British Navy

I

Introduction

British Navy, Britain’s maritime armed force, usually known as the Royal Navy. It shares joint responsibility, with the British Army and the Royal Air Force (RAF), for the defence of the United Kingdom and its dependent territories; provides a major part of the naval force of NATO; and carries Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent. It was the world’s most powerful navy until World War II, after which it was the world’s second-largest, after the United States Navy.

II

Recruitment, Structure, and Training

In 2006 the Royal Navy employed about 37,500 personnel (of whom about 3,000 were women), including 6,000 Royal Marines. It deployed a total of 91 ships and submarines, including 3 Invincible-class aircraft carriers, and 182 aircraft. Until the end of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1815, in times of war, men could be forced into service with the Navy by “press gangs”, which toured the public houses in Britain’s ports seeking likely candidates, especially former naval or merchant seamen. During World Wars I and II conscription was introduced. After 1945, it was continued as national service until 1960. Since then all members of the Royal Navy have been volunteers.

The Royal Navy’s surface fleet was augmented during World War I by an air arm of the service, and a submarine force, and it also transports the Royal Marines. From 1968, with the launch of the submarine HMS Resolution, carrying Polaris submarine-launched strategic (long-range) ballistic missiles (SLBM), the Royal Navy has carried Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent.

A

Training

Until 1996 naval officers were trained at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, and subsequently at a new tri-service academy, first at Bracknell, and then permanently near Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. Ratings undergo initial training, and all ranks can attend specialist courses at a number of naval shore bases usually referred to as “stone frigates” within the Navy.

III

History

The Royal Navy grew from Britain’s need to develop and to protect its commerce with other countries. Until the 20th century, the only way for Britain to trade with other nations was by sea (see British Foreign Policy Since 1800). Sources of raw materials and essential commodities were sought, which led to Britain acquiring a colonial empire. This too had to be protected.

When the war with Spain ended with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, this victory and subsequent maritime engagements with the Netherlands in the 17th century, and America in the 18th century, honed the Royal Navy’s skill at warfare and enabled the British fleet under Admiral Horatio Nelson to defeat the French Navy at Trafalgar in 1805. The 19th century saw the change from wooden to steel ships and the transition from sail to steam. It also saw the beginning of what became known as “gunboat diplomacy”, by which Britain could exert its considerable nautical power.

In the early years of the 20th century a naval arms race with Germany resulted in Britain developing the Dreadnought, an even larger and more heavily armed type of battleship.