Royal Navy during the Second World War

The Royal Navy was an important component of the Allied forces during the Second World War and made a significant contribution to the victory over the Axis powers.

[1] On 3 September at 11:17, seventeen minutes after the British ultimatum to Germany to withdraw from Poland had expired, the Royal Navy entered the war.

After four days, during which the British demanded the internment of the Admiral Graf Spee by Uruguay, believing escape to be impossible the ship was sunk by the Germans.

In an unprecedented show of strength, the Royal Navy was able to provide over 800 ships rescuing over 300,000 soldiers bring them savely to England by 4 June.

[3][4] In addition to the threat posed by the Kriegsmarine in the Atlantic, the Royal Navy was confronted with a second front in the Mediterranean following Italy's declaration of war on 10 June.

After the Royal Navy had destroyed the French battleships in Mers-el-Kébir on 3 July as part of Operation Catapult in order to prevent them from falling into German hands, the first battle between the Italians and British took place six days later off Punto Stilo.

The sonar, called Asdic by the British, only had a range of 1,300 metres; bearing and distance could not be read correctly and it was almost impossible to distinguish between submarines and surface units.

To intensify the attacks on British merchant ships, the Kriegsmarine launched the Operation Rheinübung[6] in May with the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.

As the Bismarck had also taken a hit, damaging some of her fuel tanks, she was tracked down by the British due to leaking oil and eventually sunk, taking most of her crew with her.

[9][10] By now, Britain was not only fighting Nazi Germany alone (due to the collapse of the Western Front in May 1940 and the loss of France as an ally), but was also heavily engaged in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, which meant a complete reversal of pre-war strategic priorities, whereby the Mediterranean had to be abandoned if necessary in order to concentrate a large battle fleet and send it to East Asia.

Following the extensive decryption of the Enigma with four cylinders in January and the introduction of air-to-ground radar in March, as well as the conversion of convoy protection, the tide began to turn in favour of the British.

[14][15] After the defeat in North Africa in November of the previous year and the conquest of Sicily in July and August, Italy was eliminated as an opponent in the war.

[27] The selection of men joining the Navy was done by the Ministry of Labour and National Service, who decided who should remain civilians and who should be called up for conscription.

In all branches, a high physical standard was required, particularly for men and boys who were to serve continuously for twenty-two years under service conditions.

They had started in preparatory school and subsequently attended a naval institution specialising in passing the examinations required for admission to Dartmouth and other military colleges.

The Special Entry boys were afforded the opportunity to make a crucial career decision at a more mature age, and they were able to benefit from a broader general education.

In order to circumvent the issues that had arisen previously, it was decided that the intake through Dartmouth and the Special Entry scheme would not exceed the peacetime level.

In his capacity as First Lord of the Admiralty and subsequently as Prime Minister, Winston Churchill was adamant that the commissioned ranks should be opened up to a more diverse social range.

[31][32] In 1939, the Navy reached a decision parallel to that of the British Army three years prior, namely that in any future conflict, its temporary officers would be selected from those currently serving in its ranks.

Following this, they should serve at sea for a minimum of three months as ordinary seamen before being selected to attend an officers' training course at HMS King Alfred in Hove.

The training given to such selected ratings is thus designed to qualify them to undertake any of the duties of their future rank as required by the exigencies of the service, and to enable them to achieve a complete mastery of their profession.

Officer who is only expected to carry out the limited duties of one special type of appointment for the duration of the war.land|sea By the time war broke out on 3 September 1939 the Royal Navy had in full commission the carriers Ark Royal, Eagle, Furious, Glorious and Hermes, as well as Argus and Courageous in use as training carriers; in addition, nearly 50 capital ships had by then been equipped with catapults.

He was tasked with orchestrating and coordinating the activities of the Fleet Air Arm's maritime bases, ensuring the appointment of FAA officers and advancement of ratings, in conjunction with the RAF authorities.The basic unit was the squadron, which typically comprised 12 aircraft.

By Admiralty Fleet orders 1939 a senior Executive RM(A) or a RAF officer was in command of a unit to which he was appointed and therefore responsible for its general efficiency and the conduct of its operations.

At the end of this training period, those who passed a qualifying examination were rated as sick berth attendants, suitable to be appointed for service anywhere ashore or afloat.

It was customary, however, for the newly qualified man to be retained for a further period of months as a member of the staff of his training hospital, thus permitting him to acquire further experience and a sense of responsibility.

These exams covered a range of subjects, including anatomy, physiology, signs of diseases, general nursing, first aid, dispensing, cooking for the sick, and knowledge of surgical instruments and administration.

Promotion to the wardmaster branch was selective, requiring a consistently exceptional service record, possession of a higher educational certificate, and passing a comprehensive examination.

Throughout their careers, members of the sick berth staff could specialise in professional subjects such as physiotherapy, radiography, laboratory techniques, and operating room assistance.

By the end of the war, naval nursing sisters had seen service all over the world, including Ceylon, Egypt, Singapore, India, North and South Africa, Hong Kong, and later Normandy and Germany.