Rule Britannia

by Peter Padfield

The Royal Navy of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a legendary it claimed supremacy in every ocean, policed the empire and helped Britain to establish itself as a global superpower. During this period the Royal Navy was completely transformed, from the wooden walls of Nelson’s time to the steel dreadnoughts, destroyers and submarines which fought at Jutland. Peter Padfield describes the struggle to adapt to the radical changes which affected every aspect of weapons, tactics, education, propulsion, training and social attitudes. Rule Britannia looks, in human terms, at the background to the legends that accumulate around any service as splendid and uniquely powerful as the Royal Navy, and sets down the reality in the words of those who served. Praise for Rule ‘The best naval historian of his generation’ - John Keegan Peter Padfield lives in Woodbridge, Suffolk. He worked with P&O and sailed with Alan Villiers in Mayflower II in commemoration of the journey of the Pilgrim Fathers. The Titanic and The Californian won him international recognition as a writer. He is also the author of classic biographies of Hess, Donitz and Himmler and has written widely on the sea, including a work on naval gunnery.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read of a great book. This work provides a fascinating history of the Royal Navy from the 1830s to ~1910, a period of massive and continuous changes across many areas: technology, tactics, culture, education, and strategy. The lessons for today’s US Navy are many and useful. Despite the ongoing changes there was a core “reactionary” element in the Navy which continued to seek order and practicality in order to best meet the mission at hand; this element was both a salve in preventing too much change but also a hindrance through limitations in some innovations. The major changes in ship construction and armament resulted in an uncertain tactical landscape with varied theories abounding (jeune ecole, ramming, cruiser raiding, etc), few of which were supported by real-world examples but all of which were necessary to motivate continued technical developments. Also well documented was the steady pull away from the core mission of European sea control by the gunboat diplomacy and expeditionary operations which supported Britain’s most pressing strategic missions. Yet, despite these stressors, the “Edwardian Renaissance” was a successful counter to the presence of Great Power Competition against Germany in lieu of the chimera which the Russian/French threat had become. This Renaissance was enable by an educated and motivated Naval Office corps who were both comfortable with the new technology and understanding of the need for continued Fleet Readiness. One is left with the impression that the Great War at sea was won by the British both through the disciplined atmosphere generated by the “reactionary” elements in the chaos of change and the push for continued improvements by the “innovative” elements in their understanding of the understood the importance of change - it was not an either/or choice. Highly recommended for those wanting to know more about the effects of change over time on a Naval Organization.

[Alan Carlson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read more like the notes for an historical novel a la Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin than a history as such. Extremely Anglocentric, to the exclusion of even a passing mention of other 19th Century naval battles (Heligoland 1848 and 1864; Lissa; American Civil War); in its persistent drumbeat of giving credit to Brits for any and all naval inventions (mechanical and strategic) in the Victorian and Edwardian period, it read very much like an old copy of Soviet Life.

[Mike Nesemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for readers with a particular interest in British History, or naval history in general. By 1898 the Empire was > 4.5 million sq miles, 1/5 th world surface, yet the British Army had less than 100,000 men, with an additional 148,000 in the Indian Army. It seems to me the 100,000 men in The Royal Navy made this remarkable Empire possible. This is a good overview of that Navy and how it worked, including not only the "minor" wars and gunboat diplomacy, but also it's remarkable scientific contributions, e.g., global charting and explorations. There are plenty of charming nuggets, such as the fact that Victoria’s son Alfred, commanded the frigate Galatea, and had a pet elephant raise and lower the sail!.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly interesting look at the Royal Navy in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

I found it particularly fascinating about how the Navy changed from the Victorian style of command which still had traces of Nelson in it, to the efficient force centered around the dreadnoughts and modern ships which fought WW1.

I learnt much about the Navy that I hadn't known before, as my era of interest is the Napoleonic era of naval history.

A book I throughly enjoyed, and would recommend to anyone wishing to learn about the Navy of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.