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How many British ships were present at the Battle of Trafalgar, was it 33, 34, or 35? ANSWER: 33 Twenty seven ships of the line and six others. Nelson’s fleet was formed into two columns. One was led by Nelson on board HMS Victory, the other led by Collingwood on HMS Royal Sovereign. A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17 th through the mid -19 th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear.

During which century was the title HMS first used on ships? ANSWER: 18 th Century It is believed that it was during the 1700’s that naming ships HMS came into practice but no actual date can be found. It is also possible of course that there is no one ship but rather a change in naming convention so that several ships were declared HMS at the same time.

Which title does the professional head of the Royal Navy have? ANSWER: First Sea Lord The title of "First Sea Lord" goes back to the early 19 th century when the appointment of civilians, exclusively, to the position of First Lord of the Admiralty, began. To differentiate the civilian naval head from the senior serving Royal Navy Officer, the title First Sea Lord was created.

In which year did British Naval Flying begin? ANSWER: 1909 British Naval Flying started in 1909, with the construction of an airship for naval duties. In 1911 the Royal Navy graduated its first aeroplane pilots at the Royal Aero Club flying ground at Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey under the tutelage of pioneer aviator George Bertram Cockburn, but in May 1912 naval and army aviation were combined to become the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The Naval Wing of the RFC lasted until July 1914 when the Royal Navy reformed its air branch, under the Air Department of the Admiralty naming it the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).

Can you name the first ‘airship’ purchased by the Royal Navy ? ANSWER: Mayfly His Majesty's Airship No. 1, more commonly known as the Mayfly, was designed and built by Vickers, Sons and Maxim at their works in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England, as an aerial scout airship for the British Royal Navy. She was the first British rigid airship to be built, and was constructed in a direct attempt to compete with the German airship programme.

In which year was the W. R. N. S. first formed? ANSWER: 1917 The Women’s Royal Naval Service was first formed in November 1917 under the direction of Dame Katherine Furse. The purpose was to substitute women in naval administrative and shore roles so that the men could serve at sea. The WRNS recruited 6000 women to undertake a variety of tasks. It was disbanded in October 1919. As part of the planning for the Second World War, the WRNS was resurrected, this time under the leadership of Mrs Vera Laughton Mathews. This time, 74, 000 women were in service by 1944 taking on over 200 different jobs in the navy, serving overseas and in other branches. As a reward for valuable service, the WRNS was made a permanent service in 1949. It was not until 1977 that the service became subject to the Naval Discipline Act and in 1993 it was finally disbanded as a separate service with full integration into the Royal Navy.

What is the "Perisher" course? ANSWER: The British Submarine Command Course Since 1917 the Royal Navy has conducted a rigorous, semi-annual course, to qualify RN officers in the submarine service for command.

In which year was the Fleet Air Arm formed? ANSWER: 1924 On 1 st April 1924, the Fleet Air Arm was initially formed as an off-shoot of the Royal Air Force, encompassing those RAF units that normally embarked on aircraft carriers and other fighting ships. On 24 May 1939 the Fleet Air Arm was returned to Admiralty control and renamed the Air Branch of the Royal Navy.

What famous words did Nelson signal to his fleet when engagement was imminent? ANSWER: "England expects that every man will do his duty. " Nelson's original message was, "Nelson confides that every man will do his duty. " His chief signalman, Lieutenant John Pasco, persuaded Nelson to change 'confides' to 'expects' since the word 'expects' was in the signal corps vocabulary while 'confides' would have to be spelled out. Another officer persuaded Nelson to use 'England' rather than his own name in the message. The wording caused some resentment among the men of the fleet as they took the message to question their devotion to duty

In the Royal Navy, what does "Black Tot Day" refer to? ANSWER: The day of the last fleet wide issue of the daily grog allowance. On 31 July 1970, the last "tot" of grog was issued. The recipe for grog has varied over the years but in 1970 the standard issue was an eight of a pint of rum diluted 2 to 1 with water. The loss of the grog ration was compensated by issuing an extra can of beer.

The traditional "tub" from which grog was dispensed in the Royal Navy was embellished with which motto? ANSWER: “The Queen/King, God Bless Her/Him“ The grog tub was the container from which the daily ration of grog was issued to messes and/or individual sailors. Over the years it traditionally became embellished with carefully varnished staves, brass hoops, and the motto "The Queen (King), God Bless Her (Him)". The bosun would pipe "up spirits" at noon and the crew would line up for their ration.

