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The Royal Navy (RN) is the principal naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Tracing its origins to the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service. From the end of the 17th century until well into the 20th century it was the most powerful navy in the
world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power. Due to this historical prominence, it is common – also among non-Britons – to refer to it as "The Royal Navy" without qualification.
Following victory in the First World War the Royal Navy was significantly reduced in
size, although at the onset of the Second World War it was still the largest in the world. By the end of the Second World War the United States Navy had emerged as the world's largest. During the course of the Cold War, the Royal Navy transformed into a primarily anti-submarine force, hunting for Soviet submarines, mostly active in the GIUK gap. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union its focus has returned to global expeditionary operations.
The Royal Navy operates a "blue-water" fleet of technologically sophisticated ships including an aircraft carrier (though without fixed-wing aircraft), a helicopter carrier, two landing platform docks, four ballistic missile submarines (which maintain the UK's nuclear deterrent), six nuclear fleet submarines, six guided missile destroyers, 13 frigates, 15 mine-countermeasure vessels and 24 patrol vessels. As of July 2012, there were 78 commissioned ships in the Royal Navy, plus 19 commissioned ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
(RFA). The RFA primarily serves to replenish Royal Navy warships at sea, and also augments the Royal Navy's amphibious warfare capabilities through its three Bay-class landing ship dock vessels.
The Royal Navy is part of the Naval Service, which also comprises the Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve. The professional head of the Naval Service is the First Sea Lord, an Admiral and member of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom. The Defence Council delegates management of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence. The Royal Navy currently operates three bases in the United Kingdom where commissioned ships are based; Portsmouth, Clyde and
Devonport, Plymouth, the latter being the largest operational naval base in Western Europe.
After
almost a thousand years the modern British Navy continues to
defend the waters of the British Isles into the 21st Century
...............
Medical
Branch | Uniforms |
The
Future | Ship's
Badges and Flags
The
Royal Navy Today | Capabilities |
Strategic
Plan
History
ROYAL
NAVY SUBMARINES
The
Royal Navy's submarine force can strike against ships
and submarines as well as providing support for land
operations. Unseen and unheard submarines can
pinpoint targets up to 1,000 miles away. They are the
UK's strategic nuclear deterrent.
Ballistic
submarines | Fleet
submarines | How
submarines work
Future
submarines | LR5
submarine rescue system | Submarine
history
Submarine
FAQ's | Fishing
Vessel Code
ROYAL NAVY
SHIPS
Patrol
boats to aircraft carriers - an extensive guide to
surface ships of the Royal Navy with individual
explanation of the role they play and links to the
homepages of individual ships.
Aircraft
Carriers
| Type
23 Frigates | Type
22 Frigates
Type
42 Destoyers | Assault
Ships | Patrol
Vessels
Hydrographic
Vessels
| Mine
Countermeasures | Weapon
Systems
Future
Ships | The
Fleet Today
ROYAL NAVY'S
HISTORY
The
Royal Navy has fewer ships today, yet its firepower is
far greater than at any time in the past. The Royal Navy
continues to maintain the most important tradition of
striving for the best equipment and dedicated personnel.
Since King Alfred's battle against the Danes in 897
through to the Falklands War of 1982 - from the
impressive Sovereign of the Seas in the Seventeenth
Century to the revolutionary battleship HMS Dreadnought
in the Twentieth, the links pages below offer some of
the famous Naval battles, people and ships from over a
thousands years of history.
Historical
Periods
| Naval
Leaders | Napoleon
Bonaparte
1769-1821
Admiral
Lord
Nelson 1758-1805
| Ships
| Battles
| Timeline
DEFENCE
LINKS
|
Ministry
of Defence (MOD)
The official web site includes the MOD daily
news web site
"Defence Today."
www.mod.uk
|
British Army
Official website of the British Army. www.army.mod.uk
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Royal
Air Force
Official website of the Royal Air Force.
www.raf.mod.uk
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Royal
Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary supplies the Royal
Navy with all its food, fuel, ammunitions and
spares. www.rfa.mod.uk
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International Defence
Training
Royal Navy training designed and delivered to
meet the needs of any commercial or government
organisation. www.idtroyalnavy.mod.uk
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Flagship Training
Have a partnering arrangement with the Naval
Recruiting & Training Agency to market
training to overseas navies, related naval
agencies and industry. www.flagshiptraining.co.uk
|
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MOD On-line Image Database
This site holds a selection of images
from Service and MOD Photographers.
MOD
On-line Image Database
|
Freedom of Information
Mod Publication Scheme and material
released under Freedom of Information
Act 2000. www.foi.mod.uk/
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FOREIGN
NAVIES
|
United
States Navy
Official Website of the United States Navy.
www.navy.mil
|
Royal Australian Navy
Official Website of the Royal Australian Navy.
www.navy.gov.au
|
|
Royal
Canadian Navy
Official Website of the Royal Canadian Navy.
www.navy.dnd.ca
|
Royal New Zealand Navy
Official Website of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
www.navy.mil.nz
|
|
Dutch Navy
Official Website of the Dutch Navy. www.mindef.nl
|
French Navy
Official Website of the French Navy.
