Editing Western Approaches

{{short description|Area of the Atlantic ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain}}
{{About||the museum of this name at the former World War II command centre|Western Approaches Command|the 2004 folk album by Steve Knightley, Seth Lakeman and Jenna|Western Approaches (album)|the 1944 film|Western Approaches (film)}}
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{{Disputed|date=July 2019}}
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[[Image:Western Approaches.PNG|thumb|Western Approaches]]
The '''Western Approaches''' is an approximately rectangular area of the [[Atlantic Ocean]] lying immediately to the west of [[Ireland]] and parts of [[Great Britain]]. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The coast of the mainland forms the eastern side and the western boundary is the 30 degree meridian, which passes through [[Iceland]]. The area is particularly important to the [[United Kingdom]], because many of its larger shipping ports lie within it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-06-25 |title=Liverpool War Museum, Western Approaches, Battle of the Atlantic, Work War II |url=http://www.liverpoolwarmuseum.co.uk/history/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625231656/http://www.liverpoolwarmuseum.co.uk/history/ |archive-date=2008-06-25 }}</ref>

The term is most commonly used when discussing [[naval warfare]], notably during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the [[First World War]] and the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]] in which Nazi Germany's ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' attempted to blockade the United Kingdom using [[submarine]]s ([[U-boat]]s) operating in this area. Since almost all shipping to and from the United Kingdom passed through this area, it was an excellent hunting ground and had to be heavily defended.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Approaches in WW2 World Naval Ships Forums Archive |url=https://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/thread.php?threadid=13640 |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=www.worldnavalships.com}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Irish Sea]]
*[[GIUK gap]]
*[[Long Forties]]
*[[Broad Fourteens]]
*[[Western Approaches Command]]
*[[Denys Rayner]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Atlantic Ocean]]


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