sea power and maritime affairs lesson 3: oceanic sea power and the emergence of european nation...
TRANSCRIPT
Sea Power and Maritime Affairs
Lesson 3: Oceanic Sea Power and the Emergence of European Nation States, 1400s-1763
Learning Objectives:• The student will comprehend the importance of
sea borne commerce and square-rigged ocean-going merchantmen and warships to Europe's emergence from the Middle Ages.
• The student will know the important voyages of discovery and the reasons they were organized.
• The student will comprehend the succession of great maritime powers in the 15th through the 17th centuries (Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Britain) and the reasons for the rise of each and the decline of all except Britain.
Learning Objectives (cont.):
• The student will comprehend the causes and significance of the Grand Armada (1586-1588) to include the transition from galley warfare to that between sailing ships mounting cannon in broadsides.
• The student will comprehend the important historical events and strategic goals of France and Britain in their confrontations from the late 1600s to 1763.
• The student will know the major effects of events in Anglo-French relations on their colonial possessions in North America and around the world from the late 1600s to 1763.
What Were Those Themes Again?
• The Navy as an Instrument of Foreign Policy
• Interaction between Congress and the Navy
• Interservice Relations• Technology• Leadership• Strategy and Tactics• Evolution of Naval Doctrine
What Were Those Themes Again?
• The Navy as an Instrument of Foreign Policy
• Interaction between Congress and the Navy
• Interservice Relations• Technology• Leadership• Strategy and Tactics• Evolution of Naval Doctrine
Review From Last Class:
• “Communications dominate war”• What was the primary naval vessel
from 2500 B.C. to 1571?• Who were some of the early sea
powers in the Mediterranean?• What were some of the major naval
actions during the ancient period?
Age of Sail
The 16th Century through the 19th Century.
Why did Western Europe emerge at this time?• There were several reasons that
Western Europe became a major player in international trade and commerce:• Dissimilar climate, geography, and peoples • Navigable rivers and surrounding coastal
waters • Growth of middle class of artisans, merchants,
and tradesmen. • Development of systems of exchange, banking,
investment, and insurance. • Rise in disposable income created demands for
foods and goods from other continents.
Sailing Ships• Galleys useless on Atlantic Ocean due to high
sea states and poor weather.
• Merchant ships developed into caravels and then galleons.• Forecastles and aftercastles developed.• Initially grappling hooks are used for boarding
enemy ships, then cannon are used to attack at longer range.
• Improvements in navigation.• Magnetic compass and “dead reckoning” or
DR.• Angle of stars above the horizon provided
latitude.• Allowed longer voyages away from land.
Difficulties of Navigation in the 15th – 18th Centuries:
• What is Dead ReckoningHow did mariners find direction?How did they measure speed?
• Finding Latitude:Required a steady platform and a knowledge of
mathematicsReflecting quadrant – 1731Sextant -- 1757
• Finding Longitude:Utterly impossible for the early marinerThe chronograph was invented in 1761
Early Navigational Equipment:
A Typical Caravel:
The Age of Exploration:Portugal:• Prince Henry “The Navigator” – began exploration of Africa• Bartholomew Diaz – rounded Cape of Good Hope (1486) searching
for a maritime route to the Orient• Vasco de Gama – sea route to India (1497) – conflict with Arabs• Cabral – voyaged to Brazil
Spain:• Columbus – discovered the Americas (1492) – named for Amerigo
Vespucci• Magellan – circumnavigated the Globe (1519-1522)• The Conquistadors:
Balboa – Panama (1513) Ponce de Leon – Florida (1513) Cortez – Mexico (1520) – destroys Aztec Empire Pizarro – Peru (1532_ -- destroys Inca Empire
Prince HenryofPortugal
“The Navigator”
ChristopherColumbus
Admiralof the
Ocean Seas
Spain vs. England (1567-1604):• Spain = Superpower
• Conflicts with France for N Europe, Turkey for the Med.
• Spanish Netherlands revolts and serves as distraction from quest for Sea Control.• Spanish king, Philip II sends large army to
Netherlands, 1566.
• England’s options limited, creates “Cold War”
King Phillip II & Queen Elizabeth I:
The Spanish Armada, 1567-1585
1588 - The Spanish Armada:English Fleet
•34 large warships•163 smaller vessels
•2,000 guns
•16,000 men
Advantage:•Range/Accuracy of Weapons•Maneuverability•Leadership
Spanish Armada•62 large warships•68 smaller vessels
•1,100 guns
•27,000 men
Advantage:•Pounds per Gun
- Total weight of broadside.
•Personnel
The English Upper Hand: • Spanish: Duke of Medina Sidonia• English: Charles Howard of Effingham,
Lord Admiral of England• Tactics
• “Weather Gage” effectively utilized by British.• Held upwind position.
• Now able to “off-fight” with longer range guns.• Previously ships had to make physical contact to
engage.