French Navy
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MUSEUM
LINKS
|
National
Maritime Museum
The largest Maritime Museum in the world.
Currently holds details of Nelson's Tour 2002. www.nmm.ac.uk
|
Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum is unique in its
coverage of conflicts, especially those
involving Britain and the Commonwealth. www.iwm.org.uk
|
|
Royal
Naval Museum
Museum of Britain’s Senior Service in
Portsmouth. www.royalnavalmuseum.org
|
Royal Marines Museum
The Royal Marines Museum is dedicated to the
preservation and presentation of all aspects of
Royal Marines history. www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk
|
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The
Fleet Air Arm Museum
One of the largest aviation museums in the
World. www.fleetairarm.com
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Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Walk on board a real submarine. Discover true
tales of heroism and relive a life under the
sea.
www.rnsubmus.co.uk
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Chatham
Historic Dockyard
Covering some 23,000 square feet, the Museum of
the Royal Dockyard is one of the largest single
museum galleries in Kent. www.worldnavalbase.org.uk
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Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Live and breathe our nation's heritage through
three of the most important warships ever built.
The Mary Rose, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. www.flagship.org.uk
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FURTHER
LINKS
|
The
Royal Naval Association
The Royal Naval Association (RNA) is the
principle organisation for those who have served
in our
Naval Forces. www.royal-naval-association.co.uk
|
The Royal Marines Band
Blue Band Mag online - includes articles,
details of future concerts and displays,
pictures of the bands in action.
www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk
|
|
Public
Record Office
The PRO is the national repository for the
archives of all the government departments.
www.pro.gov.uk
|
UK Online
UK Online is the entry point to UK government
information and services
on the Web.
www.ukonline.gov.uk
|
|
Royal
Naval Reserve
A site to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the
Royal Naval Reserve.
www.rnr100.com
|
Fly Navy Heritage
Provides information on all aspects of Fleet Air
Arm heritage and allows donations to be made. www.flynavyheritage.org.uk
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The
Armed Forces Art Society
Tri-service organisation for artists serving,
retired and their spouses. It encourages art in
the Services by organising a major annual
exhibition at The Mall Galleries in London. www.afas.org.uk
|
Friends of the Royal Navy
A selection of non-official privately developed
websites which look at various aspects of the
past, present and the future Royal Navy.
Royal Navy Net Ring
|
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Sea
Vision
A campaign brought together to raise
awareness of the UK maritime sector and careers.
www.seavisionuk.org
|
The Royal Marines Web Ring
A collection of non-official privately developed
websites designed to provide information on this
Elite Corps.
Royal Marines Web Ring
|
|
Commonwealth
War Graves Commission
A vital resource for anyone seeking details
about a wartime casualty from the First World
War onwards.
Commonwealth War Graves
Commission
|
Submarine Association
Information about UK submarines past and
present and the men who sail in them.
www.submariners.co.uk
|
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The
Marine Society Provides education, libraries
and financial support for the professional
development of seafarers. marine-society
|
British Forces Post Office
Information on all the BFPO numbers and details
of how to contact service personnel whilst in
theatre. www.bfpo.org.uk
|
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HMS
Endurance
Tracking Project
Following route of HMS Endurance from
Portsmouth to Antarctica
www.visitandlearn.co.uk
|
Navy News
The Online News of the Royal Navy
www.navynews.co.uk
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FURTHER
CONTACTS
|
Service
Records and Medals
Click here to acquire information on
Service Records for serving or past members of
the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and medals:
Obtaining
RN and RM Service Records & Medals
|
Contact
Ships at Sea
Find
out how
to contact Royal Navy ships at sea and RN/RM
units serving abroad:
Contact
Ships at Sea
|
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Further
Sources of Information
Click here for further
information about the Royal Navy from a list
of useful names and addresses or organisations
belonging to, or associated with the Service:
Further
Sources of Information on the Royal Navy
|
Resettlement
Points of contact for personnel leaving the
forces and for employers looking to employ
ex-service personnel can be found at the
following link:
Armed
Forces Personnel Resettlement
|
CAREER
INFORMATION
|
Careers
can be found within the careers
web pages. In addition, there is clear
advice on the nationality and residency
guidelines necessary to join the UK Armed
Forces within the eligibility
section.
Other
career enquiries should be directed towards
the nearest Officer
Career Liaison Centre or Armed
Forces Careers Offices.
If
you are enquiring of the Royal Navy from
overseas it is better to use the online
contact form. The RN will usually
send details of an advisor in the UK. If
however there is a specific question related
to non UK qualifications or residency rules,
etc. an e-mail enquiry can be made to the
following address:
hq@dnr.mod.uk |
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