TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS

Technologys Influence on Naval Formations Treynor Wolfe University of Nebraska

Comment [R1]: Good start with apa 6th edition formatting of the title page. No 100% perfect, but close. Check the pub for running header requirements.

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS

Abstract Throughout the research for this paper, I began to draw conclusions from the leadership and the innovation used to design these formations that I studied. Almost all of my studies and research stemmed from the use of the internet, as it is the most easily accessible and the largest source of information. The reader should attempt to picture the formation described in the text to know the advantages described in this essay. The reader should pay attention to the change in tactics and formations, with the change in technology, and how leaders of various nations capitalized on the success of a piece of technology. The battles listed in the body of this paper are only the greatest example of each formation being used. These formations were used in many different naval battles, with the major battles described as the most effective use of said formation.

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS Insert Title again Here Naval formations have been in use ever since man has put vessels in the water.

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Comment [R2]: Per apa 6th ed Formatted: Centered

Formations have been used for ships to communicate effectively, organize themselves better, use each ship in the formation to suit its role, and to maximize firepower against an enemy. Naval formations have changed throughout time due to technologies being developed. As new ways to propel ships are being developed, new formations to maximize potential of said ships and modifications of old formations are developed as well. Throughout history, technology has influenced the development and employment of naval formations. Naval formations have been developed both professionally in textbooks and from bold commanders on the waves. Naval formations have been formally addressed many times in history, being taught to many officers when officers received schooling. The British Permanent Fighting Instructions is one such manual that addressed formations. Formations traditionally were called Lines of Battle during the age of sail. The use of said term came from land battles where infantry would also form lines to maximize the number of muskets that could bear on target. From the 8th century to the 16th century, Galleys have been used to protect ancient Greek and Roman shipping. They have been used also by the Byzantines and the Egyptians. Galleys have been the premier fighting ship for over 8 centuries by nations within the Mediterranean. Galleys have very primitive ship tactics, often resorting to ramming each other. Galleys are propelled by rowers, not relying on the wind to propel them forward. The fact that manpower itself propels the galleys limited their maneuverability and their range. Galleys very rarely have destroyed each other at long range. Formations for galley warfare usually capitalized on the rams that were developed for the galley during the 8 th century.
Comment [R5]: Facts.please cite Comment [R4]: Cite all of these facts in text please per apa 6th ed. Comment [R3]: Thesis. Got it Good.

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS The bows from the crew onboard rarely were able to cause damage to enemy galleys. The crew would attempt to ram or board enemy galleys and take them as a prize. This type of fighting resulted in galley formations being very close together. As galleys closed with the enemy, captains would have to keep their galleys close together to support each other in case of an enemy boarding action. Galleys were employed with very primitive formations, and not very much is known

Comment [R6]: Reference battles where this specifically happened.romansGreeks.prior to gun powder.etc. be specific.

about said formations. One such formation, The Defensive Circle, capitalized on keeping galleys close together. The lead galley would be in the middle of the circle and would be able to best signal and lead the outer galleys. The galleys would literally form a circle around the lead galleys. Other formations of the galley were usually not formally written and employed en masse. The death of galley warfare came from the development and the introduction of the cannon. Developed in the late 16th century, cannons were inaccurate, yet very effective at destroying enemy ships. This development would reshape naval history and would be used effectively until the early 20th century. The first instance of the cannon being used with a proper formation to maximize its effectiveness is during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. The cross formation that was used led to the cannon being able to avoid friendly fire. After Lepanto, the destruction of the Spanish armada came about in 1588, not long after Lepanto. The Spanish armada itself, using a Crescent Envelope formation, allowed for the more numerous ships of the Spanish Armada to surround and envelope the British fleet. The formation forms a C shape, with the enemy fleet sailing into the middle of the CThe British however capitalized on the weakness of the formation, that the ships in the middle of the formation would not be able to fire their side mounted cannons on their targets. The Britishs wedge formation

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS

sailed right into the middle of the crescent, firing their side mounted cannons on the edges of the crescent and putting more firepower on the Spanish ships on the edges of the crescent. The British also seized the weather gage, allowing them to close at a much faster pace toward the Spanish formation. This formation allowed a much smaller force of ships to capitalize on a part of the enemy fleet, and destroy it piece by piece. The most popular formation that would be used for many decades is the Line Astern. Ships in this formation would literally form a line, from the bow of one ship to the stern of another. This formation would prove to be the most effective in battles such as the Battle of Trafalgar. Line Astern was formed a wall of ships and cannons, which could fire upon any closing ships or another line that is running parallel to it. Many nations would adopt the use of the Line Astern, and use it as it formed the simplest line of battle. The French would often take the leeward side of the battle so they could retreat downwind while still firing chain shot to take out the masts of their enemies. The Britishs rigid Permanent Fighting Instructions led their formations to be very predictable, and would cause Britain to never once win an engagement where both sides had an equal number of ships. The British would realize this and would relax their enforcement of the Permanent Fighting Instructions. The British were notorious for being very bold and breaking their line formations when the opportunity presented itself. In the Battle of the Saintes of 1782, the British started the battle with a Line Astern formation, parallel to the French line. An hour after the ships closed however, individual British ship captains would break off from the British line and sail right in front of other French ships, with their port side facing the French bows, delivering devastating broadsides. This led to the British causing a massive French rout and securing the British a decisive naval victory.