• Maneuverability now more important.• English had superior seamanship skills.
Route of theSpanish Armada:
Defeat of the Spanish Armada: • Spanish defeated in English Channel.
• Many Spanish ships wrecked in North Sea storm.
• Spain and its empire begin a long period of decline.
• England begins to establish overseas colonies - America.
• English Lesson:• Decisions at sea were henceforth to be
reached not by hand-to-hand combat but with naval guns
Rise of English Sea Power:• Mid-1500’s - England begins to develop a standing fighting
fleet under Henry VIII.• Sea power vital to English (British) victory in a series of
conflicts with other European powers:• Spain (1567-1604)• Holland (1652-1674)• France (1689-1815)
• English Navy is of primary importance to the defense of England and its growing overseas empire.• Designated Royal Navy in 1660 by King Charles II.
• England (including Wales) and Scotland form United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 and add Ireland in 1801.• British Empire continues to grow overseas.
• Naval tactics developed and formalized.
• Forecastles and Aftercastles eliminated.• Increased speed and stability.
• Multiple decks with gunports.• More guns added.
• Full-rigging.• Faster speeds.
• Many sailors.• Needed to man
sails and guns.
Men of War:
And now for todays…
POP QUIZ!
True or False:
The poop deck was used for defecating?
FALSE!
In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that constitutes the roof of a poop cabin built in the aft (rear) part of the superstructure of a ship. The name originates from the Latin puppis, or the elevated stern deck. In sailing ships, with the steerage at the stern, an elevated position was ideal for both navigation and observation of the crew.
An urban legend suggests that the name comes from the practice of sailors going to the poop deck to poop, i.e. defecate.[1] This is not correct, since facilities for this purpose were located at the bow (forward end) of the ship. (See head). Only the captain had his private toilet near his quarters, below the poop deck.
Men of War:Propulsion: SailArmament: Guns (Broadside)Formation: Line-Ahead
Rate Guns Decks Notes1 > 100 3 Ships of the Line (Flag)2 80-100 3 Ships of the Line (Flag)3 60-80 2 ? Ships of the Line
(Private)4 50-60 1 2 Cruisers (Flag)5 30-44 1 Cruisers
(Frigates)6 20-28 1 Cruisers (Sloops,
Brigs & Schooners)
Man of War- Ship of the Line
Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1674):
• Series of three naval wars. (1652-54, 1665-67, 1672-74)
• Dutch United Provinces gain maritime trade monopolies.
• Use dominant sea power to advantage after independence from Spain in 1609.
• Challenged by Cromwell’s England: Builds the Navy
• Navigation Act, 1651
Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1674)
• Dutch weaknesses• Dependent upon sea for livelihood• Had to fortify land frontier• Did not have ships of the line• Not tactically savvy (vis-à-vis British)
Anglo-Dutch Wars (1652-1674)
• English naval tactics developed: “Fighting Instructions”• “Line ahead” formations become standard.
• Provides ability to fire “broadsides” at enemy fleet.
• Royal Navy debates between Formal and Melee schools.
• Dutch loses possessions in North America.• Hudson Valley and New Amsterdam (New York
City)• Fatal weaknesses: Dependent on sea, threats
from other continental powers, configured for shallow water.
Line Ahead Formations:
Wind
Weather Gage
Lee Gage
Fleet Advantages
• Weather Gage• Held by the upwind fleet.• Ability to determine the time and range
of engagement of the enemy fleet.
• Lee Gage• Held by the downwind fleet.• Ability to determine the time of
disengagement from the enemy fleet.
Ships of the Line:• Only heavily gunned ships able to remain
in line ahead formation during battle.• Greater than 80 guns required.
• Smaller ships (cruisers) detached for patrol, reconnaissance, blockade, and attacks on enemy merchant ships (commerce raiding).
• Fleet with better gunnery skills can gain the advantage.• Importance of training sailors to fire guns
rapidly and accurately.
Continued Development of Formal Tactics:
Wind
Formal Tactics
Wind
Formal Tactics
Wind
Melee Tactics Theory”• To gain the advantage, one needs to
concentrate firepower against the enemy fleet.• Allows a superior weight of broadside.
• A conterminous line-ahead formation does not allow firepower to be massed.
• Must maneuver the fleet to gain the advantage in firepower.• Massing• Doubling• Breaking the Line
Melee Tactics:
Wind
Melee Tactics
“Massing”
Wind
Melee TacticsWind
Melee Tactics
“Doubling”
Wind
Melee Tactics
Wind
Melee Tactics
“Breaking the Line”
Wind
Anglo-French Conflicts (1689-1775):
• Great Britain fears France's threat to become militarily dominant in Europe.• Continental element:
• France Army 5-to1 to the British• Britain monetarily and militarily subsidies her continental
allies
• Maritime element:• Britain prospered through commerce across the Atlantic• Royal Navy “shows the flag” from warships• Britain gaining timber and Naval supplies from the Baltic.• Britain maintained a fleet twice the size of France
• Permanent Fighting Instructions adopted by Royal Navy.• Results of sea battles support the use of formal tactics.
