Sir Francis Drake successfully commanded the Fleet

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Outline History of the Royal Navy
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King Alfred is credited as founder of the navy.
In a battle in 897, Alfred used his ships to
defeat a Viking force raiding the south coast.
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Henry VIII built up his fleet to 58 vessels,
(known as the Navy Royal. The most famous was
the Mary Rose
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Case Study Mary Rose
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Elizabeth I inherited 27 ships but encouraged
private ships to fight alongside her own.
In 1558, Sir Francis Drake successfully commanded
the Fleet against the Spanish Armada.
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Case Study Sir Frances Drake
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King Charles II came to the throne in 1660 and
inherited a huge fleet of 154 ships. This was a
professional fighting force and the beginning of
the Royal Navy.
Between 16881815 there were many battles with
the French, the most famous, the Battle of
Trafalgar, in 1805. We also fought the Dutch and
the Spanish over this period.
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Case Study Lord Nelson
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Case Study Trafalgar
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In 1861 Britain commissioned the ironclad HMS
Warrior and these ships eventually replaced the
old wooden sailing ships.
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The worlds first Aircraft Carrier HMS Argus took
part in WW1 at Gallipoli in 1915. In 1916 the
large British battle cruisers met the German
Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland. Both sides
took losses but the German Fleet never really
threatened again.
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WW2 was a major success for sea power with the
Royal Navy supporting land forces on several
fronts, providing cover to the various convoys,
and fighting in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and
Pacific.
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Since 1945 the Navy has slimmed down but the
Falklands War 1982 was a remarkable demonstration
of maritime power projection, retaking the
islands over 8,000 miles from Britain.
IWM
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Today, the Royal Navy continues to play a vital
role for the United Kingdom by providing a
capable presence wherever in the world it is
required.
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