Revision Notes: The Changing Nature of the Royal Navy
Age of Sail – The period between the 16 th and mid-19th centuries when trade and naval warfare were
dominated by sailing vessels.
- By 1763, the Royal Navy had achieved dominance over the Dutch, French and Spanish.
- 1763-1914 was a period of immense trade dominated by desire to destroy European rivals
and then protection of trade routes, diplomacy and exploration.
Geopolitical game – Referring to the influence of geography upon international relations and politics.
1) How did the role of the Royal Navy evolve in the years 1763-1924?
Changing Ships
Broadside – the simultaneous discharge of large guns mounted along the side of a warship. The rapid
firing of broadsides was the main battle tactic in the Age of Sail. With up to 60 canons on each side
of a warship, a single broadside could completely disable or sink an enemy vessel. At very close-
range guns could be loaded with two or even three cannonballs for increased damage.
- Victorious ships had more and bigger guns, could fire their guns faster and more accurately,
could maneuver during battles to avoid an enemy’s broadside. This meant that the skill of
the sailors was incredibly important.
- In battles fleets approached the enemy in a long line which had the following advantages:
- It enabled a sustained bombardment
- It avoided friendly fire
- It reduced the exposure of vulnerable bows and sterns to enemy fire
- It improved communication and signaling between ships
- Battle of Trafalgar 1805, Nelson ‘crossed the T’ by sailing his smaller fleet in two
perpendicular lines straight towards the enemy line. Nelson obtained superiority in
firepower at the ports of intersection. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost 22 ships and over 13,000
men, compared to no ships and under 2,000 men lost by the British.
- These superior military tactics encouraged British captains to adopt hyper-aggressive tactics
in the future.
Ship Types used the by Royal Navy
Ship of the line – A ship deemed strong enough to takes its place in the line of battle. A line that
included slow or weak ships could easily by broken, so a ship needed the right balance of speed and
firepower to merit inclusion in the line.
, - Naval strength was general shown in the number of ships of the line a nation had
- Royal Navy used a rating system (1-5) to measure it’s ships of the line
1 and 2: Three-gun decks, 80-120 cannons, extra firepower made them slow and less
maneuverable, often used as flagships. E.g. Nelson’s Victory
3: Backbone of the Royal Navy, between 64 and 80 cannons across two-gun decks, crew of
around 500 men, made up 76% of the Royal Navy’s ships of the line in 1994 and 80% in 1814.
Most common design had a 52-metre hull with 74 guns mounted on two decks.
4: Less than 64 cannons, phased out from the 18 th century because they lacked sufficient fire
power.
5 and 6: Frigates. Smaller ships with a single gun deck. Used where the other ships of the line
were weaker: outside of fleet-to-fleet combat, when sailing closer to shores, when chasing
smaller and quicker warships or merchants. Also used for patrolling: destroying enemy trade and
protecting friendly shipping. Operated individually or in small squadrons. Example: Speedy,
captained by Cochrane captured or destroyed 53 French ships 1800-1801.
Frigates were also a problem for the British. The French built 59 fast frigates between 1777 and
1790 and these continued to raid British shipping after Trafalgar in 1805. Highest British
merchant loses of the Napoleonic Wars was 619 ships lost in 1810. The French remained a threat
to British shipping through frigates despite the dominance of the Royal Navy’s main fleet.
The Development of Steam Power
End of Napoleonic Wars 1815:
- Britain had:
- 214 ships of the line
- 792 frigates
- Soon Reduced to:
- 100 ships of the line
- 162 frigates
- After a prolonger period of peace this was reduced further:
- 1835: 58 operational ships
- No other nations challenged Britain during this period and therefore it was able to maintain
hegemony.
Hegemony – Influence or authority over others.
Impact of hegemony:
- Limited desire to experiment with new ship types
- Britain dominated using wooden sailing ships which it could produce quicker and more
effectively than any other nations.
- Britain updated its Navy by copying other powers, rather than initiating key changes.
