Naval History

Als Berufsoffizier, der zusätzlich zu seinen dienstlichen Aufgaben 2012 das Diplomstudium der Geschichte absolviert hat, durfte ich im Rahmen des Grundausbildungslehrgangs für MBO1 (GALG) dieses Thema auswählen. Dieses hat auch zu meinem heutigen Wirkungsgebiet als österreichischer Verteidigungsattachè (Land, Luft, Marine) in Kroatien einen besonderen Bezug, da ich einerseits seit etwa 15 Jahren der Obmann der ‚Marinekameradschaft Tegetthoff‘, die bereits selbst wiederum eine etwa 60-jährige Geschichte aufzuweisen hat, bin; und andererseits wurde ich vor etwa vier Jahren zum Vizepräsident in das Präsidium des ‚Österreichischen Marine Verbands‘ gewählt, ein Amt, das ich immer noch inne habe.
Diese Hausarbeit wurde mit sehr zeitintensiver Vor- und Aufbereitung sowie in kritisch freier, aber logischer Art und Weise durchgeführt. Es konnten ausreichend Erfahrungen, Recherchen – persönlich und digital – zu Hilfe genommen werden. Zusätzlich wurden aktuelle Beiträge aus Büchern und Fachzeitschriften in die Bearbeitung miteinbezogen. Es wurde eine Methode gewählt, die eine Erklärung der jeweiligen Dinge, die einer Beurteilung zu unterziehen waren, leicht und verständlich ermöglichte.
Es ist mir eine besondere Freude gewesen diese Hausarbeit zu schreiben und hoffe, dass dadurch ein besserer Zugang zur k.u.k. Kriegsmarine und zur heute gelebten, österreichischen Marinetradition - obwohl es heute gar keine österreichische Marine mehr gibt - zustande kommen wird.

« L'esprit humain a toujours été fasciné par les baleines. Le sujet n'a toutefois guère captivé les historiens canadiens, sans doute parce qu'au Canada la pêche à la baleine a presque toujours été pratiquée par des étrangers », Mario Lalancette en 1988.

Cet essai est un état de la question résumant cinquante années de travaux sur la question de la pêche à la baleine sur les territoires de la Nouvelle-France au 16ème et 17ème siècle. Nous verrons que les études dans ce domaine sont pratiquement inexistantes jusque dans les années 1970, contrairement aux recherches sur les pêcheries en Nouvelle-Angleterre, elles, très foisonnantes. Nous remarquerons également que les sources à exploiter seront tout autant archivistiques (et européennes) qu’archéologiques (et canadiennes), regroupant des efforts de part en part de l’Atlantique. Enfin, nous noterons que cette branche encore si peu étudiée bénéficierait certainement de plus d’attention, car trop de questions demeurent encore à ce jour.

This MA Medieval History dissertation examines 11th century original sources to support the thesis that Godwin of Wessex was a sea-lord in command of ships, that he aligned with the Danish sea warriors of Cnut the Great before the conquest of England in 1016, and that his power as earl of Wessex was largely derived from his control of military and mercantile fleets and strategic maritime and trade landholdings.

1. The changing character of naval battle in history When one looks across the spectrum of world naval history, the nature and character of major naval battles have changed dramatically over time. These changes have tended to punctuate and divide long periods in history during which the basic concept of naval battles remained largely the same. The key periods are traditionally seen as the age of galley warfare that characterized classical naval history; the line of battle from the mid-seventeenth century to the early 19 th century; the age of naval warfare under steam power in the mid-to late 19 th century; the age of air and submarine combat in the first half of the twentieth century; and, most recently, the age of the missile, space, and cyber warfare dating from the latter half of the twentieth century into the present. Each of these periods in naval history has typically been characterized by a dominant type of warship which is closely associated in its design with the new emerging weapons and weapon-systems of the era 1. As that lists suggests, the periods of characteristic naval battles have tended to become relatively shorter and shorter in the modern period as naval warfare reflects the ever quickening pace of technological innovation since the Industrial Revolution. At the same time, however, one must note that the characteristically dominant type of battle in a specific period does not necessarily exclude the earlier forms, but may occur alongside them. For example, the galley that typified ancient warfare was used in the Baltic, North America, and the Mediterranean well into the eighteenth century. Similarly, the tactic of " Crossing the T " that became so famous in the battles between ships-of-the-line in the eighteenth century was used by the American battleship force that engaged the Japanese in Surigao Strait in October 1944. There can be a variety of reasons why there is overlap between eras. These include the continued use of particular weapons, tactics, and technologies across periods, even when they are no longer the

