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The battle of Salamine

As soon as the Man discovered the boat, it thought of using it with military aims. The first to have implemented a navy of war ready to fight on water are the Greeks. They gained the first naval battle (against Perses) by positioning " lances " in front of their trières. The Romans did better by creating the quiquérèmes, vast boats actuated by 270 oarsmen. The quiquérèmes included/understood 5 oarsmen per section. Moreover, these boats had a " corvus ", kind of footbridge provided with a hook, which cut down on the unfavourable ship, made it possible to the Romans to carry out a terrestrial combat.

Drakkar

Then the Vikings with their drakkars came who contributed to the fall of the Roman empire. The drakkars were long boats flat-bottomed, fast, stable and having only one directional sail. Thanks to these boats, the Vikings furrowed Europe, Siberia to China and discovered America. The purpose of all these forwardings were to find, then to plunder grounds. One can thus consider the drakkars as warships whose principal role was the transport of troop.

With the paddle of XIIIe century, under the impulse of the Innocent pope III, one 4th crusade is projected. Instead of using the terrestrial ways, the cross ones chooses a transport by boat which is finally organized by Venice. The goal of the voyage is Egypt. But the Venetian ones will make pay this service very expensive, and this crusade will not reach Jerusalem and the cross ones will take part in the plundering of Constantinople. This voyage will have made it possible in Venice definitively to settle with the 1st rank of the centers of international exchanges. Venice then will develop its power thanks to the construction of an arsenal; thousands of workmen worked there permanently (20% of the population). Venice could rise with the row of 1ere world power thanks to its navy of war.

Galions

After the discovery of America, a new type of boat replaces the galère: the galion. Adapted better to the long voyages, it was armed with 20 to 50 guns to protect the transported goods. The Spanish galion transported 400 soldiers and a hundred sailors. Their gréement was " mixed one " of square sails and lateen sails. Galions brought back gold and the money but also charged with spices, silk, the porcelain of America. Thanks to these connections, Spain strongly grew rich.

During XVIe century, a new maritime power is created. It is England, thanks to Henri VIII who understood that the economic development supposed the existence of a powerful fleet, as well commercial as military. New roads are create towards China and the acts of piracy played an important part. The defeat of invincible the armada of Philippe II (August 7 1588) marked the end of Spanish supremacy at sea.

The gun compartment

From XVIIe century, a new type of boat appears. They are the vessels of line, longer than galions them, of which the only goal is run the enemy. Moreover, the vessels are in file to make the broadsides more effective.

Then, the increase of speed acquired thanks to the vapor upset the conditions of the war. The first armoured frigate with vapor is French, it is " the Glory ", built in 1858. c’est during the American Civil War which was delivered the first combat of histrory between armoured ships. The role of the navy in colonial l’expansion of the European powers was fundamental. It made it possible the colonizing states to transport men and material far and quickly.

The two world wars gave reason to the partisans of the naval force. The English fleet protected the convoys whereas the German navy tried to run them with its submarines U-Boot. But the German underwater action was one of the cause of the American intervention. From the Second World War, the battles were not naval any more, but Naval Aviation and the two fleets was distant 300 to 700 km. The logistics of the navy of war played important role. It made it possible to the Americans to reconquer the Pacific and the Allies to unload in Normandy and Provence.

French patrol craft " L'audacieuse " (1985)

After the Second World war, the distribution of the naval forces was modified by marine l’apparition d’une of Soviet war, rich in particular in the submarines present on all the seas. The modern possession d’une marine became a very expensive company and before any technique, whose conditions require a revision of the strategic and tactical designs. The nuclear submarines patrol and are held near to send their missile. The fleets allow to deploy an important force in very little time (War Gulf, Kosovo...