© Crown Copyright MOD; National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London; Imperial War Museum
Her Majesty The Queen surveying the fleet during the International Fleet Review, part of Trafalgar 200
powerful image? The development of the Royal Navy in defence of the British Isles has a remarkable history. For our island nation, our maritime
heritage runs deep. So deep, in fact, that we don’t, for example, always realise that the everyday language we use is enriched with nautical terms that were common in a bygone age when Britannia ruled the waves. Britain had developed only modest
seaborne defences a thousand years ago and so our island was easy prey for those that wished to step ashore on British soil – marauding Vikings in their longships and tenacious Roman legions found they met little organised resistance during their short sea crossings.
Threats of invasion However, through the following centuries, threats of invasion were to become a reality with the arrival of William the Conqueror and his army on the beaches of Sussex in 1066, and much later (1688), William of Orange. Also the rapid increase of seaborne trade, frequently the victim of
Our maritime heriitage runs so deep that we don’t always realise that the everyday language we use is enriched with nautical terms that were common in a bygone age when Britannia ruled the waves
acts of piracy, called for the organisation of a fortified British Navy, a navy that had become more significantly developed during the reign of Henry VIII, blossoming into the glorious decades of naval supremacy and global exploration under Elizabeth I. The legendary successes and excesses of Sir Francis Drake added to the aura of the indomitable spirit of Britain’s naval supremacy at sea. So continued the remarkable develop-
ment of Britain’s Navy, given the added defensive geographical benefits of half a dozen safe harbours along England’s south coast, whereas the opposing French navy had few sheltered havens and the few they had, such as Brest, were continually under close blockade by British naval ships in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. During the Seven Years War
Our Maritime Nation
The Sea The UK is an island nation with 10,500 miles of coastline and 600 ports. It is totally dependant on the sea for its economic prosperity.
UK Trade 92% of UK trade by volume (586 million tonnes) goes by sea (air freight is 2 million tonnes). The UK-flagged merchant fleet has expanded nearly five times since 2000. Sea transport is the UK’s 3rd largest service sector.
Energy Security The UK is already a net importer of oil, the majority of which comes from the Middle East. 40% of UK energy needs is met by gas and by 2011 we will import as much as 50% of this.
Globalised Trade 80% of International Trade (8.3 billion tonnes) goes by sea. This takes over a million sailors manning nearly 50,000 ships and generates £380 billion per annum.
Vulnerability of the Sea Lanes Global maritime trade relies on the free and lawful use of the sea. 95% of global trade passes through just nine inevitably vulnerable chokepoints. Maritime piracy is also increasing.
UK Dependencies There are 14 British Overseas Territories or Crown Dependencies and 5.5 million Britons living overseas.
www.armedforcesday.org.uk SHOW YOUR SUPPORT 23
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