Outline History of the Royal Navy

King Alfred is credited as founder of the navy. In a battle in 897, Alfred used his ships to defeat a Viking force raiding the south coast.

Henry VIII built up his fleet to 58 vessels, (known as the Navy Royal. The most famous was the Mary Rose

Case Study – Mary Rose

Elizabeth I inherited 27 ships but encouraged private ships to fight alongside her own.

In 1558, Sir Francis Drake successfully commanded the Fleet against the Spanish Armada.

Case Study Sir Frances Drake

King Charles II came to the throne in 1660 and inherited a huge fleet of 154 ships. This was a professional fighting force and the beginning of the Royal Navy.

Between 1688–1815 there were many battles with the French, the most famous, the Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805. We also fought the Dutch and the Spanish over this period.

Case Study Lord Nelson

Case Study Trafalgar

In 1861 Britain commissioned the ‘ironclad’ HMS Warrior and these ships eventually replaced the old wooden sailing ships.

The world’s first Aircraft Carrier HMS Argus took part in WW1 at Gallipoli in 1915. In 1916 the large British battle cruisers met the German Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland. Both sides took losses but the German Fleet never really threatened again.

WW2 was a major success for sea power with the Royal Navy supporting land forces on several fronts, providing cover to the various convoys, and fighting in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific.

Since 1945 the Navy has slimmed down but the Falklands War 1982 was a remarkable demonstration of maritime power projection, retaking the islands over 8,000 miles from Britain.

IWM

Today, the Royal Navy continues to play a vital role for the United Kingdom by providing a capable presence wherever in the world it is required.

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