changing naval roles

• French threat to trade- The trade route between Europe and Asia had become a key source of income for Britain and the Navy had devoted resources to protect this route. Piracy occured across the Indian Ocean and French Privateers funded by the government for wars and capturing merchant ships caused chaos by the Isle de France. The Navy blockaded the Isle de France but it had little effect due to the speed of privateer ships. The French threat was ended in 1810 when the Isle de France was caputured and renamed Mauritius and a British naval base.
• Piracy threatening trade- Arab pirates disrupted trade in the Red Sea and the Navy increased their operations in the region. Surveyor ships charted the Red Sea between 1800 to 1809. Treaties were signed with the Imam of Mocha and Sultan of Aden to protect British commerce. The British bombarded Mocha in 1820 until the Sultan accepted the deal and Berbera was blockaded for 5 years until compensation was given for an attack on British shipping.
• Piracy in the Straits of Malacca- A narrow channel called the Straits of Malacca linked China to India and it was a hotbed of piracy. A fleet of 100 pirate ships operated in this area to capture large European merchantmen. As opium sales in China increased, supression of piracy in this area became a priority to remove threats to commerce. In 1824, a deal with the Dutch to divide the area and introduce naval patrols meant a new naval squadron was created to reduce the piracy. It couldn't eradicate all piracy completely though.
• Problems in Algiers- Pirates and slavers operated out of Algiers and the Barbary States. They were well-armed, organised and captured around 1 million Europeans from 1500 to 1800. Prisoners were ransomed or enslaved and the Barbary States (Beys) grew rich from having a 10% share in the trades. The Navy had been strong enough to intimidate Beys into leaving British ships alone by bombarding Algiers and Tripoli to secure treaties like France later did. American had to pay $1 million ransom and 900 Sardinians were taken as slaves in one raid- smaller states struggled against the pirates.
• Attacking Algiers- In 1816, Britain faced criticism that they were more interested in suppressing the slave trade in Africa than Europe so Lord Exmouth signed a treaty with the Beys. Before he left for England, the Algerian island of Bona saw 200 captured Europeans massacred, dishonouring the treaty. Exmouth then returned with a larger fleet and bombarded Algiers. He fired over 50,000 cannonballs and sank over 40 boats. Algiers was forced to repay over £80,000 in ransom money and free 3000 slaves.
• Consequences of attacking Algiers- The Beys were heavily relian on piracy for their wealth and raiding continued occasionally. Britain bombarded Algiers again in 1820 and the piracy only ended when France conquered Algiers in 1830. It showed that Britain was willing to use the strength of the Royal Navy to protect foreigners under British protection. The Navy had taken on the role of a a naval police force, know as Pax Britannica.
• Maps and Navigation- The unknown waters during conflicts like the 7 Years War meant that coastal differences and long sides of ships of the line could end up sinking ships. Accurate maps and navigation skills were needed, even in home waters. The Scilly disaster of 1707 saw the loss of 4 warships and 1550 men due to navigation failures. Also, between 1803 and 1815, over 200 ships were lost due to dangerous coastlines or sinking at sea, all linking back to the limited advancements in navigation.
• Longitude- Knowing both longitude and latitude were key in calculating ships' positions at sea. Mariners used the stars to calculate latitude but there was no fool-proof way to know the longitude. Estimations were calculated by guessing the distance they had travelled- 'dead reckoning'. This was dangerous and impractical for larger fleets.
• Harrison's watch- In 1759, John Harrison created a watch that could keep time at sea. The Admiralty tested the watch on a trip to the West Indies and it was found to only have lost 5 seconds on the 81 day voyage, narrowing down longitude calculations to within one nautical mile. He had solved the problem and received the reward that had been promised by Parliament.
• Cook's exploration- The Royal Society and Admiralty wanted to to increase knowledge of oceans and use Venus to estimate the distance between the earth and the sun. They sent Cook to claim new lands and complete circumnavigation of the globe which he achieved from 1768 to 1771. Cook's voyage didn't help with the distance between the earth and sun but it allowed Britain to claim to Australia and New Zealand. It also allowed Cook to create maps and prove expeditions could stay at sea for 3 years and not lose huge numbers of men to disease if cleanliness and access to fresh food were maintained.