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Serving Officer of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy
Logo of the Royal Navy.svg
Founded 1660
Country United Kingdom
Branch Her Majesty's Naval Service
Type Navy
Role Naval warfare
Size 33,280 Regular
3,040 Maritime Reserve
7,960 Royal Fleet Reserve
77 commissioned ships
174 aircraft
Naval Staff Offices Whitehall, London, England, UK
Nickname(s) Senior Service
Motto(s) "Si vis pacem, para bellum" (Latin)
"If you wish for peace, prepare for war"
Colours Red and white
March "Heart of Oak"
Fleet 1 ship of the line
11 submarines
1 amphibious assault ship
2 amphibious transport docks
6 destroyers
13 frigates
4 offshore patrol vessels
15 mine countermeasures vessels
18 fast patrol boats
4 survey ships
1 icebreaker
1 static ship
Website royalnavy.mod.uk
Commanders
Lord High Admiral HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB
Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Ben Key CBE
Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock OBE
Insignia
White Ensign
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg
Naval Jack
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
Aircraft flown
Attack Wildcat, Lynx, F-35B Lightning II
Fighter F-35B Lightning II
Patrol Wildcat, Lynx, Merlin, Sea King
Reconnaissance Wildcat, Lynx, Merlin, ScanEagle
Trainer Tutor, Hawk
Transport Merlin, Sea King, Dauphin

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years War against the kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.

From the middle decades of the 17th century and through the 18th century, the Royal Navy vied with the Dutch Navy and later with the French Navy for maritime supremacy. From the mid 18th century it was the world's most powerful navy until surpassed by the United States Navy during the Second World War. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing the British Empire as the unmatched world power during the 19th and first part of the 20th centuries. Due to this historical prominence, it is common, even among non-Britons, to refer to it as "the Royal Navy" without qualification.

Following World War I, the Royal Navy was significantly reduced in size, although at the onset of the Second World War it was still the world's largest. By the end of the war, however, the United States Navy had emerged as the world's largest. During the Cold War, the Royal Navy transformed into a primarily anti-submarine force, hunting for Soviet submarines, mostly active in the GIUK gap. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, its focus has returned to expeditionary operations around the world and remains one of the world's foremost blue-water navies.


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