Corn Laws meant that Britain was no longer self-sufficient in food and had to rely on imports

Question 27

What was the two-power standard?

Answer 27

At any time, Britain’s naval strength should be at least equal to its two biggest rivals

Question 28

When did the Royal Navy estimate that the German Imperial Navy would be the second largest in the world?

What did the Germans themselves estimate?

Answer 28

By 1906

If the German fleet was 2/3 the size of Britain’s then it would beat them

Question 29

How did Fisher’s personal attitude influence his strategy in terms of running the navy? (2)

Answer 29

Believed that technology would transform warfare

Believed that the best way to keep the peace is for the Royal Navy to be in an unchallengeable position

Question 30

Why were tensions caused by officer training?

How did Fisher reform it?

Answer 30

Officers divided into engineers and commanders - engineers looked down on which caused friction

Both commanders and engineers to be educated together until they were 22

Question 31

Name some examples of officers with technical expertise that Fisher brought in to improve the quality of the navy (2)

Answer 31

Henry Oliver - asked by Fisher to form a school of navigation

Percy Scott (from HMS Excellent) - became inspector of target practice

Question 32

How did Fisher modernise the ships of the Royal Navy?

Answer 32

Sold off 90 ships in order to build new ones

Question 33

How did Fisher increase the number of reserves?

Answer 33

Created the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve to augment the Royal Navy Reserve

Question 34

How did Fisher reorganise the geographical location of fleets to save money and keep Germany in check? (2)

Answer 34

Reduced presence in the Mediterranean, South Atlantic and China

All the newest ships were assigned to the Channel Fleet/ Atlantic Fleet

Question 35

How did Fisher make changes to supplies? (2)

Answer 35

Created the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tasked with supplying ships w coal etc.

Improved food supplies on board e.g. made sure men had freshly baked bread

Question 36

How did Fisher make reforms to technology?

What new ship, launched in 1906, made all other warships obsolete and began the naval arms race?

The new device on board for calculating gunnery allowed for what kind of shooting?

Answer 36

Fisher focused on new technology e.g. submarines and battlecruisers

HMS Dreadnought

Deflection shooting - aiming at a place ahead of a moving target