HIST 388 Lecture 8: The War At Sea (Feb 3)
18 Nov 2016
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Battleship; cruisers (heavy/light); aircraft carrier (new on the scene in wwii - landing planes on a ship while it"s moving); destroyer (smallest type of surface ship; used to protect other ships); submarine. The battle of the atlantic was a fight for control of the atlantic. It was important as an economic artery for great britain, ensuring its ability to wage war. Great britian as an island nation, had for centuries been dependent on water for import and export. It had employed a large and powerful series of warships to defends its shipping, empire, colonies, etc. Its presence and superiority was a staple of european military affairs. During wwi, the royal navy maintained its reputation by defeating the german high seas fleet, but the british economy took a beating from german submarines, who took merchant ships (who were not armed). In the interwar period, britain joined a host of other navies to limit the size of each nation"s navy.
