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The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service). From the mid-18th century to the middle of the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s. In World War II the Royal Navy operated almost 900 ships. During the Cold War, it was transformed into a primarily anti submarine force hunting for Soviet submarines, mostly active in the GIUK gap. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, its role for the 21st century has returned to focus on global expiditionary operations.
The Royal Navy is a constituent component of the Naval Service which also comprises the Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Auxillary, Royal Naval, Royal Marine Reserve The Royal Navy numbers 37,500 people of whom approximately 6,000 are in the Royal Marines. |
