Editing Navy (section)

== History ==
{{main|Naval warfare|Naval history}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=November 2018}}

Naval warfare developed when humans first fought from water-borne vessels. Before the introduction of the [[cannon]] and ships with enough capacity to carry them, navy warfare primarily involved ramming and boarding actions. In the time of [[ancient Greece]] and the [[Roman Empire]], naval warfare centered on long, narrow vessels powered by banks of [[Watercraft rowing|oarsmen]] (such as [[trireme]]s and [[quinquereme]]s) designed to ram and sink enemy vessels or come alongside the enemy vessel so its occupants could be attacked hand-to-hand. Naval warfare continued in this vein through the [[Middle Ages]] until the cannon became commonplace and capable of being reloaded quickly enough to be reused in the same battle. 

In [[History of China#Ancient China|ancient China]], large naval battles were known since the [[Qin dynasty]] (''also see'' [[Battle of Red Cliffs]], 208), employing the war [[junk (ship)|junk]] during the [[Han dynasty]]. However, China's first official standing navy was not established until the [[Song dynasty|Southern Song dynasty]] in the 12th century, a time when [[gunpowder]] was a revolutionary new application to warfare.{{sfnp|de Crespigny|1990|p=264|loc="The engagement at the Red Cliffs took place in the winter of the 13th year of [[Jian'an (Eastern Han)|Jian'an]], probably about the end of 208."|postscript=}} The [[Chola Dynasty]] in [[South India|Southern India]] had a navy composed of trade ships transporting  armies overseas.<ref name="MajumdarHistCult3">{{cite book |last=Majumdar |first=Romesh Chandra |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |url=https://archive.org/details/struggleforempir05bhar/page/250/mode/2up?q= |title=The History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume V: The Struggle for Empire |publisher=[[Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan]] |year=2001 |location=Mumbai}}</ref> The [[Chola Navy]] reached its peak under [[Rajendra I]], and was most notably used in invasions of [[Chola conquest of Anuradhapura|Sri Lanka]] and [[South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra I|Southeast Asia]].<ref name="kulkep212">[[South-East Asia campaign of Rajendra I#Kulke|Kulke]], p. 212.</ref>{{sfn|Spencer|1976|p=409}}

[[Nusantara (archipelago)|Nusantara]]n [[Thalassocracy|thalassocracies]] made extensive use of naval power and technologies. This enabled the seafaring local people (either Malays of [[Srivijaya]] or Javanese of [[Mataram Kingdom|Mataram]]) to attack as far as the coast of [[Tanzania]] and [[Mozambique]] with 1000 boats and attempted to take the citadel of Qanbaloh, about 7,000&nbsp;km to their West, in 945–946 AD.<ref name=":122">Kumar, Ann (2012). 'Dominion Over Palm and Pine: Early Indonesia's Maritime Reach', in Geoff Wade (ed.), ''Anthony Reid and the Study of the Southeast Asian Past'' (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies), 101–122.</ref>{{rp|110}}<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Nugroho|first=Irawan Djoko|title=Majapahit Peradaban Maritim|publisher=Suluh Nuswantara Bakti|year=2011|isbn=978-602-9346-00-8}}</ref>{{Rp|39}} In 1350 AD [[Majapahit]] launched its largest military expedition, the invasion of [[Samudera Pasai Sultanate|Pasai]], with 400 large [[Djong (ship)|jong]] and innumerable smaller vessels.<ref name=":2">Hill (June 1960). "[[iarchive:hikayat-raja-raja-pasai/page/2/mode/2up|Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai]]". ''Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society''. '''33''': pp. 98 and 157: "Then he directed them to make ready all the equipment and munitions of war needed for an attack on the land of Pasai – about four hundred of the largest junks, and also many barges (malangbang) and galleys." See also Nugroho (2011), pp. 270 and 286, quoting ''Hikayat Raja-Raja Pasai'', 3: 98: "''Sa-telah itu, maka di-suroh baginda musta'idkan segala kelengkapan dan segala alat senjata peperangan akan mendatangi negeri Pasai itu, sa-kira-kira empat ratus jong yang besar-besar dan lain daripada itu banyak lagi daripada malangbang dan kelulus''." (After that, he is tasked by His Majesty to ready all the equipment and all weapons of war to come to that country of Pasai, about four hundred large jongs and other than that much more of malangbang and kelulus.)</ref> The second largest military expedition, invasion of [[Kingdom of Singapura|Singapura]] in 1398, Majapahit deployed 300 jong with no less than 200,000 men.<ref name=":10">Nugroho (2011), pp. 271, 399–400, quoting ''Sejarah Melayu'', 10.4: 77: "... ''maka bagindapun segera menyuruh berlengkap tiga ratus buah jung, lain dari pada itu kelulus, pelang, jongkong, tiada terbilang lagi''." (then His Majesty immediately ordered to equip three hundred jong, other than that kelulus, pelang, jongkong in uncountable numbers.)</ref><ref>Leyden, John (1821). ''[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.83132/page/n3/mode/2up?q= Malay Annals: Translated from the Malay language]''. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.83132/page/n101/mode/2up?q= p. 86]: "The bitara immediately fitted out 300 junks together with the vessels calúlús, pelang, and jongkong in numbers beyond calculation, and embarked on board of them two Cati of Javans (200,000). Then having set sail, they arrived at Singhapura, and immediately engaged in battle."</ref> The average jong used by Majapahit would be about 76.18–79.81 m [[Length overall|LOA]], carrying 600–700 men, with 1200–1400 tons [[Deadweight tonnage|deadweight]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Averoes|first=Muhammad|date=2022|title=Re-Estimating the Size of Javanese Jong Ship|journal=HISTORIA: Jurnal Pendidik Dan Peneliti Sejarah|volume=5|issue=1|pages=57–64| doi=10.17509/historia.v5i1.39181 | s2cid=247335671 |url=https://archive.org/details/size-of-javanese-jong |doi-access=free}}</ref>{{Rp|60–62}}

