The changing Nature Of The Royal Navy 1763-1914 Flashcards
What shows the effectiveness of the Navy by 1763?
Victories over the French at Lagos and Quiberon Bay
How were ships built around 1763 and to do what?
In order to be more potent at broadsides, the best ships had many canons and were very maneuverable with good crews
How did the Navy form itself in battle around 1763?
In long lines of ships
Why were lines of ships used around 1763 in terms of fire power?
The broadsides would be sustained in their effectiveness, and friendly fire would not occur
Why were lines of ships used around 1763 in terms of protection and communication?
The bows and sterns of the ships would not be exposed, and the admiral could easily communicate with the rest of the fleet
Which kind of ships were most important to the Navy around 1763?
Ships of the line
How were ships of the line built and why were they like that?
They were long to fill with canon, narrow for maneuverability, large sails for speed and deep hills to cut through the water
Which rating of ship of the line was most popular and why?
3rd rate ships, as those larger were less maneuverable, and those smaller were ineffective and phased out by the late 18th century
What percentage of ships of the line were 3rd rate in 1814?
80%
Which event pre-1805 shows the weakness of the navy and why was this the case?
American War of Independence, as the boats were difficult to turn so it was foolish to sail close to the shore - also necessity of concentration of ships in one place to be effective, and they struggled with small boats
Which ships were used for coast patrols, destroying enemy trade and protecting other ships?
Frigates
Which role did the ships of the line play when not in active battle?
Blockading of ports
How many French ships did Captain Cochrane capture or destroy in a 13 month period of 1800-1801?
53, loads of prize money
What shows the effectiveness of frigates against merchants post-1805?
French frigates sunk 619 British ships in 1810 in the Baltic, even though France was militarily beaten by them
How many ships of the line did Britain have in 1815 and 1835 and why?
214 down to 58 due to post-Napoleonic War contractions
Why did the navy develop itself much during the early 19th century?
It had the most ships and therefore was already more powerful than all other nations
When was the first steamship built and why were they not popular at first?
The Kent of 1794, but they were unreliable, slow and used much coal, as well as being useless for battle
What were battle steam ships first used for?
Sail-steamers were used to reach inland areas which were inaccessible using wind power alone, as well as towing
Which was the first use of a steam-sail ship in battle?
The Nemesis, 1840 against the Chinese
When did steam ships become useful in the ocean and why?
Britain launched it’s ship in 1843 using the screw propeller designed in the late 1830s
When did the naval arms race between France and Britain begin?
1850, with the launching of the Napoleon
How many new steam battleships were made by Britain and France during the 1860s?
10 by France versus 18 by Britain
Which advance was made in the navy in 1841?
Horizontally firing artillery was attached to steam ships
When was the first fully protected against artillery ship launched by France and Britain?
La Gloire ironclad in 1859, and Warrior in 1861
How did the development of ships change during the second half of the 19th century?
Ships became obsolete within 10 years as steam engines, armour plating and naval guns became more developed
What was launched by the navy in 1873 and what did it represent?
HMS Devastation which represents the turning point truly away from sail and to steam power
Where became greatly more important during the rise of steam in the navy?
Deep-water friendly ports for collecting coal at
Which previously important facet of the navy was less important during the age of steam?
Experienced and skilled crewmen were no longer necessary for success at sea
What was passed in 1889?
Naval Defense Act, which put in place the two power standard
When was John Fisher appointed first sea lord of the Admiralty?
1904
What did Fisher do while in power?
Scrapped 154 older warships and concentrated on creating few powerful ships such as Dreadnought in 1906
Why did British efforts to end the naval arms race always fail?
Because nations such as Germany and France would always recreate what they did
Why did the Navy originally protect trade?
Both to gain money for the Exchequer, and also to use the merchant ships hands for Navy ships, avoiding impressment
Why was the slave trade an issue for the Navy pre-1807?
The Navy had to protect the West Indies from French attack on a regular basis, losing many men in the process
How many men out of 5,000 returned from slaving voyages in 1785 and what did this prove?
2,329 showing that the slave trade offered little support for the navy in terms of providing men
How did anti-slave trade patrols begin for the Navy?
Only 2 ships were originally sent out to engage in such activity in 1808, even in 1821 only 6 ships were in the squadron
How many slaves were transported across the Middle Passage in 1800 and 1830?
80,000 to 135,000
Why was anti-slave trade action ineffective at first?
Not enough ships, high mortality rate due to tropical disease, and inability to seize foreign ships
Why did the anti-slave trade action become more effective after around the 1830s?
Treaties were made with countries such as France and the USA which allowed the Navy to board slave trade ships
How did the Navy change it’s fleet to patrol the slave trade?
Paddle steamers such as HMS Hydra were used to follow slave ships down rivers
How did the slavers change their ships to avoid Navy patrols?
They used fast clippers to outrun the ships of the line used by the Navy
How many slaves did the Navy capture between 1810 to 1860 and what percentage of the entire trade was this?
150,000, but only 10% of slaves
Where did Navy emancipated slaves go to?
