Français  Contact Us  Help  Search  Canada Site Volume 1 (1000–1754) Volume 2 (1755-1871) Volume 3 (1872–2000) CHAPTER 1 The Conquest CHAPTER 2 The Revolt of Pontiac and the American Invasion CHAPTER 3 The Coveted Pacific Coast CHAPTER 4 The Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 CHAPTER 5 Demobilization CHAPTER 6 The Royal Navy, Ruler of the Seas A Power Force In Defence From Sail to Steam A Revolution in Artillery Arctic Exploration Franklin's Tragic Expedition Discovery of a Northwest Passage Events in the North West Territories The Red River Volunteers The Pacific Coast The Victoria Voltigeurs The Purported Russian Threat The Gold Rush and the Royal Engineers The Pig War The Royal Navy Patrols the West Coast The Volunteer Corps CHAPTER 7 A Decade of Turbulence APPENDIX A The British Armed Forces APPENDIX B Daily Life of Soldiers and Officers APPENDIX C Uniforms and Arms APPENDIX D Reference      CHAPTER 6 The Royal Navy, Ruler of the Seas           From Sail to Steam ( 3 pages )           1 2 3      Gradual Adoption of New Ways                HMS Warrior, 1861. (Click image to enlarge) In military circles there was initial scepticism that these small steamships could constitute a serious threat.  The admirals of the Royal Navy were particularly doubtful about the innovation, but in 1822 they were convinced by the arguments of the famous inventor Marc Isambard Brunel and ordered construction of the first Royal Navy steamship, the HMS Comet.  Like all boats of its type, it was a small sailing ship, in the centre of which was an engine and a tall chimney stack, and it was propelled by paddle wheels on either side of the ship. But the Royal Navy delayed the adoption of steam for its large warships until the end of the 1840s.  The reluctance of the military navies was justified.  First, paddle wheels were very vulnerable to enemy fire and took up space where the cannon ought to be mounted.  Not least, the presence on board a warship of the fire required to run a steam engine together with explosive black powder was reason enough for anyone to fear the worst.  The introduction of screw propulsion and the taking on board of mechanical engineering specialists gradually eliminated any such reservations.  By the end of the 1840s the Royal Navy was beginning to install screw propulsion engines on several old line vessels.  In 1849 the 80-cannon Agamemnon became the first warship specifically built with a screw propeller.  It was incorrectly believed that iron hulls would be more difficult to maintain than wooden hulls; during the 1850s wooden hulls were therefore retained, as well as sails, even though engines had been installed and the most vulnerable parts of the ship were protected by iron plates.           Additional Images           Click image to enlarge      1 2 3   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices