За тези за които не е ясно да уточня че съм британофил, ама леко. Поради което се интересувам малко повечко от най-великият флот за всички времена. И понеже съм добричък съмрешил да споделя с вас част от своите материоали. Подозирам че филите на разни други флоти ще направят същото. Ама това е хубаво, тъкмо ще се образоваме взаимно. Смятам да започна с Обща история и после да премина към известни битки и личности, естественно няма да пропусна и корабите.
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Royal Navy
History
The Royal Navy has historically played an extremely important role in the defence and warfare of England, and later Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Empire. Because Britain is an island and no point in the UK is more than 74 miles (120 km) from the sea, any enemy power (at least, pre-aircraft) would have to cross the sea to be able to attack the nation and any that achieved naval superiority would put the nation in great peril. Moreover, a strong navy was vital in maintaining the security of supply and communication links with distant locations in the Empire.
England's first navy was established by King Alfred, but soon fell into disrepair.
The Norman Kings started an equivalent in 1155 by the creation of the Cinque Ports alliance and the establishment of the post of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. This was effective during the Plantagenet years, but like most institutions of the type fell into disarray and disuse.
The first reformation and major expansion of the Navy Royal, as it was then known, occurred during the reign of King Henry VIII whose ships the "Henri Grace a Dieu ("Great Harry")" and "Mary Rose" engaged the French navy in a battle in the Solent in 1545. By the time of Henry’s death in 1547 his fleet had grown to 58 vessels. The second reformation was under Robert Blake during Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth.
The Naval Service didn't really exist until the mid-17th century when the Fleet Royal was taken under Parliamentary control following the defeat of Charles I in the English Civil War. The incorporation of the royal navy was in contrast to the land forces, which are descended from variety of different sources including both royal and anti-royal parliamentary forces.
Between 1692 and 1940 the Royal Navy was the strongest navy in the world with almost uncontested power over the world's oceans. In that time, the Royal Navy suffered only one major defeat, the Battle of the Chesapeake against France, and was able to decisively defeat all challengers, as at the Battle of Trafalgar. They did, however, lose numerous small engagements.
Life in the early Royal Navy, like in most armed forces of the time, was harsh and flogging was used to enforce discipline. The Navy also used the controversial practice of impressment where seamen were effectively kidnapped to serve on HM ships. This reached its peak in the 1700s and early 1800s.
During World War II, the Royal Navy played a vital role in keeping the UK supplied with food, arms, and raw materials. See Battle of the Atlantic (1940). It was also vital in guarding the sea lanes that enabled Britain to fight in remote parts of the world such as North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Far East. Naval supremacy was vital to the amphibious operations carried out, such as the invasions of Northwest Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Normandy. See British military history of World War II.
After World War II, the growing power of the United States and the retreat from empire reduced the role of the Royal Navy. The most important post-war operation conducted solely by the Royal Navy involved defeating Argentina in the Falkland Islands War.
In the latter stages of the Cold War, the Royal Navy was reconfigured with three ASW aircraft carriers and a force of small frigates and destroyers. Its purpose was to search for and destroy Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic.
The Royal Navy also participated in the Gulf War, the Kosovo conflict, the Afghanistan Campaign, and the 2003 Iraq War, the last of which saw RN warships bombard positions in support of the Al Faw Peninsula landings by Royal Marines. Also during that war, HM submarines Splendid and Turbulent launched a number of Tomahawk cruise missiles on a variety of targets in Iraq.
Current Royal Navy deployments are vast, and encompass much of the world's oceans. In the Atlantic area, the RN presence is considerable. Atlantic Patrol Task (North) is normally carried out by an escort vessel which patrols the Caribbean and North Atlantic areas. Atlantic Patrol Task (South) constitutes the RN's commitment to the South Atlantic and West African areas which is comprised of an escort vessel accompanied by an RFA vessel. Additionally, a vessel is permanently deployed as the Falkland Islands Guardship, invariably tending to be a Castle-class patrol vessel. Also, HMS Endurance is deployed for half the year as the Ice Patrol Ship.
In UK waters, the RN's presence isn't as considerable, but the protection of fishery area and offshore gas and oil installations is provided by the Fishery Protection Squadron which is comprised of the new River-class patrol vessels. The Northern Ireland Squadron exists to deter the movement of equipment, etc., to NI which would support the numerous terrorist organisations there. Additionally a Fleet Ready Escort (FRE), made up of a single warship to provide a rapid response at short notice for a variety of tasks required of the ship.