Freetown, Sierra Leone
What was captured by the Navy in 1810 and why was this important?
Isle de France, which had launched many successful attacks on British merchant ships
Where were treaties signed in 1802 to do with protection of trade and to do what?
The Imam of Mocha and the sultan of Aden in order to protect British merchants from piracy
What did the Navy do between 1827-1832 to protect merchants from piracy?
It blockaded Berbera until compensation was paid to them for attacking British merchants
What was done in 1826 to avoid piracy?
British and Dutch drew up plans to divide the Straits of Malacca and start anti-piracy squadrons
How many pirate ships were active around the Straits of Malacca pre-1826?
Around 100
How many Europeans were captured by the Barbary States between the 16th and 19th century?
1 to 1.25 million
Where did Lord Exmouth get treaties from in 1816 and for what?
Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers, in order to prevent European slavery
What was the result of the 1816 treaties on North Africa?
They kept on slaving, so Exmouth returned and sieged the city of Algiers
What was the result of the Siege of Algiers?
The city paid £80,000 in ransom money and freed 3,000 slaves (however they kept on slaving a touch until the French invasion of 1830)
What is the name of the time 1814-1914 known as?
Pax Britannica
Out of 317 ships lost between 1803-15, how many were ran aground or sank at sea, and what does this show?
223, meaning that more exploration and mapping had to be done to make the Navy more effective
When did Captain Cooks first voyage to the South Seas take place, and backed by who?
1768-71, backed by the Royal Society and Admiralty
What did the Cook voyages show in terms of health and science?
That with clean clothes and fresh food, sailors could survive for a long time out at sea, and also the ability of cartography and clocks to chart the seas
What did the Cook voyages help with in terms of strategy?
It put British claims on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific
What did the British take in 1704 and 1708?
Gibraltar and Minorca
What occurred in 1778 which showed the importance of naval bases?
Gibraltar let the French fleet at Toulouse slip through to the Atlantic, leading to the loss of the American colonies
How was Minorca and Gibraltar able to survive under siege after 1778?
Frequent supplies were able to reach the ports due to poor Spanish Navy skills, and fast boats could avoid their blockades
When was Minorca lost and why?
1782 due to scurvy as there was a lack of fresh fruit
Why did Gibraltar survive in 1783?
Not only were supplies frequent, they had better access to fresh fruit than Minorca, and accurate cannon to destroy attacks
Why was Gibraltar important during the Napoleonic Wars?
It supplied Nelson before the Battle of Trafalgar
When was Ceylon taken fully control of as a British Crown Colony and why?
1818, for it had a strong strategic position, and with it’s access to cinnamon, it was very profitable
When was Cape Town’s annexation formalised and why was it useful?
1814, for it could control fleets moving from the Atlantic to Indian Ocean - also as a stop off point for supplies, in particular coal
When was Malta taken over and when did it become important?
1803 (held on after end of Napoleonic Wars in 1815) and useful when the Suez Canal was opened
When was the Falklands Islands taken over and why?
1833 to protect sealing interests from the new leader Vernet
Why was Aden seen as important in the 1830s?
Anti-piracy patrols, to prevent French interest in Egypt or Russian interest in Persia, and to control the strong leader of Egypt, Mehmet Ali Pasha
When was Aden taken over and by the backing of who?
1839, not supported by either London or the EIC, but by foreign secretary Lord Palmerston
What happened to Aden after 1839?
It made major losses (£28,000 by 1854) though after the opening of the Suez Canal it’s location was vey important
What decision to do with the Queen was taken in 1876?
The Queen became the Empress of India, making her equivalent in title to the Tsar of Russia
Why was Cyprus taken in 1878?
British pressure on the Ottomans for the island in return for British support against Russia
What does the taking of Cyprus show us about British naval policy by that time?
The government cared more about securing territories and controlling foreign powers than economic policy
How many men were lost in the Navy 1793-1815 due to disease and enemy engagement?
84,000 and 7,000
What did Admiral Percy Scott do in the early 20th century to benefit the Navy?
Gunnery training and central fire control - better fire power as a result
What were used by the EIC in the 1830s for trade?
Blackwall Frigates, used for opium and trade
When were clippers around?
After War of 1812 US made them due to failure to escape British blockade, used up to 1869 with Suez Canal
What were built 1845-55 for quick trade?
Extreme clippers, speed over space
What was built in 1843 as the first ship with a screw propeller?
SS Great Britain
How many ships were taken from the French/Spanish at Trafalgar?
19
Which pieces of technology appeared in the 1780s?
Carronades and flintlocks for better accuracy/high rate of fire, and copper sheathing which kept hulls cleaner and faster
Why did the British allow the Barbary States to exist before 1816?
They had supplied Gibraltar during the Napoleonic Wars
What was used in the second voyage of Cook?
Harrison sea clock
What did Cook use as vessels for his voyages?
Whitby Colliers
What did Cook do before his three voyages?
Chart the St Lawrence River using triangulation
How many men did Cook lose to scurvy in his first two voyages?
None