The mass and [[Deck (ship)|deck]] space required to carry a large number of cannon made oar-based propulsion impossible, and ships came to rely primarily on [[sail]]s. Warships were designed to carry increasing numbers of cannon and [[Naval tactics in the Age of Sail|naval tactics]] evolved to bring a ship's firepower to bear in a [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]], with [[ship of the line|ships-of-the-line]] arranged in a [[line of battle]].

The development of large capacity, sail-powered ships carrying cannon led to a rapid expansion of [[Europe]]an navies, especially the [[Spain|Spanish]] and [[Portugal|Portuguese]] navies that dominated in the 16th and early 17th centuries, and helped propel the [[Age of Discovery]] and [[colonialism]]. The repulsion of the [[Spanish Armada]] (1588) by the English fleet revolutionized naval warfare by the success of a guns-only strategy and caused a major overhaul of the [[Spanish Navy]], partly along [[England|English]] lines, which resulted in even greater dominance by the Spanish. From the beginning of the 17th century the Dutch cannibalized the [[Portuguese Empire]] in the [[eastern hemisphere|East]] and, with the immense wealth gained, challenged Spanish [[hegemony]] at sea. From the 1620s, Dutch raiders seriously troubled Spanish shipping and, after a number of battles that went both ways, the [[Dutch Navy]] finally broke the long dominance of the Spanish Navy in the [[Battle of the Downs]] (1639).

[[England]] emerged as a major naval power in the mid-17th century in the first [[Anglo-Dutch Wars|Anglo-Dutch war]] with a technical victory. Successive decisive Dutch victories in the second and third Anglo-Dutch Wars confirmed the Dutch mastery of the seas during the [[Dutch Golden Age]], financed by the expansion of the [[Dutch Empire]]. The [[French Navy]] won some important victories near the end of the 17th century but a focus upon land forces led to the French Navy's relative neglect, which allowed the [[Royal Navy]] to emerge with an ever-growing advantage in size and quality, especially in tactics and experience, from 1695. As a response to growing naval influence of the navies of Portuguese, the warrior king of the Marathas, [[Shivaji]] laid the foundation of the [[Maratha Navy|Maratha navy]] in 1654.