is is the first study to show how the Royal Navy’s ideas about the meaning and application of seapower shaped its policies in the interwar period. Drawing on a wide range of unpublished sources, the author challenges the accepted view that the intellectual shortcomings of Britain’s naval leaders resulted in poor strategic planning and an inability to meet the challenges of the Second World War.

This book provides the first comprehensive survey of the navy’s strategies for dealing with possible wars with Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan, and even the United States. It argues that the “Singapore Strategy” has been widely misunderstood, that there was in fact more than one strategy developed for war with Japan, that the navy’s war plans placed greater emphasis on maritime economic pressure than decisive sea battles, and that the influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan on the interwar navy has been greatly exaggerated.

The author also reveals how the “One Power Standard” did not fundamentally affect the outcome of the navy’s ongoing struggle with the Treasury for funds, how the service’s interest in “showing the flag” abroad was linked to its concerns over the health of the naval armaments industry at home, and how the navy reluctantly employed propaganda between the wars to revive its popularity with the British public.

The book argues that naval leaders possessed a more sophisticated and flexible understanding of the strengths and limitations of sea power than previous studies have recognized, and that Britain’s strategic position during the 1930s would have been stronger if their advice had been followed. The author concludes that the navy’s efforts to shape British grand strategy were largely unsuccessful, however, because civilian decision-makers often had different views about the role of sea power in the modern world.

Las acciones humanitarias llevadas a cabo por el Capitán de
Navío Miguel Grau Seminario se adelantaron a la codificación
de las mismas por parte del derecho internacional. Si bien
no fueron una exclusividad en la historia naval del mundo,
sí representan una peculiaridad peruana de hacer la guerra,
lo que ubica al Caballero de los Mares en el pedestal del
reconocimiento legítimo y legal como uno de los que
ejercieron conscientemente parte del derecho internacional
Humanitario de la guerra en el mar.
Para difundir este aspecto de la vida del comandante del
Huáscar, se llevó a cabo una muestra temporal dentro de
las instalaciones del Instituto Riva-Agüero de la Pontificia
Universidad Católica del Perú.

The humanitarian actions carried out by Captain Miguel
Grau Seminario came ahead of time to their codification
on the part of International Law. Although they were
not an exclusivity in the world’s naval history, it does
represent a Peruvian characteristic while making war,
which positions the Knight of the Seas in the pedestal
of legitimate and legal recognition as one of those
who applied consciously part of the International
Humanitarian Law in War at Sea.
In order to spread this aspect of the life of the Huascar’s
Commander, a temporary exhibition was set up inside
the facilities of Instituto Riva-Agüero of Pontificia
Universidad Catolica del Perú.

Dernier ouvrage de défense construit sur l'île de Porquerolles, la batterie haute des Mèdes (1928-1944) est un élément représentatif et exemplaire du système de défense de la base navale de Toulon. Son organisation, sa construction, son armement et son équipement de conduite de tir furent étudiés par la CEPAC. Son camouflage expérimental fut l'œuvre du peintre de la Marine Pierre Gatier.

En la década de 1890, en pleno boom del caucho, los barcos de vapor comienzan a recorrer lentamente la Amazonía boliviana. El escenario es prometeico: la goma construye fortunas en medio de la selva, se planean ferrocarriles que modernizarán el país, se trazan proyectos para canalizar los ríos y las firmas caucheras inician una carrera naval que transforma la navegación precaria de canoas, monterías y batelones. El discurso tecnófilo plantea al vapor como una revolución copernicana que lo cambia todo: posibilita el progreso social y el desarrollo económico, aniquila el tiempo y el espacio, libera el transporte de las constricciones de la geografía, refuerza la soberanía nacional en la frontera. ¿Pero conviene reducir el barco cauchero a ícono del progreso civilizador o a un mecanismo de la agenda nacionalista? Se trata de analizar qué sucede con el barco propiamente dicho más allá de ese contexto singular, sin diluirlo en una economía política, y de procurar reconstruir las biografías, las historias y los imaginarios del barco y de la gente del barco, pero a la vez la experiencia de una navegación inédita que cifra nuevas percepciones del río y de la selva: porque ciertamente hay una concepción técnica de la navegación fluvial a vapor, pero hay también una cierta belleza estética del barco, un cierto simbolismo, una cierta nostalgia o memoria afectiva del barco como artefacto que una lectura atenta de las fuentes históricas puede ayudarnos a recuperar. (Bolivia - Amazonía - Antropología histórica - Extractivismo - Mecanización - Barcos - Caucho)

