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Abstract

During the Revolutionary Wars, the Royal Navy carried out a defence of the North Sea, with small naval vessels and signal stations protecting important trade routes as well as protecting Britain’s East Coast from enemy attack. The organization and operation of its North Sea ports during this period have received little academic attention. This dissertation has focused on the port of Leith between 1797 and 1801, from where large merchant convoys sailed to European North Sea and Baltic ports, defended by eleven small gunbrigs. From research based mainly on Admiralty records: captains’ letters, ships logs and muster books, this dissertation has investigated the management and operation of these gunbrigs: the duties they carried out and the men who sailed them. It argues the importance of the Leith station, and its success in protecting the large quantity and variety of trade from enemy privateers in spite of being under-resourced by the Admiralty. It also makes a case for establishing that Royal Navy officers had a range of career ambitions and that the Leith boats were manned by particularly experienced and close-knit crews. It concludes by highlighting the need for further research into the work of small, un-rated vessels such as those at Leith; forming as they do, part of the fabric of the Royal Navy.

Course: Naval History - MA - C2457P

Date Deposited: 2023-10-11

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14206.html