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History: British Warfare > The British Navy 1793-1802 > Flashcards

The British Navy 1793-1802 Flashcards

1
Q

Volunteers to the Royal Navy

A

• given his shilling and two months pay in advance (but pay meant to be used for a hammock and clothes)
• Debt prisoners allowed to join

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2
Q

Impressment/ press gangs into the Navy

A

• a King’s shilling placed into a man’s pocket by the gang after he got drunk, then involuntarily recruited into the Navy
• merchant navy often targeted

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3
Q

What were the Quota Acts?

A

• Passed in 1795
• every county was required to supply to the navy a quota of men in proportion to population and number of ports
• Prisoners allowed to join, but brought typhus into healthy ships

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4
Q

Advancements in British docks 1796-1801

A

• dry docks introduced
• steam engines drained ports
• this meant that turnaround time for ships in port was made quicker, and put an end to problem of excessive number of ships that needed repairing

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5
Q

Size of Navy 1792 compared to 1812

A

• 1792 - 125 ships in commission, 20,000 officers + seamen
• 1812 - 140,000 men, 1000 ships

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6
Q

Gunnery practice on boats

A

• from 1745 completed daily
• Cannons manned by 7 sailors, had to be moved back into position after every shot m
• British could carry out broadsides every one and a half minutes
• taught discipline

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7
Q

Who were naval officers?

A

• No purchase of commission
• Started as midshipmen, then learnt practical skills, maths, astronomy and navigation
• some fast tracked if they had right family connections

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8
Q

Poor wages of British navy

A

• 1793 - seamen paid 22s 6d a month (£2 a month)
• No wage increase since 1652

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9
Q

18th century developments in navy

A

• each gun had to be fired 30 times before it could be accepted by the Ordnance Board
• Broadsides made faster by new gunlocks - guns ignited and fired using a lanyard (rope)

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10
Q

Pensions

A

• introduced for those who had served 20 years and were physically incapable of serving in the army
• aged between 40+50
• very low and not guaranteed

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11
Q

What were carronades?

A

• Smaller, shorter, could swivel - developed before the French Wars
• used grape shot for ammunition, splintered on impact (deadly)
• French didn’t use carronades, put them at disadvantage

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12
Q

How were ships better protected from decay,

A

• hull of ship lined with copper

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13
Q

Facts about HMS Victory (ship of the line)

A

• Lord Nelson’s Flagship at Battle of Trafalgar 1805
• 104 guns
• Flagship (lead ship)

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14
Q

What were frigates and what were they used for?

A

• patrolling and scouting
• 28-36 guns
• smaller and faster
• conveying merchantmen

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15
Q

What were sloops and gunboats used for?

A

• convoys and blockades, small ships

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16
Q

How much of the navy was made up of quotas?

A

1/5 (15-55 year olds)

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17
Q

When did the capture of Toulon occur?

A

• 1793
• British Admiral Hood seized main French base in Toulon, capturing + destroying a large number of ships
• Significant as it was the gateway to the Med

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18
Q

When was the Battle of Glorious First of June and what happened?

A

• 1794
• Britain blockaded French ports on the Atlantic coast, led by Lord Howe
• French had 26 ships of the line, British had 25
• British sunk 7 French ships and killed/ captured 7000 French sailors
• 1200 British casualties

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19
Q

Developments in leadership French wars 1795 - 96

A

• Sir John Jervis took command of the Navy in the Mediterranean, good relationship with Nelson + disciplined the Navy

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20
Q

Was the British blockade of French ports successful (concerning Battle of the Glorious First of June)

A

• no - tried to stop grain ships from entering France but unsuccessful, blockade ended

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21
Q

Threat of French invasion

A

• 1796
• Netherlands and Spain join France, Britain outnumbered 2-1 in blockade of Brest
• 44 French ships and 14,000 sailors break out of Brest + try to land in Ireland but failed after a week of gales

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22
Q

When did the Battle of Cape st Vincent occur and what happened?

A

• 1797
• Jervis was outnumbered 2:1 at Cadiz, but managed to cut though the enemy line
• Jervis captured 4 ships, 5000 French dead, wounded or prisoner compared to 73 British Dead
• Jervis became Earl of St Vincent

23
Q

Role of Nelson Battle of Cape St Vincent 1797

A

• Spanish fleet had been split up due to the wind and were attempting to join together
• Nelson spotted this and without order left the line of battle to prevent this manoeuvre - British ships then engaged the Spanish ships

24
Q

When did the Battle of Camperdown occur and what happened?

A

•1797
• against Batavian fleet who were trying to find French fleet to invade Ireland
• Admiral Lord Duncan’s North Sea Fleet smashed the enemy line using two parallel lines like Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar
• captured 11 ships
• Boosted Britain’s morale, but things were bleak: threat of French invasion, Austria and Germany at peace with France - Britain had no major ally in Europe

25
Q

When was the Spithead mutiny and what happened?

A

• 1797 off the coast of Portsmouth
• industrial dispute - April 1797 government agreed to increase pay and conditions through legislation
• May 1797 - fresh mutiny breaks out, Lord Howe visited ships to re-establish trust with mutineers and make sure conditions were met

26
Q

When was the Nore mutiny and what happened?

A

• May 1797 - wanted power of veto, longer leave and pardons for deserting
• blocking the Thames supply line
• 28 ringleaders were hung
• as a result 1797 Incitement to Mutiny Act passed (disaffection in armed forces a capital offence)

27
Q

What was the significance of the 1797 mutinies?

A

Illustrated a fundamental weakness in defence, poor conditions.

28
Q

When did the Battle of the Nile take place and what happened?

