Navy Knowledge Builder

What is the term given to the main naval battle tactic in the Age of Sail, whereby rows of cannon were discharged simultaneously at close range?

Broadside

What tactics were British captains trained to adopt?

Hyper-aggressive

How many decks and guns would a first rate ship of the line typically have?

3 decks with 80-100 guns

What was the name of the ship used by Admiral Nelson?

Victory

Why were fourth rate ships of the line phased out?

Less than 64 guns, lacked firepower

Was the backbone of the Royal Navy first, second, third or fourth rate ships of the line?

3rd

How many guns would 3rd rate ships typically have?

64-80

What percentage of all Royal Navy ships of the line were made up of 3rd rate ships in 1794?

76%

In what year (and name the battle) did Britain become the supreme naval power in the world?

1805, the Battle of Trafalgar

Where would heavy first and second rate ships of the line not be used?

Near the coasts or on patrol duty

What kind of ship would take up patrol duty, seeking enemy ships across the world’s oceans?

Frigates

What did the Cruisers and Convoys Act of 1708 state?

Ship captain and crew could take a share of any stocks raided from enemy ships

How many merchant ships did Britain lose in 1810, as a result of being raided by the French?

619

How many ships did Captain Cochraine of the Speedy capture or destroy in 13 months?

53

How could Britain keep its position of naval hegemony immediately after the Napoleonic Wars?

No other power embarked on a ship building process, Britain could build ships faster than anyone else

Why were steam ships ineffective at first?

Paddle steamers were vulnerable, could not go on the ocean, used lots of coal

What was the initial role for hybrid ships, which had both sails and paddle steamers?

Tow more powerful ships up river

Which sail-steamer ship (East India Company, not HMS) was used to sink Chinese Junks in the Opium Wars?

Nemesis

In what decade did a more powerful propeller screw propulsion begin to be used by the Navy?

Late 1830s

In what year did Britain launch steam propelled frigates?

1843

What year signalled the end of 35 years of low-cost naval supremacy for the Royal Navy and the beginning of a naval arms race between major powers that would continue until the outbreak of the First World War?

1835

What are Paixhans guns and when did the French first start to use them?

Exploding shell firing guns, 1841

Why are Paixhans guns so effective?

Could destroy wooden ships with ease

What was the name of the first British ironclad (iron hulled) ship commissioned by the Admiralty and launched in 1861?

Warrior

In what year did all major naval powers completely abandon creating new wood only ships?

1861

What was the name of the new battleship launched in 1873, which was one of the most significant to be created for the Royal Navy, since it symbolised the end of the Age of Sail?

HMS Devastation

What weapons and armour did HMS Devastation have?

2 35- ton guns and armour 250-300 mm thick

What did the transition from sail to steam mean for Britain’s established network of ports?

Found new significance as coaling stations

What declined in importance because of the transition from the age of sail to steam?

Ability of seaman/sailors

Who now emerged as a naval power, not because of a tradition of able seamen like Britain, but because of an industrialised economy?

Germany, Japan

What is the “two power standard” that originated as an idea in the late 18th century and became official policy in the Naval Defence Act 1889?

Britain needs to be as strong as the next two major navies in the world combined

How much money did Britain commit to spending on the Navy as a result of the Naval Defence Act of 1889?

£21.5 million

Name the two countries that increased their joint production of battleships to 12, two more than Britain’s increased production by 1894 (as part of the Naval Defence Act 1889)?

France, Russia

What did John Fisher do for the Navy?

First lord admiral of the sea from 1904, scrapped 154 old warships, embarked on a modernisation programme

When was HMS Dreadnought launched?

1906

What was the impact of the building of Dreadnought?

Started a new naval arms race between the industrialised powers- all they had to do now was build Dreadnoughts

When was HMS Holland, the first British submarine built?

1901

How many submarines did Britain have by 1914?

62

When was the Royal Naval Air Service launched?

1912

How many state of the art ships did Britain have in the Grand Fleet at the start of WWI?

30-40

How much would an able seaman make in 1794?

£14 a year

What is the term given to the forcible recruitment of sailors into the navy, used to meet the continual need for sailors?

Impressment

What is meant by the ‘blue water’ policy that had been adopted from the 17th century?

The merchant and royal navy would be mutually sustaining, the RN taking sailors from the MN in times of war, while the RN protected the MN during times of peace

Why, before 1807, had the slave trade been termed the “nursery of the Royal Navy” by some supporters of the slave trade?

Due to the number of men recruited into the RN from the slave ships taking part in the triangular route

What was the name of the Navy squadron tasked with policing the slave trade from 1808?

West Africa Squadron

How many ships did the West Africa Squadron have in 1808?

2

How many ships did the West Africa Squadron have by 1831?

7

How might slavers attempt to avoid being stopped by the West Africa Squadron?

Flying under false flags, carrying the papers of other nations

How many ships did the West Africa Squadron have by 1847?

