Alright! I am so excited to hear these pod cast. Having been a sailor myself anything about naval history and especially great battles is very special.
Three episodes on an unfamiliar topic? Oh joy! Gentlemen please consider creating playlists. Binge-listening to you makes mundane daily activities interesting.
My hot take: Trafalgar was a momentous battle, but even if the Franco-Spanish fleet had won, it wouldn't have changed anything. The French/Spanish would've almost assuredly wrecked their fleet in defeating Nelson, while the British would've still had ships of the line in reserve. And Napoleon had already given up on invading Britain prior to that and was likely going to go after Sicily. Trafalgar merely definitively ended Napoleon's oceanic hopes. A later battle, fleet, and admiral would've finished them off.
Another Royal Navy technological advantage was the use of flintlock triggers on naval cannons replacing the use of salt peter burning wicks. Supposedly this improved rates of fire and the obvious decrease in risk of accidental ignition of gunpowder.
@restishistorypod You got a few things a wee bit wrong regarding the victualling of the ships on station. A very good book which covers this and more is 'Feeding Nelson's Navy' by Jane MacDonald, a superb book, concise and a pleasure to read. 👍
I highly recommend the Patrick O’Brian Aubrey/Maturin books. Much of what you discussed in this episode in terms of tactics and strategy and sailing in the English navy are exemplified in those books….
There is a good argument that the amalgamation of the Admiralty into the Ministry of Defence in 1964 marks the moment when we lost our understanding of naval power. Now the navy is just one of the services (sublimated to the Atlantic alliance), before that the Admiralty was the respository of generations of knowledge of how to sustain and deliver Britains peculiarly different maritime defence strategy.
One broadside every 4 minutes is 4 broadsides from 0 to 12 minutes. Three broadsides every 3 minutes is 13 broadsides from 0 to 12 minutes. But each broadside smashes the other ship's capacity to fire back through hitting gunners, smashing cannons, general mayhem of smashed splintered timbers & steering. Even the first broadside requires discipline to fire on the correct roll of the ship and, if not actually touching, to aim. Better handled ships could rake an opponent from stem to stern twice before enemy could get a shot back at you (I've read Hornblower). Terrifying
Alright! I am so excited to hear these pod cast. Having been a sailor myself anything about naval history and especially great battles is very special.
Three episodes on an unfamiliar topic? Oh joy!
Gentlemen please consider creating playlists. Binge-listening to you makes mundane daily activities interesting.
My hot take: Trafalgar was a momentous battle, but even if the Franco-Spanish fleet had won, it wouldn't have changed anything. The French/Spanish would've almost assuredly wrecked their fleet in defeating Nelson, while the British would've still had ships of the line in reserve. And Napoleon had already given up on invading Britain prior to that and was likely going to go after Sicily.
Trafalgar merely definitively ended Napoleon's oceanic hopes. A later battle, fleet, and admiral would've finished them off.
Another Royal Navy technological advantage was the use of flintlock triggers on naval cannons replacing the use of salt peter burning wicks. Supposedly this improved rates of fire and the obvious decrease in risk of accidental ignition of gunpowder.
@Tom Holland, you pulled a mini Dan Carlin on yourself. I'm so happy!
@restishistorypod You got a few things a wee bit wrong regarding the victualling of the ships on station. A very good book which covers this and more is 'Feeding Nelson's Navy' by Jane MacDonald, a superb book, concise and a pleasure to read. 👍
Fascinating.
Thanks guys really interesting.
I highly recommend the Patrick O’Brian Aubrey/Maturin books. Much of what you discussed in this episode in terms of tactics and strategy and sailing in the English navy are exemplified in those books….
What do you think about the Scottish Navy?
There is a good argument that the amalgamation of the Admiralty into the Ministry of Defence in 1964 marks the moment when we lost our understanding of naval power. Now the navy is just one of the services (sublimated to the Atlantic alliance), before that the Admiralty was the respository of generations of knowledge of how to sustain and deliver Britains peculiarly different maritime defence strategy.
I know next to nothing about Trafalgar so when I heard there were three episodes I started clapping like a trained seal!
One broadside every 4 minutes is 4 broadsides from 0 to 12 minutes. Three broadsides every 3 minutes is 13 broadsides from 0 to 12 minutes. But each broadside smashes the other ship's capacity to fire back through hitting gunners, smashing cannons, general mayhem of smashed splintered timbers & steering. Even the first broadside requires discipline to fire on the correct roll of the ship and, if not actually touching, to aim. Better handled ships could rake an opponent from stem to stern twice before enemy could get a shot back at you (I've read Hornblower). Terrifying
Wonder if the association of the navy with freedom harken back to Classical Athens and their navy.
Heyy, im 1.5 pints in on Admiral Nelson. Its a good rum, and Mr Nelson is a good man. Prolly.
Picard sings that song in Next Generation
Yea sharpe was there
There’s no link to the rest is history club on this video
Oh I thought that intro was Dr. Seuss lmao
Jervis is pronounced JARVIS for goodness sake!! Hence his common nickname "Old Jarvie".
Very technical military terminology 😂😂😂
Elephant vs the whale....can never be cos different elements they would be fighting in or on. They could never meet. Very Bernard Wooley ..he he