Permanent Fighting Instructions:
Wind
Van RearCenter
Tactics:• French Navy - Defensive
• Desired to hold the lee gage.
• Able to retire in order to save ships.
• Unable to devote resources to Navy due to wars in Europe.
• Fired on the “up roll” to target rigging (masts and sails).
• Reduce British ability to maneuver into attack position.
• Few British casualties.
• Royal Navy - Offensive• Desired to hold the weather gage.
• Advantage to the attacking fleet.
• Fired on the “down roll” into the enemy hulls
• Splinters and debris killed and maimed French gun crews.
• High numbers of French casualties.
Wind
British Fleet
French Fleet
Anglo-French Conflicts (1689-1775):War of English Succession (1689-1697):
• English goal: Contain French aggression; maintain balance of power on continent of Europe.
• Battle of Beachy Head (1690), Battle of Barfleur (1692)
• Louis XIV lost the war; France abandoned its continental conquests; acknowledged William of Orange as King of England.
War of Spanish Succession (1703-1713):• Britain acquires possessions of France and her allies
(e.g., Spain, Gibraltar)• Battle of Malaga: Tactically indecisive, but French
"flinched under bombardment" and re treated to port. • Great Britain was now leader in maritime commerce
and clearly the "Mistress of the Seas."
Seven Years’ War (1756-1763):
Battle for Minorca 20 May 1756:
• April 1756 French amphibious landing on Minorca
• British attempt to send reinforcements
• Formal Fighting Instructions prevented maneuvers
• Refocused interest on more flexible tactics
Seven Years’ War (1756-1763):
Significance: • Geopolitical: Genuine world war; fought in German states,
Mediterranean, Canada, West Indies, India, Africa, and Philippines.
• Strategic: Classic example of conflict between land power (France) and sea power (England).
Great Britain Key to victory -- “Pitt’s Plan” of William Pitt the Elder:
• “Hitting” - Attack overseas colonies of France and Spain.• “Holding” - French battle fleet through blockade of ports.
• Support continental allies: Frederick the Great of Prussia.
“Pitt’s Plan”:
• Subsidize one or more allies on Continent
• Use own fleet to• raid enemy coasts, thereby holding
enemy troops away from allies• blockade enemy and destroy his fleet• convoy and support own troops in
seizing enemy’s overseas colonies and associated seaborne trade
Seven Years’ War (1756-1763)• French counter-strategy
• Raid British maritime commerce• Defend French Colonies• Try to invade England
• Known as “French and Indian War” in America.• British Siege of Quebec - 1759.
• Wolfe defeats Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham.
• British defeat French at Battle of Quiberon Bay - 1759.
• Peace of Paris - 1763• Great Britain obtains Canada, U.S. East of
Mississippi River to Appalachian Mts., Florida, and much of India.
Siege of Quebec:
Battle of Quiberon Bay - 1759
• Royal Navy establishes absolute control of the sea.
• French plan to invade Great Britain is thwarted.
Ongoing debate????• Lessons from the Seven Years’ War• Potter, Nimitz, Mahan will conclude:
• Naval power, or sea power, was "pervasive and inexorable."
• Naval predominance was decisive in a world war.
• Paul Kennedy will conclude:• Sea power was only one component of British
strategy during the period. • A "continental" element was always present in
the British considerations.
Learning Objectives• The student will comprehend the importance of
sea borne commerce and square-rigged ocean-going merchantmen and warships to Europe's emergence from the Middle Ages.
• The student will know the important voyages of discovery and the reasons they were organized.
• The student will comprehend the succession of great maritime powers in the 15th through the 17th centuries (Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Britain) and the reasons for the rise of each and the decline of all except Britain.
Learning Objectives• The student will comprehend the causes
and significance of the Grand Armada (1586-1588) to include the transition from galley warfare to that between sailing ships mounting cannon in broadsides.
• The student will comprehend the important historical events and strategic goals of France and Britain in their confrontations from the late 1600s to 1763.
Learning Objectives• The student will know the major
effects of events in Anglo-French relations on their colonial possessions in North America and around the world from the late 1600s to 1763.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Next Lesson: The American Revolution
For Next Class:• Potter Chapters 1 & 2 (review of last two lessons)• Hagan Chapter 1 / Atlas p. 3-20 (preparation for
next lecture)
• Quiz #1 will cover the information presented in Lessons 1, 2, 3:• Sea Power in the Ancient Mediterranean
World, from the Phoenicians to the Battle of Lepanto (1571)
• Oceanic Sea Power and the Emergence of European Nation States, 1400s-1763
• Study with the Learning Objectives in mind• Format: multiple choice, fill-in, timeline, short
answer• Come see me if you have any questions or concerns!!!• Read and understand the speaker notes!