Royal Navy Facts & Worksheets

The Royal Navy (RN) is a division of His Majesty’s Naval Service (HMNS) and the naval combat arm of the United Kingdom. Although English and Scottish rulers began using vessels in the early Medieval Era, the first significant maritime battles were fought with France in the Hundred Years’ War. Since the current Royal Navy is the oldest of the UK’s armed forces and dates back to the early 16th century, it is often called the Senior Service.

See the fact file below for more information on the Royal Navy, or you can download our 31-page Royal Navy worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

OVERVIEW

• The Royal Navy battled the Dutch and French warships for maritime supremacy from the 17th through the 18th centuries. 
• The Royal fleet played a significant role in building and protecting the British Empire, depending on Imperial fortress colonies, bases, and coaling stations to maintain worldwide naval dominance. 
• From the middle of the 18th century until World War II, it became the most powerful fleet in the world.  
• Although it shrank in size after World War I, it was still the largest fleet at the outset of World War II.
• During the Cold War, the Royal Navy changed its emphasis to anti-submarine operations, notably in the GIUK gap, intending to locate Soviet submarines. 
• It resumed expeditionary operations worldwide, reaffirming its standing as a premier blue-water navy.
• The Royal Navy now operates a fleet of cutting-edge warships, submarines, and aircraft, including plane carriers, amphibious transport docks, missile-launching submarines, destroyers, frigates, mine-countermeasure vessels, and patrol vessels. 
• As a component of His Majesty’s Naval Service under the First Sea Lord’s direction, it collaborates with the Royal Marines and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
• The largest active naval facility in Western Europe is Devonport, one of numerous stations used by the Royal Navy in Britain, along with Portsmouth, Clyde, and others. Additionally, it runs two naval air bases, RNAS Culdrose and RNAS Yeovilton, which support marine aircraft.

ROLES

• The RN serves several functions as the seagoing arm of HM Armed Forces. The RN has identified its six primary roles, described in general terms below. 
• Conflict prevention on a global and regional scale
• Providing Sea Security – To guarantee the continuity of international maritime trade
• International Partnerships – To strengthen ties with NATO and other allies of the United Kingdom.
• Retaining a Readiness to Fight – To defend British interests across the world
• Protecting the Economy – To preserve crucial trade routes to ensure the economic prosperity at sea of the United Kingdom and its allies
• Giving humanitarian aid – To respond quickly and effectively to worldwide disasters

PERSONNEL

• The Royal Navy had three components in terms of people. There were regular navy personnel. 
• There were two reserves: the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR), which included officers and men with previous service or professional Merchant Navy officers, and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR), which included only officers who had volunteered since the war started or joined the Navy after conscription. 
• These eventually formed three-quarters of the Royal Navy’s entire officer manpower.
• Women could join the Royal Navy for the first time thanks to the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), founded in 1917 and disbanded in 1919 at the end of World War One. 
• The WRNS was reestablished in 1939 and operated until it was dissolved in 1993 due to the decision to fully incorporate women into the Royal Navy’s organizational systems.
• All branches of the Royal Navy, including the Royal Marines, now have female staff members. 
• According to information provided by the Ministry of Defence, as of August 2019, the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines had 29,090 on a full- trained soldiers as opposed to a target of 30,600. 
• Admiral Tony Radakin, the First Sea Lord, proposed a plan to cut the number of Rear-Admirals in Navy Command by five in December 2019. 
• The surface flotillas would be consolidated, and the combat forces—aside from the Commandant General Royal Marines—would be lowered to Commodore (1-star) status. The Fleet Commander would oversee a specialized training program.