World War II would prove the Yard's heyday. Between 1941 and 1945 the Yard workforce would quintuple from 13,000 to 71,000; at the war's height, the Yard adopted a round-the-clock, three-shift a day, seven-day-week schedule. New York's 1800 docks, piers, and wharves, and 600 individual ship anchorages enable the port to clear 21,450 ships in 1,459 convoys; the new warship construction, fitting out, maintenance, and repairs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard were heroic, enabling the Nation to accomplish its global mission.

Je tâche dans cette contribution de dresser le « bilan opérationnel » des deux principales marines de la guerre d'Indépendance américaine. Après avoir comparé leurs politiques de construction et d’entretien à la veille et au cours de la guerre, de même que l’évolution de leurs effectifs et la composition de leurs forces, j’expose les effets, sur le matériel naval dont elles disposaient, des opérations qui eurent lieu, sur différents théâtres, de 1778 à 1783. Puis, le cadre étant ainsi posé, j’examine la façon dont ces forces furent employées de part et d’autre pendant le conflit, et les résultats auxquels parvinrent l’une et l’autre marine. /  In this paper, I intend to draw up the « operational record » of the two main navies of the American War of Independence. Having compared their shipbuilding and maintenance policies before and during the war, as well as the evolution and composition of their forces, I study the material consequences of the operations which took place, in different theaters of war, from 1778 to 1783. Then, I examine the way in which naval forces were, in this context, employed on both sides during the conflict, and the results which the two navies achieved.

Книга посвящена истории становления российского военно-морского флота при Петре I и приурочена к открытию выставки «Как царь Петр море полюбил», которая прошла в МГОМЗ с 25 мая по 10 сентября 2017 г.
The book was published for the exhibition “How did tsar Peter love in the sea” that was in Kolomenskoe Museum (25/05-10/09) and was devoted to history of the Russian Navy in the age of Peter the Great.

Riksäpplet deals with a shipwreck that has a neglected position in the grand narrative of the history of the Swedish navy. The story of its destiny and the missing accounts in scholarly and popular works in history says something about heritage processes within Swedish maritime archaeology.
On 5 June 1676 Riksäpplet came loose and adrift from its moorings outside Dalarö Sea fortress. The hull struck a rock and sank. The loss was considered both ignominious and embarrassing and the ship’s fate has been overlooked in all major history books. The rock onto which Riksäpplet sank was named ‘Äpplet’ after the incident, and the wreck itself has become an integrated component of the underwater seascape. As a consequence the wreckage has never enjoyed a proper ‘discovery’ or undergone documentation under the sensational forms that many other famous shipwrecks have, even though they have sunk in more inconvenient places.
In Eriksson’s study the official handling of Riksäpplet’s wrecked body is compared to the more wellknown ships Kronan and Svärdet, which both sank during battle only days before. Eriksson draws on different motifs and driving forces behind the study of naval wrecks from the period from his comparison, and the differences are discussed. Riksäpplet has never achieved a prominent position with the romanticising works of history that honour the national heroes and their deeds which are associated with this era of the Swedish Empire. The first half of the book thus sets out to unpack the ideas that have led to the relative disinterest in Riksäpplet in comparison to other shipwrecks.
The second half of the book sets out to analyse Riksäpplet from a specific archaeological perspective, with focus on the ship as material culture. Eriksson’s departure is to explore the relatively low budget fieldwork that has been done at the wreck site. He the combines those facts with a survey of the artefacts recovered from the wreck, of which all are kept in museum archives and private collections. This, in addition to his studies of preserved written correspondence concerning the construction of the ship, has brought new insights into seventeenth-century shipbuilding and how the balance between the global political superpowers affected this trade. In this context Riksäpplet has great potential to show how military alliances are materialized through ships’ architecture.