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS

No British admiral would show more boldness than Admiral Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. A common tactic throughout history that was very risky, yet had great rewards, was crossing the enemy T. This is formed when two columns of ships, in Line Astern would meet in a T shape, and one column would cross right through another, allowing the side mounted cannons to rake the enemy ships with fire in the stern. Nelson at Trafalgar formed 2 lines of battle, in two separate formations, one in a rough Line Abreast and Nelsons in Line Astern. In Line Abreast, the ships are formed parallel to each other, side by side, used mainly to close on an enemy formation and evenly distribute the enemy fire amongst all the ships in the column. Nelsons formation was able to beat the disadvantages of crossing an enemy T by using the weather gage and close rapidly with the enemy. Nelson also knew the inexperienced French and Spanish gunners at Trafalgar would have a hard time hitting the front of his ships, as the front end of the ship provided a much smaller target than the port or starboard sides. Nelsons formation would cut the French fleet in pieces, allowing for his formation to destroy the northernmost piece of the French line. Crossing the enemy T would be a common tactic used by bold commanders throughout history. In the mid-19th century, steam power was replacing sails, and the wooden ships of the time were starting to become obsolete with the formation of ironclads. Ironclads were nearly immune to enemy cannonball fire, like how the galley would be able to easily repel enemy arrows. This led to a period of naval history where ramming would be popular and effective. At the Battle of Lissa, the Austrians adopted a crescent formation to maximize effectiveness of ramming. The Italians were in a very loose line formation, with a large gap in the middle. The Austrians closed the distance with very little damage with their ironclads, and rammed Italian

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS ironclads causing many Italian ironclads to capsize and sink. The Austrians moved straight into the Italian gap, broke their formation, causing the Italians to route.

Rotating turrets developed in the late 19th century caused crossing an enemy T to become a lot more risky, as enemy turrets could rotate to face the closing enemy ships. Regardless, maneuverability and a shorter distance allowed the Japanese to use this strategy to great effect at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. One hundred years after Trafalgar, the Japanese used many of the tactics and lessons learned from Trafalgar, such as using two formations. The Japanese were able to cross in front of the Russian formation multiple times during the battle, with their 2nd formation crossing the Russian sterns. This caused the Japanese to have very few ship casualties in comparison to the Russians, who would lose 8 battleships from this battle. During the late 20th century, even cannons would start to become obsolete, as the aircraft carrier and submarine became more common on the oceans. Aircraft carriers extended the range of naval battles to where crews on ships couldnt see the enemy ships, only their aircraft. This time period did away with the traditional lines of battle, and brought the end of the reign of the battleship. Formations at this time were designed to protect a high value target, and to maximize effectiveness of the roles of each ship to protect said target. The Carrier Strike Group traced its roots to the formation of the carrier in 1920. The formation maximized protection of the carriers, and capitalized on the carriers being the offensive part of the formation. Smaller ships, such as destroyers and cruisers, sailed alongside the carriers and were used to combat enemy aircraft and submarines from reaching the carriers. Carrier Strike Groups are used to this day, by the modern US Navy and the navies of many other developed countries.

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS The Battle of Coral Sea was the first major engagement involving enemy Carrier Strike Groups. Japan and the United States realized that carriers were vulnerable to surface and submarine attacks if left unescorted, formed Task Forces which would evolve into the modern day Carrier Strike Groups. The Carrier Strike Group would prove to be very effective, making enemy attacks against carriers very costly. Throughout history, technology, more than anything influenced the change in naval formations. From Lepanto, to Coral Sea, the formation of the ram, cannon, submarine, and aircraft carrier caused naval formations to change dramatically over time, with each formation capitalizing on the effectiveness of each weapon. Ships used formations to best destroy enemy fleets by pieces, and mass their forces against a specific part of the enemy formation. As long as there are wars to be fought on the waves, formations will always be a large factor on the end of the battle.

TECHNOLOGYS INFLUENCE ON NAVAL FORMATIONS

References The Battle of Lissa, July 20 1866. When Ironclads Ruled the Seas. (2007, August 13). Retrieved from http://unitedcats.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/the-battle-of-lissa-july-20-1866when-ironclads-ruled-the-seas/ Trueman, C. (2000). History learning site. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_coral_sea.htm Hickman, K. (nd). www.enotes.com. Retrieved from http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles1900today/p/tsushima.htm Hickman, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalbattles14011600/p/lepanto.htm The Battle of Trafalgar. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.britishbattles.com/waterloo/battle-trafalgar.htm 2011). Bbc. (2011). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/launch_ani_trafalgar.shtml Beta history Retrieved from http://history.stackexchange.com/questions/819/about-navalformations Crossing the t one of historys greatest naval warfare tactics (2008, March 13). [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread341397/pg1 Roman Galleys (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/ships4t/RG4T.html Carrier Strike Groups (n.d.). Retrieved from website: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/powerhouse/cvbg.asp

Comment [R7]: Review apa 6th edition for correct listing of referencesformatting each ref, alphabetic order, when to use italics, no hyperlinks, etc.

Comment [R8]: Overall Feedback: This paper has strengths and weakness. First, the opening paragraph has a solid these. However, it does not really lead me down a specific path for direction. I recommend a follow up sentence detailing how you plan to prove your argument or thesis. You provide examples from battles all over the place in the meat of your papers paras. However, most are merely anecdotal.reference specific instances where decisions were made due to formations or battle results dictated new tactical formations driving by person X for reason Y. Simply referencing a battle in 1571 or Lissa later on is not enough. It is good for a conversation, but not a paper. The paper lacks apa formatting consistency. There are no in text citations. This is problematic and distracting. Also, the references are nearly all from the internet. Did you visit the library? How about academic search premier for professional journal sources? These would have given you the specific examples vice random internet factoids. This paper is not perfect, but it is not bad either. Good effort, but room for improvement. Grade 82/ B-