NAVAL BASES

• Along with two naval air stations and an aid facility base in Bahrain, the Royal Navy now operates out of three significant naval sites in the UK, each of which has a flotilla of ships and boats available for deployment: base locations in the UK.
• HMNB (His Majesty’s Naval Base) Clyde (HMS Neptune) is located along the River Clyde in the heart of Scotland. Faslane is referred to as the base of the UK’s nuclear deterrent because it houses the fleet of ballistic missile (SSBN) submarines of the Vanguard class and the fleet of SSN submarines of the Astute class. 
• The RN Submarine Service and all Royal Navy submarines will be stationed in Faslane by 2022 or 2023. 
• As a result, the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport and 43 Commando (Fleet Protection Group) are both guarded by the installation located in Faslane. 
• The Wildcat Maritime Force and Commando Helicopter Force are at RNAS (Royal Naval Air Station) Yeovilton (HMS Heron).
• RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) — This location is home to Mk2 Merlin aircraft, primarily used for early airborne warning (EAW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW). The biggest helipad in Europe right now is located at Culdrose.
• RNAS Prestwick was once known as HMS Gannet. Before being predominantly utilized as a FOB for ASW Merlins launched from RNAS Culdrose to aid the SSBN and defense of the Clyde tasking, it was used for Search and Rescue and Defence of the Clyde tasking.
• The Royal Navy maintains several important bases and facilities worldwide. HMS Jufair, located in Bahrain, acts as the main port for vessels on Operation Kipion and oversees Royal Navy operations in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.
• The UK Joint Logistics Support Base in Oman provides crucial logistical support in the Middle East but is outside the Persian Gulf. 
• In Singapore, the British Defence Singapore Support Unit continues the legacy of HMNB Singapore, offering repairs and resupply for Royal Navy ships in the Asia Pacific region.
• HMNB Gibraltar remains an active dockyard supporting docking, rehabilitation, training, and resupply operations. In the Falkland Islands, Mare Harbour is a port facility supporting RAF Mount Pleasant and Royal Navy vessels operating in the South Atlantic, including the British Antarctic Survey ship RRS Sir David Attenborough during Antarctic missions.

COMMAND, CONTROL, AND ORGANIZATION

• From 2011 until his passing in 2021, the Duke of Edinburgh held the position of Lord High Admiral. Since then, the post has been vacant. 
• The Lord High Admiral is the official leader of the Royal Navy. The Sovereign heads the British armed forces, and Queen Elizabeth II held the role from 1964 to 2011.
• The First Sea Lord, an admiral and British member of the Defense Council, is the official leader of the Naval Service. 
• The Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil workers and naval officers make up the Navy Board, a subcommittee of the Admiralty Board that manages the Naval Service on behalf of the Defence Council. The Admiralty Board is presided over by the Secretary of State for Defence.
• All of these are situated in London’s MOD Main Building, where the Naval Staff Department supports the First Sea Lord, commonly known as the Chief of the Naval Staff. 
• The Fleet Commander will provide ships, submarines, and aircraft that are prepared for whatever missions the government may order. 
• The Fleet Commander exercises power through the Navy Command Headquarters at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth.
• The United Kingdom’s armed forces’ Permanent Joint Headquarters, Allied Maritime Command, and an operational headquarters, the Northwood Headquarters, are all housed at Northwood, London. 
• In 2005, the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief, Fleet, and Naval Home Command merged to form a unified organization called Fleet Command, which later evolved into Navy Command in 2008.
• The Royal Navy took the initiative among the three armed forces by merging the personnel and training command, led by the Principal Personnel Officer, with the operational and policy management. 
• The Second Sea Lord still serves as the Principal Personnel Officer for the United command.
• Flag Officer Sea Training used to be one of the most senior positions in Navy Command; however, as part of the transformation program for Navy Command, the position was downsized from Rear-Admiral to Commodore and renamed Commander Fleet Operational Sea Training.
• Previously a major-general position, the position of Commandant General Royal Marines was responsible for overseeing amphibious combat operations. Since Lieutenant General Robert Magowan was chosen for a second term, the role now falls within his purview and other responsibilities as a senior Royal Marine. General Gwyn Jenkins, the Vice-Chief of the Defense Staff, is the current CG RM. 
• The intelligence departments of the different headquarters and MOD Defence Intelligence rebranded from the Defence Intelligence Staff in early 2010, provide intelligence support to fleet operations.

RANKS, RATES, AND INSIGNIA

• Many of the uniforms of various national navies across the world, such as the ranks and insignia of NATO naval officers, the uniforms of the United States Navy, the uniforms of the Royal Canadian Navy, and the French Naval Uniforms, are based on the design of the Royal Navy uniform.