Wstęp Mirosław J. Leszka, Kirił Marinow................................................... 1

I
Konstantynopolitańskie porty IV–XII w. [Constantinopolitan harbours in the 4th–12th centuries] Mirosław J. Leszka......... 5

II
Wszystkie okręty cesarza. Rozważania nad stanem rzymskiej marynarki wojennej za panowania cesarza Maurycjusza (582–602) [All ships of the emperor: Roman Navy during the reign of emperor Maurice (582–602)] Łukasz Różycki........................................................................................... 17

III
Konstantynopolitańska eskadra cesarska w dobie panowania Komnenów (1081–1185) [Constantinopolitan squadron in the era of imperial reign of Comnenian dynasty (1081–1185)]
Marcin Böhm....................................................................................... 47

IV
Wygnani biskupi Konstantynopola w późnej starożytności i ich kontakty ze stolicą nad Bosforem [The Exiled Bishops of Constantinople from the Fourth to the Late Sixth Century] Rafał Kosiński................63

V
Chazarowie w Konstantynopolu (VII–XI w.) [The Khazars in Constantinople] Jarosław Dudek …........ 79

VI
Miejsce portu w fabule dwunastowiecznego romansu bizantyńskiego [The port in the plot of the twelfth-century Byzantine romance] Anna Kotłowska . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

VII
Winieta Konstantynopola na mapie z Ebstorf [Vignette of Constantinople on the Ebstorf Map] Piotr Kochanek……………………. . . 113

VIII
Hodegon – z rozważań nad pierwotną lokalizacją konstantynopolitańskiego sanktuarium [The Hodegon. Considerations on the location of the Hodegetria sanctuary in Constantinople]
Piotr Łukasz Grotowski . ……………………………. . . . . 137

IX
Pogańskie prywatne uroczystości kommemoratywne w okresie wczesnobizantyńskim [Pagan Private Commemorative Rites in the Early Byzantine Period] Ireneusz Milewski . . . .  . ……………... . . . . . . . . . 215

Aneks [Annex]
Itinerarium Stefana z Nowogrodu z opisem konstantynopolitańskiego portu Kontoskalion (1348/1349). Przekład i opracowanie [The Itinerary of Stephen of Novgorod: Containing a Description of Kontoskalion Harbour in Constantinople (1348/1349).] Zofia Brzozowska .. . . . . . 227

Summary. . . . . . . ………………………………………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Wykaz skrótów [List of Abbreviations]. …. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Bibliografia [Bibliography]……… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Źródła [Sources]. . … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Opracowania [Secondary Literature]..  . ……. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Indeks osobowy [Index]. ……………. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Indeks nazw geograficznych i etnicznych [Index of geographical and ethnical names]. . …. . . . . . . . . 328

Indeks nazw konstantynopolitańskich [Index of Constantinopolitan names]….. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Fascinating things can turn up in genealogical research.  I was reminded of this a few years ago while studying some of my colonial New England ancestors.  As a historian specializing in the American Revolution, I am always eager to learn about relatives who participated in that conflict.  Recently, while researching my Revolutionary War ties to one family – the Lorings of Massachusetts – I was surprised to discover a relationship to Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, known for his distinguished Royal Navy service during the Age of Nelson and beyond.  What intrigued me about this Boston-area native was how he began his career as a destitute, Loyalist exile, but ended it as an affluent and respected Royal Navy leader.  Moreover, Loring excelled in both operational and administrative commands, earning admiration from his peers and knighthoods from King William IV and Queen Victoria. 

Despite these achievements, modern historians have not really examined Loring in any great depth.  He has been mentioned as a minor reference in published works about his parents, Joshua Loring Jr. and Elizabeth Lloyd “Betsey” Loring, or other close relatives.  What follows here is a brief biographical sketch that provides a closer, more detailed, look at this compelling Royal Navy leader.  It is part of a more complete study of Loring and his family that is currently underway.

