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Tactics (NAVAL after some ineffective)

NAVAL after some ineffective attempts at landing, returned to Brest. During the Napoleonic wars, the English fleets having more or less complete command of the sea, the strategy of the commanders seems to have resolved itself into blockade of the enemy where possible, or a close observation of his movements with a view to prevent any junction of his scattered forces; and if he ventured to put to sea, into efforts to bring him to action as soon as possible.

The line of battle consisted in a fleet of ships being extended in a straight line either ahead or abreast one ship of another, keeping as close together as weather permitted, so that at all times every ship should be ready to sustain and relieve one another. It was directed that each ship in the line should keep within half a cable's length (about 50 fathoms) of one another. It was introduced into the English navy by Sir William Penn.

At the battle of the Nile (1798) Nelson doubled on the van of the French line and attacked it on both sides, while the other ships of the line, the whole fleet being at anchor, could afford no assistance; but at Trafalgar, where his brilliant career terminated with a decisive victory, he broke the enemy's line in two places, bearing down on it in two columns.

Steam may be said to have revolutionized naval strategy and tactics; whereas the best-laid schemes were often frustrated by foul winds and gales, now the great steam power of battleships and cruisers renders them independent of wind and to a great extent of bad weather. As a set-off, however, to this, the coal endurance of ships and the replenishing of their supplies of fuel become important factors in deciding on their movements. The value of a blockade was demonstrated in the World War (1914-1918). The British were unable to effect a complete blockade of Germany, but it was effective to the extent of so reducing the amount of supplies entering the Empire that the German masses suffered great hardships, and thus were sown the seeds of the subsequent revolution.

The first real test of the ironclad as developed by modern naval science was given during the war between Japan and China, in 1894. Each of the contending nations had navies, which, while small, included a couple of the best battleships and cruisers of the world. The only fault with such a test is that the Japanese were so much superior to the Chinese in the skill with which they manœuvred their ships that the battle cannot be taken as a wholly fair test. One thing sufficiently established was the effectiveness of the TADPOLE modern vessel of war and its death- The battle lasted six dealing power. hours. The Japanese lost no ships, while they destroyed seven of the Chinese fleet of 10 and put others to flight. The Japanese loss was 200 men and that of the Chinese six times as great. See CHINA:

JAPAN.

The Japanese-Chinese War, however, did not settle many of the great problems of marine warfare, and really proved nothing but the superior skill and prowess of the Mikado's subjects. Since then have been fought the most remarkable naval battles in history. See MANILA BAY: SANTIAGO DE CUBA: JUTLAND BANK, BATTLE OF: FALKLAND ISLANDS, BATTLE OF: SUBMARINES: NAVY: NAVY, UNITED STATES.