the British navy, that part of the
military organization of the United Kingdom
given the
responsibility of national defense at
sea, protection of
shipping and other naval duties. Organized
sea power was first used in
England before the thirteenth century for
local defense, such as repelling
invaders. Two centuries later,
Henry VIII (
King of
England, 1509-1547), built fleets of fighting ships, armed with large guns, and
set up an
organization to
administer these fleets. Under the rule of
Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) the navy became
England's
major defense and means by which the
British Empire extended its
reach around the globe. By the mid-1600s, Britain had established itself as the
leading sea power of the
world. The
Royal Navy commanded every ocean on the globe and contributed to a long
period of
relative peace amongst European nations. It remained the
world's most powerful navy well into the twentieth century. After participating in
World Wars I (1914-1918) and
II (1939-1945), it was
second in size only to the US Navy and continued to be a
world leader.