Royal Navy

 

History of the Royal Navy

The first reformation the Navy Royal, as it was then known, occurred in the 16th century during the reign of Henry VII who funded fighting ships by an import levy. His ships were based at the Tower of London. Henry VIII ordered a major expansion of the fleet, which increased from five ships in 1509 to thirty in 1514 including the Henri Grace a Dieu and Mary Rose. Most of the fleet was laid up after 1525 but, because of the break with the Catholic Church, 27 new ships were built with money from the sale of the monasteries as well as forts and blockhouses.  

The Royal Navy was formally created as the national naval force of England in 1660, following the Restoration of King Charles II to the throne. It became the naval force of the Kingdom of Great Britain when, under the Acts of Union in 1707, the Royal Scots Navy by then numbering just three ships, merged with the English Navy and the modern Royal Navy came into being. The Royal Scots Navy (or Old Scots Navy) was the navy of the Kingdom of Scotland from its foundation in the 11th century. The Royal Navy had become the British navy.

The English Navy had no defined moment of formation; it started out as a motley assortment of “King’s ships” during the Middle Ages, assembled only as needed and then dispersed, began to take shape as a standing navy during the 16th century, and became a regular establishment during the tumults of the 17th century.

 

The early 18th century saw the Royal Navy with more ships than other navies. Although it suffered severe financial problems throughout the earlier part of this period, modern methods of financing government and in particular, the Navy, were developed.

 

The height of the Navy’s achievements came on 21 October 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar where a numerically smaller but more experienced British fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Lord Nelson decisively defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet. This eventually led to almost uncontested power over the world’s oceans from 1805 to 1914, when it came to be said that “Britannia ruled the waves”.

 

Between 1793 and 1815 the Royal Navy lost 344 vessels due to non-combat causes: 75 by foundering, 254 shipwrecked and 15 from accidental burnings or explosions. In the same period it lost 103,660 seamen: 84,440 by disease and accidents, 12,680 by shipwreck or foundering, and 6,540 by enemy action. To this day, the Hydrographic Office is responsible for Admiralty Charts and they were founded by Royal Warrant in 1808. The Hydrographic office was part of the Admiralty buildings in Whitehall and was the reason the Admiralty Library was originally established. Royal Navy vessels on surveying missions carried out extensive scientific work. Charles Darwin travelled around the world on HMS Beagle, making scientific observations which led him to propose the idea of evolution.

 

The Royal Navy ship HMS Terrible, commissioned on 24th march 1898 was a sister to HMS Powerful and was a Cruiser 1st class.  

 

Naval 6 inch12 pounder in Ladysmith   

 

The following letter was written at 7.30am on Christmas Day, 1899, by Lionel Halsey, of the Princess Victoria Battery at Ladysmith, to his mother, who lived at 73 Eaton Place in London

 

My Dearest Mother,

I have been thinking of you all so much since a very early hour this morning, and wishing you all sorts of nice things, and a merry, merry Christmas, though I know you will be very anxious about Arthur and myself. I wish to goodness I was with you all today. What fun we would have.

The Boers gave us a very early Christmas box today in the shape of several shell and rifle bullets at 4.45am, and they are still going on with the smaller ones. My men have decorated up the gun and parapet with green stuff, and are very lively under the circumstances. I was so pleased to have the good fortune yesterday to procure 16 pounds of fresh pork, which I bought at a fabulous price and gave them, just the right amount as I have 17 men up here. They were most grateful as they’ll get precious little else except trek ox and bread, though the commissariat depot managed to serve out some flour and raisins for them to make puddings with. I only hope the Boers wont go on firing all day.

I meant to go down to a church service that was held at 5.30am, but of course couldn’t leave the gun, but let some of my men go, at their own request I’m glad to say. There’s no news of any sort to write. We’ve had a bad week of it there having been one or two very unlucky shells in, and one on Friday killed six, mortally wounded four and wounded six more but less severely. Another one wounded five officers of the 5th Lancers. There is such a good chap in that regiment, Parker by name, a brother of Frank Parker. He often comes and sees me up here, and we talk of people we know. He always says that Frank never ceases to talk of Gaddesden and its kind occupants and doesn’t know how he would have existed without all your kindness to him.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was lent a horse and in the afternoon rode to our southern lines and went all over the defences, which I don’t think are a patch on ours, but of course they are not so much harassed by heavy gunfire, but they have a bad time and are sniped at all day apparently.

You can realise how we are just longing and longing and hoping to be relieved. I fear the cavalry will either have to lose their horses or be sent out very soon, as I believe forage is nearly out. We can go on trek ox for some time yet, but one does miss real good meals, though I don’t groan at all, as we are better off than any other regiment by far, and even now have seven or eight fowl up our sleeves, and a little tinned stuff left.

I regret to say that we had two more deaths last week and several are very bad. Five Mids out of the seven are sick, three with dysentery and two enteric and we have 47 men bad. I wish one could get one’s letters and papers – it would be a good Christmas present. One feels quite out of the world; it is two months since we arrived here on what is known to us as ‘Mournful Monday’. I’m not going to write more than a sheet as I am sure one must repeat oneself over and over again, and I always post the letters directly I finish them, so you will get a good old budget when Ladysmith is relieved.

As far as I remember I said about a month ago that we hoped to be relieved in a few days. Now I don’t expect anything and then one cannot be disappointed. The General told Capt Lambton that I made very good shooting, which has pleased us both. On Saturday I got in three very good shots at one of their big six-inch guns, and they saw a stretcher being carried, and so it looks as though one did do a certain amount of damage, though one would think they could manage to keep clear having a huge tract of country to shelter in, whereas of course we are boxed up. However, I hope before long that the tables will be turned. A correspondent of one of the English newspapers, Maxwell by name, went out last night to try and get south to General Buller. I hope he succeeded, but it is very doubtful, I fear, as none of our Kaffir or Basuto runners have got through for some time.

With very best love for Father and all the family and the best of wishes to you all.

Believe me ever.

                                       Sir Percy Scott                           

                  Percy Scott