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British Royal Navy What Doctrine

Last reviewed: January 26, 2013 ~7 min read
Abstract

In this paper, we are going to be looking at the doctrine and dynamics that were utilized by the Royal Navy. This will be accomplished by focusing on the various strategies they used and how this impacted their role on the world stage for 250 years. Together, these elements will provide specific insights that will show the way the Royal Navy evolved.

British Royal Navy

What doctrine and dynamics of the British Royal Navy allowed it to dominate the seas for two and a half centuries?

British naval strategies were continually evolving over the course of 250 years. This was in response to changes in technology and the introduction of tactics that helped to give them an advantage over their adversaries. During the course of time, these techniques became essential tools in redefining warfare and the role of the navy.

The first of these innovations occurred in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. This is when a series of ships were designed to provide the British with the ability to attack and commandeer vessels at sea. To achieve these objectives, there was a focus on building the first armed ships with cannons and using shock troops (i.e. marines) to engage the enemy. This gave the British superior fire power and the ability to seize key supplies from rivals. The use of these tactics helped the Royal Navy to redefine how sea battles were fought and the kind of resources that were utilized to successfully achieve a variety of objectives.

At the same time, there was the development of various naval warfare colleges and other institutes (i.e. The Board of Longitude). These schools helped to educate officers and noncommissioned officers about variety of tactics they can use at sea. This provided them with a background in understanding their adversaries and what tools will most effectively defeat them.

Moreover, these institutes helped students to understand changing conditions on the sea and inside the world of naval warfare. The combination of these factors made the Royal Navy into a force that can attack the enemy using the knowledge and training of their personnel. This assisted them in becoming outstanding explorers and sailors. These attributes allowed them to defend their territories from vast distances and seek out new locations.

Throughout the next 250 years, this helped Britain to be at the cutting edge of exploration and navigation. For example, in 1822 the Royal Navy became the first modern fighting force to begin visiting the Artic. This was using some of the latest innovations in steam technology to give these ships more power, durability and longitude. What helped to provide them with the knowledge and skills to achieve these objectives is combining these ideas into part of basic military doctrine. As a result, from the 17th to the 20th centuries, these factors gave Great Britain a considerable advantage on the sea. This is what assisted them in having the flexibility and tools to achieve a variety of objectives.

Another doctrine that helped to illustrate the importance of British naval philosophy is the use of force to support operations in areas on land and sea. At the same time, the Royal Navy was expected to help protect British trade interests around the world. In some cases, this meant that they played a role in directly blockading key ports. While in other situations, the navy was utilized to attack targets on land. This was designed to impose British interests inside specific regions of the world.

For example, during the 1850s, they used their navy to support soldiers on the ground and enforce trade interests with the siege of Sebastopol. This allowed them to provide assistance against possible counter attack and reinforce British interests inside the region. Over the course of time, this helped to provide personnel with enough resources to achieve a variety of military and economic objectives.

A third key idea that was utilized by the Royal Navy is effectively evaluating their size in comparison with rivals. What was happening is Britain believed that it was vulnerable to attacks from the sea. This is because they are in close proximity to their main rivals and there is a history of hostilities occurring between them.

To address these issues all naval strategies in the 19th and 20th centuries focused on being the largest in the world. This was achieved by taking the second and third largest fleets (which are combined from rival countries) and ensuring that their navy was as big as both of them. This allowed the British to be able to fight numerous battles inside various theaters of operations around the globe.

At the same time, this was used to ensure that there were adequate protections in place for their different colonies. If the fleet had not been this size, there is a realistic possibility that Great Britain would have lost areas of support and influence in these regions. This gave them an advantage economically by having control over vast amounts of natural resources and wealth. The Royal Navy was a part of protecting these interests. In this aspect, these beliefs helped to ensure that they were capable of dealing with a variety of threats and issues simultaneously. Over the course of time, this allowed Britain to impose its will on others and safeguard its self-interests at all times.

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References
5 sources cited in this paper
  • Baer, George. One Hundred Years of Sea Power: The U.S. Navy, 1890-1990. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 1996.
  • Bell, Christopher. The Royal Navy Sea Power and Strategy. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2000.
  • Black, Jeremy. Naval Power: A History of Warfare and the Sea from 1500 Onwards. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
  • Rodger, N. The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 2006
  • Till, G. The Development of British Naval Thinking. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006.
Cite This Paper
PaperDue. (2013). British Royal Navy What Doctrine. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/british-royal-navy-what-doctrine-77450

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