Royal Navy

Royal Navy
Naval Ensign
Active	1707 - present
Country	Kingdom of Great Britain
Type	Navy
Colours	Red and White

The Royal Navy of Great Britain was a large naval force, rivalling the French and Spanish Navies, though it would not be until the Napoleonic Wars that it would reach global prominence as the most powerful navy.

History

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 Navy had become the British navy.

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. This financing enabled the navy to become the powerful force of the later 18th century without bankrupting the country. Naval operations in the War of the Spanish Succession were at first focused on the acquisition of a Mediterranean base, culminating in an alliance with Portugal and the capture of Gibraltar (1704) and Port Mahon (1708). The middle part of the century was occupied with the War of the Austrian Succession and the lesser known War of Jenkins' Ear against Spain. In the latter war, the British deployed a very large amphibious force under Admiral Edward Vernon in the Battle of Cartagena, aiming to capture this major Spanish colonial port in modern day Colombia. Following an able defense assisted by strong fortifications, and the ravages of disease, the British failed in their attempts suffering heavy casualties. The Navy also saw action in the Seven Years' War. The latter part of the century saw action in the American Revolutionary War where the Navy was defeating the fledgling Continental Navy until French intervention in 1778. The most important operation of the war came in 1781 when during the Battle of the Chesapeake the British failed to lift the French blockade of Lord Cornwallis, resulting in a British surrender in the Battle of Yorktown. Although combat was over in North America, it continued in the Caribbean (Battle of the Saintes) and India, where the British experienced both successes and failures.