Russia and NATO still have significant military strength, albeit much reduced since the Cold War. The US also plans to improve its military presence in the Arctic in the future. According to Russian experts, the constant presence of the US nuclear submarine fleet and deploying sea-based missile defence systems that are being actively developed by the Americans will create opportunities in the Arctic to intercept Russian ballistic missiles and deliver a pre-emptive strike. But, as Stephanie Pezard puts it, “Russia is deploying capabilities that can defend a region it deems highly strategic, but could also, in theory, be employed for other purposes—for instance, locking Norway (a NATO member) behind an anti-access/area denial ‘bubble’”. Understanding Russia’s economic weaknesses, Moscow is concerned that the West (mainly) and other powers plan to deprive Russia of the Northern Sea Route and the economic resources of the Arctic. And to prevent such an outcome, Russia is strengthening its military presence in the region as a tool of détente.

This text gives some very small selection of details included in the forthcoming Caracalla: A Military Biography (as an advertisement) due to be published by Pen & Sword this year and in fact provides also a short overview of some of the unconventional strategies and tactics employed by Caracalla together with some quite new info regarding period equipment and military practices. A much fuller discussion of all things connected to military matters in its widest sense can be found in the book.

In absence of a major war at sea, today's naval leaders can use insights gained from war gaming operational problems.  At the U.S. Naval War College, recent war games about command and control have provided a collective experience for maritime leaders to draw upon in the event of any future warfare at sea.

Sea power as a concept is a question of input (the fleet, shipsheds, and related maritime industry) and output and control (influence exerted on other people’s use of the sea). This can be approached theoretically from two classic angles: the destruction of the enemy fleet in decisive naval battles (power at sea) vs. how sea power can influence the outcome of events on land (power from the sea). In reality, sea control may have been impossible due to the limitations of ancient ships, whereas sea denial—denying the enemy the local use of the sea—was not. Ancient naval history is consequently not just about naval battles, but also about naval infrastructure: harbours, ships, trained sailors, shipsheds, and a complex naval organization. Roman naval activity before 260 BCE is highly disputed, but whatever we make of this, the First Punic War and Cn. Duilius’ victory at Mylae in 260 BCE marked a radical departure from traditional Roman strategy. The fleet turned into a tool of aggression. The prize was Sicily. After the First Punic War, Roman fleets were involved in numerous hostilities and wars. However, the Roman fleet was an ad hoc organisation: there was no permanent fleet, and temporary fleets arose circumstantially in order to confront crises and emergencies. With the victory of Augustus came a standing Roman fleet, protecting Rome and Italy with naval bases. It was only at this late stage that the navalists—champions of a permanent fleet—won the day. After Actium, Rome controlled the Mediterranean and there was simply no room for any enemy naval bases.

Voici le texte de ma présentation faite à Boulogne sur Mer en novembre 2019. Or cette question ouverte m'a conduit à m'interroger si je ne devais pas poursuivre les investigations pour en faire un article. Je vous remercie d'avance pour votre aide et remarques.

Here is the text of my presentation made in Boulogne sur Mer in November 2019. However, this open question led me to wonder if I should not continue the investigations to make an article. Thank you in advance for your help and remarks.

Aquí está el texto de mi presentación realizada en Boulogne sur Mer en noviembre de 2019. Sin embargo, esta pregunta abierta me llevó a preguntarme si no debería continuar las investigaciones para hacer un artículo. Gracias de antemano por su ayuda y comentarios.

Hier is de tekst van mijn presentatie gemaakt in Boulogne sur Mer in november 2019. Deze open vraag bracht me echter tot de vraag of ik niet door moest gaan met het onderzoek om een artikel te maken. Ik dank voor uw hulp en opmerkingen.

Ecco il testo della mia presentazione fatta a Boulogne sur Mer nel novembre 2019. Tuttavia, questa domanda aperta mi ha portato a chiedermi se non avrei dovuto continuare le indagini per fare un articolo. Grazie in anticipo per l'aiuto e le osservazioni.

This paper studies steel built-up guns made in Josiah Vavasseur's London Ordnance Works in 1880s that were sold to China and used in coastal forts and warships. It uses the Vavasseur album in the collection of Southwark Local History Library to identify each type of Vavasseur guns that was used in China and has drawings, photos or surviving examples.