The RN also maintains a significant presence in the Gulf region. A single escort vessel is on patrol as part of Operation Oracle, another aspect of the UK's contribution to the War on Terror. Prior to this, the main RN contribution to the UK's vital presence in the region was provided by the Armilla Patrol which continues, and is made up of a single escort vessel and a supporting RFA vessel. Though a permanent RN presence in the Far East and Pacific regions has ended, the RN deploys a significant Naval Task Group (NTG) approximately every three years as part of the Five Powers Defence Arrangement which was signed by the governments of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK. NTG 03 had been intended to take part in FPDA exercises in the Asia-Pacific region but was diverted for involvement in the 2003 Iraqi War. A number of ships eventually undertook the deployment for the FPDA exercises.
The RN also has a substantial commitment to NATO. The UK normally provides a single escort to Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) and Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED), both permanent NATO multi-national squadrons for those regions. The RN also usually provides a Mine Countermeasures vessel to Mine Countermeasures Force (North) and Mine Countermeasures Force (South), both important permanent NATO squadrons.
Nicknames include "The Mob", "The Andrew", and "The Senior Service", nicknames for British sailors include "Limeys". One point of pride of the Royal Navy is that it is known simply as "the Royal Navy", as most other navies include their national name. Another is the fact that the Royal Navy is considered the 'Senior Service' in the UK; the Army is technically older but because the Army once mutinied it is denied the title.
The formation of Royal Dockyards at London; Devonport in Plymouth; Portsmouth; Chatham; Rosyth...
The Napoleonic campaigns of the navy have been the subject of many novels including Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey, C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, and Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho.
HMS (acronym) = Her (or His) Majesty's Ship -
Heart of Oak is the official march of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom (which also incorporates the Royal Marines).It is also the official march of the naval component of the Canadian Forces
Lyrics
Come, cheer up, my lads, 'tis to glory we steer,
To add something more to this wonderful year;
To honour we call you, not press you like slaves,
For who are as free as the sons of the waves?
CHORUS
Hearts of oak are our ships, jolly tars are our men,
we always are ready; Steady, boys, steady!
We'll fight and we'll conquer again and again.
We ne'er see our foes but we wish them to stay,
They never see us but they wish us away;
If they run, why we follow, and run them ashore,
And if they won't fight us, we cannot do more.
CHORUS...
Still Britain shall triumph, her ships plough the sea,
Her standard be justice, her watchword "Be free,"
Then cheer up, my lads, with our hearts let us sing,
Our soldiers, our sailors, our statesmen, and King.
CHORUS...Comment
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The Glorious First of JuneThe
Glorious First of June (also known as the Third Battle of Ushant and in French as the Bataille du 13 prairial An 2) was a naval battle fought in the Atlantic Ocean on June 1, 1794 between the Royal Navy and the navy of Revolutionary France. It was the first major naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars.
On 11 April 1794, with France suffering from food shortages, a convoy of 117 merchant ships sailed from America bringing grain. On 19 May the French squadron based at Brest and commanded by Rear Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse set to sea out to escort the convoy. The British blockading squadron under Admiral Richard Howe gave chase. Both sides had 26 ships of the line, the largest being the French Montagne of 120 guns. On 28 May, four hundred miles west of Ushant, the two fleets met, but it was late in the day and there was no engagement.
On 29 May, Howe attempted to pass through the French line of battle to get the weather gage, but managed to engage only the last 5 ships in the French line. For the next two days, the British gave chase, but visibility was poor and there was no engagement.
Finally, on 1 June 1794 (13 prairial An 2 in the French Revolutionary calendar), the British caught up with the French, this time possessing the critical weather gage. Howe descended on the French line, breaking through it in several places and engaging from leeward. The battle rapidly turned into a general mélée which lasted all day. The French ships Sans-Pareil, Juste, America, Impetueux, Northumberland, and Achille were captured, and the Vengeur du Peuple sank after a four-hour duel with HMS Brunswick.
After hours of pounding, the French withdrew again, returning to Brest this time, but the British were in no condition to pursue: Defence and Marlborough had to be towed back to port.
The French had lost 7 ships, with a further 13 severely damaged, and had sufferred perhaps 1,500 killed, 2,000 wounded and 3,000 captured, while the British had 8 seriously damaged ships, 287 killed and 811 wounded.
Both sides could claim a tactical victory: the British in the battle itself, but the French achieved the object of their campaign, since the grain convoy reached Brest safely.
Strategically the battle was a victory for the British: the French navy never again tried to fight a convoy through the British blockade, resorting to blockade-running, privateering and trade through neutral countries.
Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June by Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg, painted 1795, shows the two flagships engaged on 1 June 1794. Queen Charlotte is to the left and Montagne to the right.
Glorious First of June
Conflict French Revolutionary Wars
Date June 1, 1794
Place 400 miles west of Ushant
Result Indecisive
Combatants
Great Britain France
Commanders
Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse
Strength
26 ships of the line 26 ships of the line
Casualties
8 ships damaged, 287 men killed, 811 wounded
7 ships lost, 13 damaged, 1,500 men killed, 2,000 wounded, 3,000 capturedComment
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