TRADITIONS

• The Royal Navy adheres to several formal traditions and conventions, such as using ensigns and ship emblems. 
• Royal Navy flies several ensigns ships both at sea and in port. 
• The White Ensign is flown by commissioned ships and submarines at the main mast when underway and at the stern while alongside during daylight hours.
• When a boat approaches, the Union Jack is raised from the jackstaff at the bow and is only allowed to fly when a fleet admiral is present (such as the monarch or the Lord High Admiral) or when a court-martial is taking place. 
• An erroneous custom of gathering the fleet in front of the king is called the Fleet Review.
• The oldest review occurred in 1400, and the most recent review as of 2022 took place on June 28, 2005, to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar bicentennial. 
• One hundred sixty-seven ships from many countries participated, with 67 from the Royal Navy.

“Jackspeak”

There are a few less formal customs, such as military nicknames and Jackspeak, slang used by the Navy. “The Andrew” refers to an 18th-century officer named Andrew Miller who press-ganged many men into naval service. The term “Senior Service” because the Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century.

• The term “Jack” (or “Jenny”) or, more commonly, “Matelots” is used to refer to British sailors. The nickname “Bootnecks” or “Royals” frequently refers to Royal Marines. 
• Commander A.T.L. Covey-Crump compiled a list of nautical terminology, and his name became a source of nautical slang: Covey-Crump. 
• The four-player board game “Uckers” is a favorite among Navy members. This game is comparable to Ludo and is considered simple to learn yet challenging to master. 

MARINE CORPS CADETS

• Three youth organizations are supported or sponsored by the Royal Navy:
• The Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC), founded in 1901 and consisting of the Royal Naval Volunteer Cadet Corps and the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps, was the first youth organization to receive official backing or sponsorship from the Admiralty. 
• In schools, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines sections of the Combined Cadet Force. 
• The Sea Cadets, including the Sea Cadets and the Royal Marines Cadets, help young people interested in maritime issues.
• The above organizations are controlled by the CUY division of Commander Core Training and Recruiting (COMSCORE), which reports to Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). 

Royal Navy Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about the Royal Navy across 31 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Royal Navy. Royal Navy is the oldest of the UK’s armed forces and dates back to the early 16th century; it is often called the Senior Service.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Royal Navy Facts
2. Decoding Naval Terms
3. Rank and Insignias
4. Locate the Base
5. Fact Check
6. Battle of Trafalgar
7. Commander A.T.L
8. RN,RNR and RNVR
9. Report on Cam
10. Naval Code Flags
11. Modern Adaptation

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the Royal Navy founded?

The Royal Navy was officially founded in the 16th century, during the reign of King Henry VIII. Its origins, however, trace back to the medieval English navy.

What is the significance of the HMS Victory?

The HMS Victory is one of the most famous ships in the Royal Navy’s history. It was Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where he secured a decisive victory against the combined fleets of France and Spain. Nelson unfortunately lost his life during the battle, but his tactics and leadership are celebrated to this day.

What is the primary role of the Royal Navy?

The primary role of the Royal Navy is to provide maritime defense for the United Kingdom. This includes protecting British interests at sea, maintaining control of territorial waters, conducting search and rescue operations, supporting international peacekeeping efforts, and projecting power through naval presence.

How does the Royal Navy contribute to national security?

The Royal Navy contributes to national security by maintaining a strong presence at sea to deter potential threats, safeguarding maritime trade routes, and providing a rapid response to various crises, including humanitarian disasters and conflicts. It also plays a key role in maintaining the UK’s nuclear deterrent through its ballistic missile submarines.

What is the significance of the aircraft carriers in the Royal Navy?

Aircraft carriers are crucial assets for the Royal Navy’s power projection capabilities. They allow the Navy to deploy a range of aircraft, including fighter jets and helicopters, which can carry out operations such as air superiority, strike missions, and anti-submarine warfare. The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, for example, represent a modernization of the Royal Navy’s capabilities and serve as symbols of its global reach.

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