Throughout the 18th century the Royal Navy gradually gained ascendancy over the French Navy, with victories in the [[War of Spanish Succession]] (1701–1714), inconclusive battles in the [[War of Austrian Succession]] (1740–1748), victories in the [[Seven Years' War]] (1754–1763), a partial reversal during the [[American War of Independence]] (1775–1783), and consolidation into uncontested supremacy during the 19th century from the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] in 1805. These conflicts saw the development and refinement of [[Naval tactics in the Age of Sail|tactics]] that came to be called the [[line of battle]].

The next stage in the evolution of naval warfare was the introduction of [[armour|metal plating]] along the hull sides. The increased mass required steam-powered engines, resulting in an arms race between armor and weapon thickness and firepower. The first armored vessels, the French {{ship|French ironclad|Gloire||2}} and British {{HMS|Warrior|1860|6}}, made wooden vessels obsolete. Another significant improvement came with the invention of the rotating turrets, which allowed the guns to be aimed independently of ship movement. The battle between {{ship|CSS|Virginia}} and {{USS|Monitor}} during the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865) is often cited as the beginning of this age of maritime conflict. The [[Russian Navy]] was considered the third strongest in the world on the eve of the [[Russo-Japanese War]], which turned to be a catastrophe for the Russian military in general and the Russian Navy in particular. Although neither party lacked courage, the Russians were defeated by the Japanese in the Battle of Port Arthur, which was the first time in warfare that mines were used for offensive purposes. The warships of the Baltic Fleet sent to the Far East were lost in the Battle of Tsushima. A further step change in naval firepower occurred when the United Kingdom launched {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}} in 1906, but [[Naval tactics in the Age of Steam|naval tactics]] still emphasized the line of battle.
[[File:U 995 Laboe.JPG|thumb|The {{ship|German submarine|U-995}}, in service during [[World War II]].]]
The first practical military [[submarine]]s were developed in the late 19th century and by the end of [[World War I]] had proven to be a powerful arm of naval warfare. During [[World War II]], [[Nazi Germany]]'s submarine fleet of [[U-boat]]s almost starved the United Kingdom into submission and inflicted [[Second happy time|tremendous losses on U.S. coastal shipping]]. The {{ship|German battleship|Tirpitz}}, a [[sister ship]] of {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck||2}}, was almost put out of action by miniature submarines known as [[X-class submarine|X-Craft]]. The X-Craft severely damaged her and kept her in port for some months.

A major paradigm shift in naval warfare occurred with the introduction of the [[aircraft carrier]]. First at [[Battle of Taranto|Taranto]] in 1940 and then at [[Pearl Harbor]] in 1941, the carrier demonstrated its ability to strike decisively at enemy ships out of sight and range of surface vessels. The [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] (1944) was arguably the [[largest naval battle in history]]; it was also the last battle in which battleships played a significant role. By the end of [[World War II]], the carrier had become the dominant force of naval warfare.

World War II also saw the [[United States]] become by far the largest naval power in the world. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the [[United States Navy]] possessed over 70% of the world's total numbers and total tonnage of naval vessels of 1,000&nbsp;tons or greater.<ref name="Defense Analysis; Dec2001, Vol. 17 Issue 3, p259-265">"Weighing the US Navy", ''Defense & Security Analysis'', Volume 17, Issue 3, December 2001, pp. 259–265.</ref> Throughout the rest of the 20th century, the [[United States Navy]] would maintain a tonnage greater than that of the next 17 largest navies combined. During the [[Cold War]], the [[Soviet Navy]] became a significant armed force, with large numbers of large, heavily armed [[ballistic missile submarine]]s and extensive use of heavy, long-ranged antisurface missiles to counter the numerous United States [[carrier battle group]]s. Only two nations, the United States and [[France]], presently operate [[CATOBAR]] carriers of any size, while [[Russia]], [[China]] and [[India]] operate sizeable [[STOBAR]] carriers (although all three are originally of Russian design). The [[United Kingdom]] is also operating two {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|aircraft carrier|0}} carriers, which are the largest [[STOVL]] vessels in service, and India is currently building one aircraft carrier, {{INS|Vikrant|2013|6}}, and considering another. France is also looking at a [[French aircraft carrier PA2|new carrier]], probably using a CATOBAR system and possibly based on the British ''Queen Elizabeth'' design.