Navy

A navy (often Navy) is the branch of a country's military forces principally designated for naval warfare, namely lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It includes operations conducted by surface vessels (ships), submarine vessels, and seaborne aviation, as well as ancillary support, communications, training, and other fields; recent developments have included space-related operations. The strategic offensive role of a Navy is projection-of-force into areas beyond a country's shores (for example, to protect sea-lanes, ferry troops, or attack other navies, ports, or shore installations). The strategic defensive purpose of a Navy is to forestall and frustrate sea-borne projection-of-force by enemies.

History

Naval warfare first developed whenever humankind conducted fighting from water-borne vessels. Prior to the introduction of the cannon, and ships with sufficient capacity to carry the large guns, naval warfare primarily involved ramming and boarding actions. In the time of Ancient Greece and the Roman empire, naval warfare centred around long, narrow vessels powered by banks of oarsmen (such as triremes and quinqueremes) designed to ram and sink enemy vessels, or come alongside the enemy vessel so its occupants could be attacked hand-to-hand. Naval warfare continued in this vein through the Middle Ages until cannon became commonplace and capable of being reloaded quickly enough to be reused in the same battle.

Related Topics:
Cannon - Ancient Greece - Roman empire - Oarsmen - Trireme - Quinquereme - Middle Ages

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The mass and deck space required to carry a large number of cannon made oar-based propulsion impossible, and ships came to rely primarily on sails. Warships were designed to carry increasing numbers of cannon, and naval tactics evolved bring a ship's firepower to bear in a broadside, with ships-of-the-line arranged in a line of battle. The development of large capacity, sail-powered ships carrying cannon led to a rapid expansion of European navies, especially the Spanish and Portuguese navies, which dominated in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, and ultimately helped propel the age of exploration and colonialism. The repulsion of the Spanish Armada (1588) by the Anglo-Dutch fleet revolutionised naval warfare by the success of a guns only strategy, and caused a major overhaul of the Spanish navy, partly along English lines, which resulted in even greater dominance by the Spanish. From the 1620s Dutch raiders began to seriously trouble Spanish shipping and finally the Dutch navy broke the long dominance of the Spanish in the Battle of the Downs (1639). England emerged as a major naval power in the mid seventeenth century in the first Anglo-Dutch war with a technical victory, but successive decisive Dutch victories in the second and third Anglo-Dutch wars confirmed the Dutch mastery of the seas during the Dutch Golden Age, which was financed largely by building the overseas Dutch empire at the expense of the Portuguese. From 1695 the Royal Navy began to more successfully assert itself and throughout the eighteenth century gradually gained increasing ascendancy over the French navy, with victories in the Spanish War of Succession (1701-1714), inconclusive battles in the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748), victories in the Seven Years War (1754-1763), a reversal during the American War of Independence (1775-1783), and consolidation into uncontested supremacy during the nineteenth century from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. These conflicts saw the development and refinement of tactics which came to be called the line of battle.

Related Topics:
Broadside - Ships-of-the-line - Line of battle - Sixteenth - Seventeenth centuries - Age of exploration - Spanish Armada - Spanish navy - Dutch navy - Battle of the Downs - England - Anglo-Dutch war - Anglo-Dutch wars - Dutch Golden Age - Dutch empire - Royal Navy - Eighteenth century - French navy - Spanish War of Succession - War of Austrian Succession - Seven Years War - American War of Independence - Nineteenth century - Battle of Trafalgar

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The next stage in the evolution of naval warfare was the introduction of metal plating along the hull sides. The increased mass required steam-powered engines, which resulted in an arms race between armor thickness and firepower. The first armoured vessels, the French FS Gloire and British HMS Warrior, made wooden vessels obsolete. Another significant improvement came with the invention of the rotating turrets, which allowed the guns to be aimed independently of ship movement. The battle between the CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor during the American civil war is often cited as the beginning of this age of maritime conflict. A further step change in naval firepower occurred when Britain launched HMS Dreadnought, but naval tactics still emphasised the line of battle.

Related Topics:
Metal plating - FS ''Gloire'' - HMS ''Warrior'' - CSS ''Virginia'' - USS ''Monitor'' - American civil war - HMS ''Dreadnought''

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A major paradigm shift in naval warfare occurred with the introduction of the aircraft carrier. First at Taranto and then in Pearl Harbor, the aircraft demonstrated its ability to strike decisively at enemy ships out of sight of surface vessels. By the end of World War II, the carrier had become the dominant force of naval warfare, although threatened by an unseen enemy, the submarine.

Related Topics:
Aircraft carrier - Taranto - Pearl Harbor - World War II - Submarine

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By the late 20th century, naval power had seen a great and varied evolution through history, and remains today a major element in the military and strategic security power of a a country's power projection capabilities, though some would suggest its importance has declined in the wake of the development of military aviation and air power. Many leading thinkers, however, suggest that navies are more important today than ever and will soon surpass armies once again as the main measure of a nation's military might.

Related Topics:
20th century - Power projection - Aviation - Air power

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