英国皇家海军

英国海军组织。在英国,首次使用有组织的海上力量的人是阿佛列大帝,他派遣舰只抵御北欧海盗的入侵。16世纪,亨利八世组成了一支装备大型火炮的舰队,并建立海军管理机构。在伊莉莎白一世的领导下,海军发展成为英国主要的防御力量,并成为英帝国全球扩张的手段。查理二世将海上力量定名为皇家海军。18世纪中,皇家海军与法国海军为争夺海上霸权进行了漫长的斗争。在英国抵御拿破仑的战争中,皇家海军发挥了关键作用。在19世纪剩下的岁月里,皇家海军有助於维持所谓英国式的和平,即依赖於英国海上霸权的长期相对和平局面。直到20世纪中叶它仍然是世界上最强大的海军。两次世界大战中,它在保护船只免遭潜艇袭击上表现活跃。今日则保持着一支装备核子武器的潜艇部队和许多水面舰艇。

Royal Navy

Naval military organization of Britain. Organized sea power was first used in England by Alfred the Great, who launched ships to repel a Viking invasion. In the 16th century, Henry VIII built a fleet of fighting ships armed with large guns and created a naval administration. Under Elizabeth I the navy developed into Britain's major defense and became the means for extending the British Empire around the globe. The maritime forces were given the name Royal Navy by Charles II. In the 18th century, it engaged in a long struggle with the French for maritime supremacy, and it later played a key role in Britain's stand against Napoleon. For the rest of the 19th century, it helped enforce what became known as the Pax Britannica, the long period of relative peace in Europe that depended on British maritime supremacy. It remained the world's most powerful navy until the mid-20th century, and it was active in protecting shipping from submarine attack in World Wars I and II. Today it maintains a fleet of nuclear-armed submarines and various surface vessels.