Ourselves" (usually with the informal reply "for nobody else will concern themselves with our well-being!")

The Navy served its men set rations three times a day. In good times, the rations would have included fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. During a long sea voyage, fresh food had to be used up before it spoiled, so the men were reduced to eating salt pork and hard biscuit sometimes infested with weevils — but, hey, extra protein, right? Unless you choose the lesser of two weevils. Rodger, N.A.M. (2004). The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815. Vol.2. Penguin. ISBN 978-0141026909. Core Capabilities". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 9 June 2007 . Retrieved 7 August 2007. Clean slate: the helmsman’s log slate, on which the course and distance was chalked, was wiped clean at the start of the next period of duty at the wheel, now means fresh start or cancelling a debt. Gibowicz, Charles J. (September 2007). Mess Night Traditions. AuthorHouse. pp.155–157. ISBN 978-1-4259-8446-5 . Retrieved 24 July 2014.Creek: a narrow inlet usually within a natural harbour which is tidal so dried out at low water. Naval Hospitals were often at the heads of these creeks. The standard of care was poor in the early days so to be ‘Up the creek’ (with or without a paddle) was to be in a precarious situation. Benbow, Tim (2018). The Royal Navy and Sea Power in British Strategy, 1945–55 (pdf) (Thesis). Vol.91 (online scaned.). King's College London. pp.375–398. Our families" (prior to 2013, "Our wives and sweethearts," usually with the reply "May they never meet!") Ingham, John (18 March 2013). "Royal Navy is now 'too small' to protect Britain". Express. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014 . Retrieved 23 November 2014. The titular head of the Royal Navy is the Lord High Admiral, a position which was held by the Duke of Edinburgh from 2011 until his death in 2021 and remains vested in the Crown and held personally by the reigning Monarch (currently King Charles III). [174] [175] [176] The position had been held by Queen Elizabeth II from 1964 to 2011; [177] the Sovereign is the Commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces. [178] The professional head of the Naval Service is the First Sea Lord, an admiral and member of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom. The Defence Council delegates management of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence, which directs the Navy Board, a sub-committee of the Admiralty Board comprising only naval officers and Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants. These are all based in MOD Main Building in London, where the First Sea Lord, also known as the Chief of the Naval Staff, is supported by the Naval Staff Department. [179] Organisation [ edit ]

Echoes of a varied history – HMS Echo, ship of the month May 2004 (archive)". Navy News. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008 . Retrieved 20 June 2009. The Fleet Commander has responsibility for the provision of ships, submarines and aircraft ready for any operations that the Government requires. Fleet Commander exercises his authority through the Navy Command Headquarters, based at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth. An operational headquarters, the Northwood Headquarters, at Northwood, London, is co-located with the Permanent Joint Headquarters of the United Kingdom's armed forces, and a NATO Regional Command, Allied Maritime Command. [180]

Swinging the Lead –an expression that describes the act of wasting time. It comes from the task aboard ship of dropping a sounding weight (made of lead) over the bows to determine the depth of water. It was seen as a way to avoid the more arduous tasks involved in bringing a ship into harbour. New Navy Wildcat Helicopter Squadron commissions at RNAS Yeovilton". Royal Naval Association . Retrieved 12 November 2019. The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse". Archived from the original on 7 February 2012 . Retrieved 26 September 2010. Royal Navy unveils new Amphibious landing ships". Ministry of Defence. 6 October 2006. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007 . Retrieved 10 August 2007. Grimes, Shawn T. (2012). Strategy and War Planning in the British Navy, 1887–1918. Boydell. ISBN 978-1846158179.

Battle of Britain | History, Importance, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved 17 September 2021. Able Seaman – the term originally was Able Rate meaning someone who was able to “hand, reef, and steer” therefore ‘able’ to carry out all the duties of a seaman.Couple of Shakes –the sailor’s way of measuring a show period of time alludes to the speed with which a sail would begin to shake if the helmsman allowed the ship to head too closely to the wind. A formal parade of a ship's or shore establishment's company. At the Britannia Royal Naval College, the " Lord High Admiral's Divisions" is a parade held in the presence of the monarch or his representative. [4] Pipe the side [ edit ] A ship must show it's 'true colours' when battle starts (Image: Steve Lewis, Royal Navy) Above board Warship". IMDB. 7 June 1973. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017 . Retrieved 30 December 2017. Bases in the United Kingdom [ edit ] HMS Albion during HMNB Devonport's Navy Day in 2006 HMS Vigilant alongside Faslane Naval Base A Merlin HC3 and Wildcat AH1, both part of the Commando Helicopter Force, at RNAS Yeovilton