The Administrative, Financial, and Logistical Foundation of British Naval Power, 1649-1654
Abstract
English naval administration was reorganized in 1649 by the republican Commonwealth. This coherent administrative system provided the financial and logistical support necessary to support the English navy as it defeated the Royalist navy in British waters (1649-50), supported the conquests of Ireland and Scotland (1649-52), reconquered all former overseas possessions of the English monarchy (1651-52), and defeated the Dutch navy on the First Dutch War (1652-54). The dependence of the navy on the government and the naval administrative system for financial and logistical support is clearly shown. This work proves that successful naval operations required adequate administrative, financial, and logistical support from England. During the period 1648 to 1654, the English government provided such support with two exceptions. The first failure occurred in 1648, before the Commonwealth established itself or reorganized the navy's administration. The result was the most serious mutiny in the navy's history. The second failure occurred when the Commonwealth government failed to provide enough money to pay for the supplies needed to get the entire fleet to sea to fight the Dutch in November 1652. As a result, the Dutch badly outnumbered the English and defeated them at the Battle of the Dungenness on 30 November 1652. After this defeat, the English government provided sufficient money to its naval establishment to allow for the adequate support of the fleet, enabling the fleet to defeat the Dutch in a series of bitter battles in 1653, leading to victory.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 21, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA239555
Entities
People
- James S. Wheeler
Organizations
- Naval War College