Who was in the "Wavy Navy"? ANSWER: Members of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. The term "Wavy Navy" is derived from the distinctive sleeve insignia of rank worn by RNVR Officers. While the individual rank was indicated by the number of stripes as in the RN/RNR, the RNVR stripes were interlaced rather than straight. This distinction was discontinued in 2007.

In Royal Naval jargon, what is a Sky Pilot? ANSWER: The Chaplain, the Vicar or the Padre. Chaplains, Vicars or Padres, have a number of other amusing nicknames: Devil Dodger, God Botherer, Bible Basher, Sin Bosun, Sinister Minister.

What did sailors use to measure the width between the creases when pressing their trousers? ANSWER: Pay Book Until Royal Navy uniforms were modernised in 1977, sailors wore bell bottom trousers with horizontal creases. There were 5 or 7 creases depending on the height of the sailor. The horizontal creases came about because sailors' bell bottom trousers had to be kept folded in a locker or kit bag as there was usually not enough room in older ships to hang clothes.

The Royal Navy game of “Uckers" is based on which game? ANSWER: Ludo Uckers is a four player board game similar to Ludo that is traditionally played in the Royal Navy. It is fiercely competitive and rules differ between ships and stations (and between other services). It is believed to originate in the 18 th/19 th centuries from the Indian game "Pachisi" although the first reference to it in print does not appear until 1946

It is a long-standing tradition in the Royal Navy that, when a ship is close to a suitable beach and has some spare time, most of the crew will take to the boats, laden with cans of beer, barbecues and food, and spend a couple of hours relaxing on the beach. What is this activity known as in the Royal Navy? ANSWER: A BANYAN It is not clear how banyan, the name of an oriental fig tree, has come to be applied to a beach barbecue, though there is a theory that it is based on the fact that outlandish and colourful clothes tend to be worn (Banyan Rig), not unlike a loose flowing garment worn in the East Indies and known as a banion.

In modern times when did the first Wrens start to serve at sea as part of the ship’s company? ANSWER: 1990 By 1990 the Royal Navy had begun to seriously consider the recruitment of women to fill the shortages in 'man power'. The navies of other nations had already begun to send women to sea. But practical issues of accommodation, privacy and combat roles mingled with the criticisms of male chauvinists and naval wives. In October 1990 the first Wrens to serve on an operational warship boarded HMS Brilliant, paving the way to the eventual scrapping of the WRNS and full integration of women into the Royal Navy in 1993.

Can you put these past or present Air Stations in order from to west to east, Abbotsinch, Brawdy, Culdrose, Ford, Lossiemouth, Portland, Yeovilton? ANSWER: Culdrose, Brawdy, Abbotsinch, Lossiemouth, Yeovilton, Portland, Ford. Culdrose 5° 15’ west. Brawdy 5° 7’ west. Abbotsinch 4° 26’ west. Yeovilton 2° 38’ west. Portland 2° 27’ west. Ford 0° 35’ west.

Nelson was buried at sea after he fell mortally wounded at Trafalgar, true or false ? ANSWER: False. The custom at the time was to send corpses over the side, but Nelson implored Captain Thomas Hardy, Captain of HMS Victory, to not throw him over the side to which Hardy replied, "Oh, no, certainly not. " Nelson was given a state funeral and was buried at St. Paul's Cathedral. His victory at Trafalgar ensured his status as a British hero of the highest order.

BRITISH SHIPS THAT SERVED AT TRAFALGAR (Weather Column) VICTORY TEMERAIRE NEPTUNE LEVIATHAN BRITANNIA CONQUEROR AFRICA AGAMEMNON AJAX ORION MINOTAUR SPARTIATE SIRIUS (Lee Column) ROYAL SOVEREIGN BELLEISLE MARS TONNANT BELLERPHON COLOSSUS ACHILLE DREADNOUGHT POLYPHEMUS REVENGE SWIFTSURE DEFIANCE THUNDERER DEFENCE PRINCE EURYALUS NAIAD PICKLE (Schooner) PHOEBE ENTREPRENANTE