A

• 1798
• Nelson defeated the French fleet, as a result regaining control of the Mediterranean
• Attacked the French fleet at nightfall - unconventional, risky but paid off as the French were unprepared
• Attacked French ships from the rear + both sides
• 11/13 French ships destroyed, flagship L’Orient destroyed

29
Q

Tactical success of Nelson at 1798 Battle of the Nile

A

• Used only 9 signals during battle - band of brothers, trusts his crew, good discipline, good communicator
• Risk taker- attacked at night which paid off
• Continued to lead despite suffering an eye injury

30
Q

Importance of victory at 1798 Battle of the Nile

A

• Napoleon wanted to invade Egypt and travel overland to India (direct threat to British Empire)
•French presence in Egypt was therefore dismantled
• Nelson becomes a national hero

31
Q

What happened at the Battle of Copenhagen and when was it?

A

• 1801
• British attacked to break the League of Armed Neutrality in Copenhagen that challenged British dominance of the seas - blockade affecting Baltics
• Each ship took in turns to advance through a narrow ship of shallow water to target a ship or floating battery (gun)
• Resulted in a truce

32
Q

Strength of Nelson during 1801 Battle of Copenhagen

A

• Danes didn’t give in during British advance, Nelson ordered to stop but pretended not to see signal by holding telescope to blind eye
• illustrates his good judgement, yet also disobedience
• Nelson sent a letter to crown prince saying if the Danes continued to resist he would destroy batteries with people on them
• ruthless, good at negotiating, results in a truce

33
Q

What happened between 1802 and 1803

A

Europe at peace

34
Q

What happened 1804?

A

• Britain declare war against France again with third coalition, Britain allied with Austria and Russia

35
Q

Threat of French invasion 1804

A

• Spain + France allied and chase was on
• Napoleon tricked Nelson into making the British Med fleet follow the French fleet to the Caribbean out of threat of colonies being invaded
• This left Britain vulnerable

36
Q

Threat of French invasion averted 1804

A

• when Nelson found out about being tricked to go to the Caribbean, he sent a fast frigate back to warn of the danger
• French fleet intercepted and two ships captured, threat of invasion averted for now

37
Q

Who won the Battle of Copenhagen 1801 and what did it achieve?

A

• British won as Danish- Norwegian fleet backed down
• meant that the Denmark- Norway allegiance with France was weakened

38
Q

Was Nelson in charge of the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen?

A

No - second in command to Admiral Parker

39
Q

How did the Battle of Trafalgar occur?

A

• Nelson took charge of fleet at Cadiz, wanted to lure Villenueve out of port
• Nelson focused on boosting morale and confidence among his officers
• Villeneuve ordered to sail to Italy by Napoleon, Nelson gave chase

40
Q

Villenueve outnumbering Nelson’s fleet 1805 Battle of Trafalgar

A

• Villeneuve: 33 battleships and 30,000 men
• Nelson: 27 battleships and 27,000 men

41
Q

Tactics used by British during 1805 Battle of Trafalgar

A

• Nelson used two columns when approaching Villenueve, which broke the enemy line( disordered by the wind)
• Victory’s Carronades were deadly - destroyed French flagship Bucentaure and killed 400 Frenchmen

42
Q

Outcome of Battle of Trafalgar for the British

A

• No ships lost
• 450 died
• 1200 injured

43
Q

Outcome of Battle of Trafalgar for French

A

• 18 ships captured, 3 scuttled (sunk)
• only 5/33 left seaworthy
• 2000 French died, 1000 injured
• 8000 Prisoners including Spanish

44
Q

What did Napoleon implement after the Battle of Trafalgar?

A

• Implemented the continental system 1806/7
• however Britain fought back by blockading Europe from any imports, impacted French more

45
Q

Nelson’s decisiveness and boldness:

A

• Battle of the Nile 1798 - took a calculated risk in attacking the French fleet at night in Aboukir Bay despite being outnumbered
• Battle of Copenhagen 1801 - Ignored orders, claiming he couldn’t see the signal to retreat - trusts his own judgement
(Disregard for authority)

46
Q

Nelson’s inspiring leadership at Trafalgar

A

Famous line: ‘England expects that every man will do his duty’ - rallying cry, created unity amongst his forces
• personal charisma - inspired sailors to fight until the end despite overwhelming odds

47
Q

Nelson’s innovation and tactical genius:

A

• Battle of the Nile 1798 - broke from convention line of battle tactic to attack French from both front and rear
• Trafalgar 1805 - Nelson attacked in two columns and attacked the French and Spanish perpendicularly

48
Q

Nelson’s risk taking and courage at Trafalgar

A

• Commanded the front line and led from the front - placing himself in the thick of battle
• Respected by soldiers for active involvement in battle

49
Q

Nelson’s adaptability and resilience:

A

• Battle of Copenhagen 1801 - Nelson changed his tactics effectively when discovering the strength of the Danes
• weakness - underestimates enemy

50
Q

What was the East India Company known as

A

‘The Jewel in the Crown’

51
Q

How was Collingwood also essential in aiding Nelson’s success as a naval commander

A

• Collingwood led the parallel fleet to Nelson on the Royal Sovereign 1805 Battle of Trafalgar

52
Q

How were Nelson’s qualities as a commander not the only reason for his success?

A

• Sheer size and professionalism of the British Navy gave it a huge advantage - had been dominant throughout the war

53
Q

How was Nelson successful in relating information?

A

• used frigates outside Cadiz during Trafalgar to gain accurate information about enemy
• Similarly did this to avert French invasion in 1804 when Napoleon tricked Nelson to go to the Caribbean

History: British Warfare (4 decks)

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