The Transformation of British Naval Strategy

By 1808 the British navy was adept at fighting battles, blockading and convoying, but less sure of its ability to sustain naval forces operating at a distance from Britain or an overseas naval base. This book shows how during the period 1808-1812 wide-ranging reforms in naval administration were implemented which established a highly-effective logistical system, transforming an ineffective supply system into one which successfully enabled a fleet to remain on station for as long as was required, unfettered by concerns over supplies. The book also discusses how this new supply system successfully transformed naval operations, showing how it enabled a fleet in the Baltic to protect British trade, securing vital resources, and weaken the economies of Denmark and Russia, eventually forcing them out of Napoleon's Coalition, and also how the new system enabled squadrons in the North Sea to contain the new fleet that Napoleon was building in Antwerp. Overall, by focusing on the relationship between logistics and naval operations in an actual theatre the author shows how the logistical reforms amounted to a very significant strategic transformation. James Davey is a Research Curator at the National Maritime Museum, and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, where he teaches British naval history.