The British Navy

Paper Summary:

The paper states that the British Navy was unrivaled by anyone else in the entire world from the 1500s until the end of World War II. The writer explains that the British Navy helped guide England to global dominance in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The paper details the history of and victories by the British Navy. In conclusion, the writer states that the basis of Britain's power stemmed from its superior navy and that its fleets won as a result of superior organization, leadership and strategy.

From the Paper:

"The first test of the English fleet came in 1588 when the Spanish Empire, which at the time was Europe's greatest superpower, threatened England with the invasion of their Spanish Armada. They set sail to enforce the Spanish dominance of the English Channel. They not only sent the Spanish armada but also transported troops from the Spanish Netherlands to England to engage in warfare. However, the greatest victory in naval history, when the English with its vastly inferior numbers and technology defeated the Spanish Armada due to many different errors and ill fortunes for the Spanish. The armada first suffered bad weather and did not reach the English Channel on time. It also transpired that the supposed surprise of their fleet's approach did not work because of a clever set of beacons that were used throughout the English coastline so that the English had plenty of time to devise strategies for the Spanish's defeat. The combination of these elements were important in the victory. The English were able to set several of the Armada's ships alight at Calais, and through the damage there scattered the fleet and used it as a distraction to combat the fleet individually with their quicker and more organized fleet. The strategic victory at the channel was Great Britain's first major victory over any significant naval force. It allowed the English full access to the port and the channel and showed that it was now a major player in the naval forces of the world. It continued to assert its dominance over the Spanish in a series of victories during the era of Elizabeth I. The navy raided Spanish ports and ships traveling across the Atlantic Ocean but it also suffered numerous defeats to the reformed Spanish navy."

More papers on The British Navy:

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