There’s this misconception that the Navy is this cruise ship, and you get to go out and sail around, and every now and then, you have to swab the deck. But, no, it is a very impressive group of young people that live at sea, in this place that’s very uncomfortable. They exude a pride that is well-deserved. Tom Hanks
There is no cannibalism in the British navy, absolutely none, and when I say none, I mean there is a certain amount. Graham Chapman, Monty Python
The royal navy of England has ever been its greatest defence and ornament; it is its ancient and natural strength; the floating bulwark of the island. William Blackstone, Commentaries I i xiii 387
Our ships were British oak,
And hearts of oak our men. S J Arnold, Death of Nelson
Cooped in their winged sea-girt citadel. Lord Byron, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage II:28
The condition of the British Navy is, no doubt, a matter of national importance and public interest. Grove J, Henwood v Harrison 1872 L R 7 C P Cas 613
Both prepare for the second Persian attack. Xerxes sent in the hammer and fist of the Persian army, the silent and masked heavy infantry called the Immortals. 300 Spartans: The Last Stand, Apple TV 2018
It did not go entirely unnoticed that the reaction was rather different when the US warship Vincennes shot down an Iranian civilian airliner in a commercial corridor off the coast or Iran – out of ‘a need to prove the viability of Aegis’, its high-tech missile system, in the judgement of US Navy commander David Carlson who ‘wondered aloud in disbelief’ as he monitored events from a nearby naval vessel. Noam Chomsky, Deterring Democracy
One of Elizabeth’s greatest accomplishments – building a powerful British navy. Vanessa Collingridge, Queen Elizabeth I: A Timewatch Guide, BBC 2016
Eight miles north of the Scottish mainland lies the island of Hoy, the south-east corner of the Orkney Islands … In the early hours of July 30th 1914 ten soldiers from the Orkney garrison were dispatched here … to take immediate control of the telegraph station. David Hayman, War at Sea: Scotland’s Story, BBC 2016
For the Royal Navy this would be a war like never before. ibid.
A fighting force of forty thousand men. ibid.
Early submarines were not taken seriously. David Hayman, War at Sea: Scotland’s Story II
But as the Dreadnought war ended, the U-boat war intensified dramatically. ibid.
Lusitania: single torpedo killed 1,198 lives. ibid.
The German war effort and the German people were both being starved by the British naval blockade. ibid.
The sea war would end four days later in Fife. ibid.
Among the men who served under Admiral Nelson were a hundred black sailors. David Olusoga, Black and British: A Forgotten HBC 2016
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy by far stretching longer than the Houses of Parliament and standing taller than Nelson’s column, an aircraft carrier so immense different sections have had to be constructed in different shipyards throughout Great Britain and then transported by barge to Scotland for final assembly. Britain’s Biggest Warship s1e1: Crewing Up, BBC 2019
Make or break sea trials in which everything must be tested. ibid.
‘It’s amazing how much stuff you need.’ ibid. supplies officer
In 1967 on the USS Forrestal an electrical fault led to the discharge of a missile on deck setting off a train of events which killed 134 sailors. ibid.
It’s taken 10,000 workers 8 years to build Britain’s first supercarrier. Britain’s Biggest Warship s1e2: In at the Deep End
The Navy’s first grey city: vibrant, bustling, multicultural … Little Britain on the ocean waves. ibid.
This blade is a whole 26mm out of alignment: in propeller engineering terms that may as well be a mile … The divers work round the clock. ibid.
At 65,000 tonnes she’s three times biggest than the Navy’s last aircraft carrier. Britain’s Biggest Warship s1e3: Out With the Old, In With the New
Some of the most significant Naval action of World War II began in Scapa Flow: the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck started here, as did raids on her sister ship Tirpitz. ibid.
Her first sea trial complete HMS Queen Elizabeth heads south to her new home of Portsmouth. ibid.
This is the story of the most advanced warship of its kind in the world. At the most dramatic time in its short history. HMS Duncan is a Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer worth over a billion pounds, bristling with technology. But this state of the art ship is also home to 280 men and women. Warship: Life at Sea I, Channel 5 2018
Duncan’s engines are huge: they generate enough electricity to power over 18,000 homes. ibid.
The Russian warship begins shadowing Duncan. ibid.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Duncan is in the Black Sea over 3,000 miles from home … Russia’s forces controversially moved into Crimea in 2014 and defend their new territory fiercely. Warship: Life at Sea II
She’s about to face a whole new set of challenges in the Mediterranean. ibid.
Day 53 northern Mediterranean: Captain Eleanor Stack is watching the weapons team as they prepare for a special drill. Warship: Life at Sea III
‘I’ve been told to get off an to go home.’ ibid.
After six hours the re-supply is complete. ibid.
Their mission is to protect the Allied strike force from any Russian or Syrian attack. ibid.
Duncan set sail for Syria and was ordered to defend an allied strike force … Duncan’s crew are waiting nervously. Warship: Life at Sea IV
An attack helicopter has taken off from one of Russia’s warships. ibid.
After almost seven months at sea HMS Duncan is in sight of the UK. ibid.
A brand new mission: this Royal Navy Destroyer is packed with the most advanced weaponry in the world. But 260 men and women also call it home. With exclusive access, our cameras have been invited back for Duncan’s dramatic new seven-month deployment. As the crew join the fight to eradicate Isis in Iraq and Syria. Warship: Life at Sea s2e1, Channel 5 2020
It’s early March and HMS Duncan is in port. Tom Trent has just become the new captain. ibid.
Duncan’s most challenging mission to date: it will take her deep into the Mediterranean Sea … heading for the front line of the War on Terror. ibid.
Eight chefs cook round the clock to cater for the crew. ibid.
All Russian activity is being monitored deep inside the ship in Duncan’s operations room. ibid.
HMS Duncan is a one-billion-pound warship on a brand-new mission … Day 14 off the coast of Syria: it’s 6:45 a.m.: HMS Duncan is two weeks into her seven-month deployment. Warship: Life at Sea s2e2
HMS Duncan has now begun her role on Operation Inherent Resolve: an international mission to attack Isis-held territory. Her job is to enforce a ten-mile exclusion zone around the French aircraft carrier: Charles de Gaulle. Giving her jets enough space to conduct bombing runs over Syria. But two Russian warships … are also nearby. ibid.
Finding the Russian submarine is top priority. ibid.
A helicopter has come out of nowhere, and it’s flying straight at the aircraft carrier. ibid.
The first stage of Duncan’s deployment saw them team up with French allies as they launched an air assault on Isis … Day 116, off the coast of Turkey, She’s been ordered to the Black Sea … The Russians patrol the sea in large numbers … Duncan is joining Nato forces to reassure Ukraine. Warship: Life at Sea s2e3
To the Middle East: a change of plan … With British shipping threatened by Iranian forces, Duncan has been ordered to the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible. ibid.
The crew will miss all of the English summer … It will take fifteen hours to get through the canal … ibid.
In the Gulf tensions rose as the Iranian Navy threatened British-flag tankers. And HMS Duncan was ordered to the region. Warship: Life at Sea s2e4
Megan’s trying to fix the [gushing water] problem before it threatens the engines. ibid.