32

Name a Captain of the Royal Navy who acted to end slavery

Joseph Denman

From what decade did the Royal Navy begin to use paddle steamers which could follow slaving ships into river systems inaccessible by ocean-going warships?

1840s

How many slaves did the Royal Navy capture and free between 1810 and 1860?

150,000- only 10% of those captured in the first place

The West Africa Squadron was unsuccessful overall. When did the Transatlantic slave trade really end?

When slavery in Americas was abolished (1833/4 with West Indies, 1865 with US)

Name 3 areas where there was never a concerted effort to end slavery, even though the Royal Navy operated infrequent slave patrols there until the early 20th century?

East Coast of Africa, Red Sea, Indian Ocean

What was the name of the French privateer who captured over 16 prizes (the value of a ship and its cargo) in a single expedition in 1807-08 in the Indian Ocean?

Robert Surcouf

In what year did the British gather enough forces to capture Isle de France, ending the threat of French piracy in the Indian Ocean?

1810

Which particular trade route did Arab pirates continue to threaten, resulting in more operations in the region by the Royal Navy?

Red Sea to Bombay

With whom did Britain sign treaties in 1802 for the protection of British commerce?

Imam of Mocha and Sultan of Aden

How many pirate ships operated in the Straits of Malacca, a narrow channel linking China to India?

100

Why did the suppression of piracy in the Malacca Straits become a priority for the British East India Company as the 19th century progressed?

Opium sales to China increased

In what year did the company agree with the Dutch to divide the Malacca Straits and introduce naval patrols?

1824

Where was this new Anglo-Dutch naval squadron based?

Singapore

How many Europeans were captured by the Barbary Pirates between the 16th and 19th centuries?

1-1.25 million

What percentage share of slave sales or ransoms were taken by the rulers of the Barbary States (the Beys)?

10%

In what year was the Attack on Algiers?

1816

Who was in charge of the 1816 attack on Algiers?

Lord Exmouth

How many cannonballs were fired during the bombardment of Algiers?

50,000

How much ransom money was returned as a result of the bombardment of Algiers?

£80,000

In what year did piratical activities in the Barbery states cease, and why was this?

1830, France took Algiers as a formal colony

What is the attack on Algiers and early example of?

Gunboat diplomacy

How many of the 317 Royal Navy ships lost between 1803 and 1815 ran aground on dangerous coastline or sank at sea?

223

During which years did Captain Cook’s exploration of the South Seas take place?

1768-71

What technology allowed Cook to calculate longitude at sea? (Before longitude could be calculated, sailors would assess their position via latitude and then simply head in that direction until they made land - “dead reckoning”)

Harris watch (Marine Chronometer Mk1)

What is the term given to a person who draws maps?

Cartographer

Name 3 locations on the globe for which Cook created expert charts

Newfoundland, New Zealand, Australia

How did Cook prevent Scurvy at sea?

Sauerkraut

What did the Admiralty establish in 1795 to collate reliable charts, with a focus on unfamiliar waters where the Royal Navy was beginning to operate?

Hydrographic Office

When did the Hydrographic Office publish its first chart?

1801

How did the role of the Royal Navy change dramatically as a result of the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815?

No longer about beating rivals but protecting commerce

How wide is the sea between Africa and Gibraltar?

13km

How would British control of Gibraltar disrupt French shipping?

Separate the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets

When did the British first capture Gibraltar?

1704

When and why was Admiral Byng executed?

1757, failed to attack Minorca when the French invaded and seized

How did the French persuade the Spanish to join the American War of Independence in 1779, under the treaty of Aranjuez?

Support Spanish conquest of Minorca and Gibraltar

When did the French and Spanish blockade Gibraltar?

1779

When did the French and Spanish land a force to attack the British base in Gibraltar?

1781

In what three years did the Admiralty land support for the 5000 strong British base?

1780, 1781, 1782

What advantages did the British have during the blockade attempt at Gibraltar?

Frigates could outrun Spanish ships

What disadvantaged the Spanish at Gibraltar?

Poor sailing skills

How did the Franco-Spanish attack on Gibraltar in 1782 fail?

Accurate British cannon fire destroyed floating gun batteries

What does Britain’s prioritisation of Gibraltar over America suggest about the strategic importance of this base?

Strategic base was more important to them then having colonies in North America

In what year(s) does the retention of Gibraltar take on new significance and why?

1869/75 Suez Canal opens and purchased

When was Malta, Ceylon and Cape Town acquired by the British?

1815

Which spice is grown native in Ceylon?

Cinnamon

Who owned Ceylon before the British?

Dutch

How much value in goods did Britain gain immediately upon taking possession of Ceylon?

£300,000

Which Kingdom in the interior of Ceylon was defeated by the British in 1815?

Kandy

What was the interior of Ceylon used for after the defeat of the Kingdom of Kandy?

Railways, agriculture

Why was Cape Town strategically, rather than economically, important?

On trade route to India, China, Australia before Suez Canal, between Atlantic and Indian Oceans

Why would Cape Town be reduced in significance after 1869/75?

Suez opened, Britain purchase majority shares