Naval Strategy and Tactics.
Historical evolution: inter-relation of the ship’s capacity and armament.
Early history: ramming demanded oars for propulsion; small warships, large fighting crews,—no blockade, short cruises;
Greek and Roman methods: boarding introduced by Romans; “bearding,” that is, fortifying with iron bands across the bows, an early form of armor plate.
Sailing ships: ramming discarded; “line ahead” formation displaces “line abreast”; principles of fighting tactics—order at beginning to be kept throughout, thus no advantage taken of enemy’s disorder; Clerk’s theories (1790–97)—not maximum safety but immediate mêlée the desideratum; Suffren, Rodney and Howe and their disregard of accepted tactics.
Improved shipbuilding and modern times: New problems—steam propulsion, its gain in speed, but its dependence on fuel; fleet in being; risk of transporting troops while enemy is unbeaten; ramming and pell-mell battles forbidden by torpedoes; searchlight as check to torpedoes; failure of attempts to “bottle up” harbours; gun-fire still the great factor; position; speed; submarines still an unknown factor.
Bibliography.
Naval Administration
The first part of this article Navy and Navies should be supplemented by the article Admiralty Administration (Vol. 1, p. 195), by Admiral Sir R. Vesey Hamilton, and, for the United States, the late Admiral W. T. Sampson. The American part of this article describes the divisions and the working of the Navy Department, its bureaus, judge advocate-general, office of naval intelligence, boards etc.; and there is additional information on the subject in such articles as Dockyards, and United States Naval Academy.
For the legal side of naval administration the reader should study the article Admiralty Jurisdiction (Vol. 1, p. 205), by Sir Walter Phillimore, former president of the International Law Association (and author of the Britannica article Admiralty, High Court of), and, for the United States, by J. Arthur Barrett; and also the general articles International Law (Vol. 14, p. 694), by Sir Thomas Barclay, author of Problems of International Practice and Diplomacy, and International Law, Private (Vol. 14, p. 701), by Dr. John Westlake, formerly professor of international law, Cambridge University, and member for the United Kingdom of the International (Hague) Court of Arbitration; as well as such special articles as Search (Vol. 24, p. 560), by Sir Thomas Barclay, and Sea Laws (Vol. 24, p. 535), by Sir Travers Twiss.