Royal Navy

From Royal Navy History

"ON the British Navy, under the good providence of God, the wealth, safety, and strength of the kingdom chiefly depend." So runs the preamble to the Articles of War, and few Englishmen would wish to dispute the fact. But while we glory in the tale of the Armada and of a long line of brilliant victories, culminating in the supreme day of Trafalgar, we are apt to forget the means whereby these victories were assured to us. It is well that our people should study not only the triumphs of our Fleet, but its reverses also; that they should make themselves acquainted with every step in that long and often bitter struggle through which the British Navy won its way from insignificance to the mastery of the seas.

- Short History of the Royal Navy.

PROMINENT PERIODS OF THE ROYAL NAVAL HISTORY.

FIRST PERIOD	From the earliest beginnings to the sixteenth century.	Before the Norman Conquest. The Birth of British Naval Power.
SECOND PERIOD	From the beginning of the sixteenth century to the commencement of the Civil War in 1642.	Battle of Breast, 1513. Sir Edward Howard. Battle of Spithead, 1545. Lord Lisle. Armada, 1588. Howard, Drake, Hawkyns, Frobisher, &c. Cadiz, 1596. Essex, &c.
THIRD PERIOD	The Cromwellian Era, from 1642 to 1660. Dutch and Spanish Wars.	Battle of Dover Roads, 1652. Battle in the Channel, 1652. Ayscue. Battle of Plymouth, 1652. Battle off the Goodwin, 1652. Blake, Penn. Battles of Blake, Monck, Deane, &c.
FOURTH PERIOD	The Restoration Era, from 1660 to 1688. French, Danish, Dutch, Spanish and Algerine Wars.	Battle of Lowestoft, 1665. Duke of York, Penn, Lawson. Battle off the Goodwin, 1666. Monck, Rupert. Battle of St. Christopher, 1667. Harmen. Battle of Solebay, 1672. Duke of York, Sandwich, &c. Battles of Rupert, Spragge, &c.
FIFTH PERIOD	The Era of William III. and Anne, from 1688 to 1744. French Wars.	Battle of Bantry Bay, 1689. Herbert. Battle of Beachy Head, 1690. Herbert, &c. Battle of La Hogue, 1692. Russel, &c. Battle of Lagos Bay, 1693. Rooke, &c. Battle of Santa Marta, 1702; Vigo, 1702; Malaga, 1704; &c.
SIXTH PERIOD	The Era 1714 to 1756. Spanish and French Wars.	Battle off Cape Passaro, 1718. Byng, &c. Porto Bello, 1739. Vernon &c. Battle off Toulon, 1744. Mathews, Lestock, &c. Battles of Finisterre, 1747, off Havana, 1748, &c.
SEVENTH PERIOD	The Era 1756 to 1774. French and Spanish Wars.	Battle of Negapatam, 1758. Pocock. Battle off Lagos, 1759. Boscawen. Battles in East Indies, 1759, Pocock. Battle of Quiberon Bay, 1759. Hawke.
EIGHTH PERIOD	The Era of American Revolution, from 1774 to 1793. American, French, Spanish and Dutch Wars.	Battles of Keppel, Barrington, Byron, Rodney, Hood, Parker, Graves, Hughes, &c.
NINTH PERIOD	The Era of French Revolution, from 1793 to 1802. French and Spanish Wars.	Battles of Hotham, Howe, Bridport, Jervis, Duncan, Nelson, Warren, Saumarez, &c.
TENTH PERIOD	The Napoleonic Era, from 1802, to 1815. French and Spanish Wars. Naval History of the Present Year, 1805.	Battles of Calder, Nelson, Collingwood, Strachan, Duckworth, Gambier, Hoste, &c., &c.
ELEVENTH PERIOD	The Long Peace, from 1815 to 1854.	Bombardment of Algiers, 1816. Burmese War, 1824-26. Battle of Navarino, 1827. Carlist War, 1836-37. Battle of Acre, 1840. Chinese War, 1839-42. New Zealand War, 1845-46. Caffre War, 1851-52. Burmese War, 1852-53, &c.
TWELFTH PERIOD	The Russian War and Indian Mutiny, from 1854 to 1860.	Russian War,1854-56. Chinese War, 1856-60. Indian Mutiny, 1857-58, &c.
THIRTEENTH PERIOD	The Era of the New Industrial Navy, from 1860 to 1891.	New Zealand War, 1860-64. Abyssinia, 1868. Ashantee, 1873-74. Perak, 1875-76. Transkei and Zulu, 1878-79. Transvaal, 1880-81. Egypt, 1882. Egypt and Soudan, 1884-85, &c.
FOURTEENTH PERIOD	Pre-dreadnaught Era, from 1890 to 1905.	Abyssinia, 1868.
FIFTEENTH PERIOD	The Era of the Dreadnaught battle-ships, from 1906 to the end of World War 1, 1916. Britain Prepared	HMS Dreadnought the ship that revolutionized naval power. HMS Warspite, fought at Jutland and the Second World War.
SIXTEENTH PERIOD	Inter-war years and World War Two, from 1917 to 1946.	HMS Hood, battlecruiser sunk by the Bismarck.
SEVENTEENTH PERIOD	Post World War II, from 1946 to 1970's. Cold War Period, the advancement of anti-submarine warships with advanced frigate deployments. Nuclear Fleet and Ballistic submarines are developed.	HMS Vanguard, last battleship built for the Royal Navy. HMS Dreadnought, first British nuclear-powered submarine. HMS Resolution, first British strategic ballistic missile submarine.
EIGHTEENTH PERIOD	1970's - End of the Century - This period saw the end of steam propulsion and the development of the marine gas turbines. Less crew complement and advanced development in electronics.	HMS Invincible, light aircraft carrier. HMS Intrepid, end of the Falklands War signed aboard. HMS Conqueror, The only nuclear powered submarine to sink an enemy ship.
NINETEENTH PERIOD	21st Century and the immediate future - New generation of Daring class destroyers. Fleet carriers and assult ships in build progress. Ships of the future.

Illustrations of Naval History