Obu Wan,

Don't forget, Albion, Bulwark, Largs Bay, Lyme Bay, Cardigan Bay and Mount's Bay.

I would love to hear a justification for this statement; it was the German High Seas Fleet that spent the rest of the Great War safely bottled up in harbour until finally, when tasked to sortie in October 1918,


The Battle of Jutland (German: Skagerrakschlacht (Battle of the Skagerrak); Danish: Søslaget ved Jylland / Søslaget om Skagerrak) was the largest naval battle of World War I and the only full-scale clash of battleships in that war. It is also, by certain criteria, the largest naval battle in history. It was fought on 31 May – 1 June 1916, in the North Sea near Jutland, the northward-pointing peninsular mainland of Denmark.

First Ostend Raid
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First Ostend Raid
Part of North Sea Operations, First World War
Brilliant
Wreckage of HMS Brilliant at Ostend
Date 23–24 April 1918
Location Ostend, Belgium
Result German defences drove off British attackers.
…


North Sea 1914-1918
1st Heligoland Bight – Live Bait Squadron – Dogger Bank – Jutland – 2nd Heligoland Bight – Zeebrugge – 1st Ostend – 2nd Ostend

The First Ostend Raid (part of Operation ZO) was the first of two attacks by the Royal Navy on the German-held port of Ostend during the late spring of 1918 during the First World War. Ostend was attacked in conjunction with the neighbouring harbour of Zeebrugge on 23 April in order to block the vital strategic port of Bruges, situated six miles (10 km) inland and ideally sited to conduct raiding operations on the British coastline and shipping lanes. Bruges and its satellite ports were a vital part of the German plans in the battle of the Atlantic because Bruges was in close proximity to the troopship lanes across the English Channel and allowed much quicker access to the Western Approaches for the U-boat fleet than their bases in Germany.

The plan of attack was for the British raiding force to sink two obsolete cruisers in the canal mouth at Ostend and three at Zeebrugge, thus preventing raiding ships leaving Bruges. The Ostend canal was the smaller and narrower of the two channels giving access to Bruges and so was considered a secondary target behind the Zeebrugge Raid. Consequently fewer resources were provided to the force assaulting Ostend. While the attack at Zeebrugge garnered some limited success, the assault on Ostend was a complete failure. The German marines who defended the port had taken careful preparations and drove the British assault ships astray, forcing the abortion of the operation at the final stage.

Three weeks after the failure of the operation, a second attack was launched which proved more successful in sinking a blockship at the entrance to the canal but ultimately did not close off Bruges completely. Further plans to attack Ostend came to nothing during the summer of 1918 and the threat from Bruges would not be finally stopped until the last days of the war when the town was liberated by Allied land forces.




Did the RN have enough naval gunfire in support of the Eastend and Zeebruge raids?

Boffo,

Your knowledge is greater than mine, so I'm ready to stand corrected, however I recall reading that Arks non deployment was due to considerations of risk to the ship itself- although I accept that her small airgroup and its contribution would be a factor.

Another argument either way for larger carriers and more of them?

Never presume regarding knowledge!

I'd settle for the two with a proper TAG, not the half-@rsed arrangement. If we ever get an Ocean replacement (forget Ark) it'll be the back end of the twenties.......

Royal Navy warships may form part of EU fleet
 

Torygraph: Royal Navy warships may form part of EU fleet

Royal Navy vessels could take part in a new “European Union fleet” being planned by France. The French proposal would see a British aircraft carrier placed at the heart of a new EU naval group.

The prospect of such close co-operation between two navies whose clashes include the Battle of Trafalgar is likely to outrage eurosceptics and is already said to have caused concern among British admirals.

The plan for an EU naval force is being put forward by Nicholas Sarkozy, the French president. Gordon Brown and Mr Sarkozy are said to have discussed the plan earlier this year, and French officials have described the talks between London and Paris as “well advanced.”

Mr Sarkozy will take over the rotating presidency of the EU next month and plans to use the role to push for greater European defence co-operation. The French leader sees the EU project as France’s reward for rejoining NATO’s military structures.

Aides to Herve Morin, the French defence minister, this week briefed journalists in Paris that France will use the EU presidency to propose a “European carrier group”, which would ensure that the union always has at least one carrier at sea. The German Defence Ministry in Berlin has also confirmed that Germany is open to participating in the joint force and is awaiting more details from Mr Sarkozy.

Britain and France are the only EU powers with aircraft carriers, and agreement between London and Paris would be the key to any shared naval force.

Greater EU co-operation over carriers could solve at least one problem for the MoD. Some naval analysts say that current UK defence spending plans mean that the Navy will not have enough destroyers and other support ships to properly support and protect the new generation of carriers now being built. Under Mr Sarkozy’s plan, other EU nations could help provide such vessels.

Britain’s multibillion pound plan to buy two new aircraft carriers has been hit by delays and budget troubles. France is also building a single new carrier. There is extensive Anglo-French industrial co-operation on the massive construction project, and there has been speculation that the two countries could save money by sharing a carrier.

The Ministry of Defence said there was no question of Britain and Paris sharing a carrier. “There are no plans for the UK and French navies to share carriers,” the MoD said in a statement. But the ministry did not rule out more co-operation between the Royal Navy and its French counterpart. The MoD said: “However, the UK and French Navies continue to work closely together and co-operate on carrier operations, and will continue to do so in the future.”

The Conservatives plan to press defence ministers about the French proposal in a Commons debate on Thursday. Gerald Howarth, the Tory defence spokesman, said: “We need to know if this is an attempt by the Government to ingratiate itself with EU allies and in so doing sell the Royal Navy down the river.”

Surely unless the British carriers come fitted with cats and arrestor wires the scope for French and British naval forces to work closely together ends at sailing alongside each other?

A simplistic view I know but there is little chance of the French being able to cross-deck aircraft etc with the current design for the RN CVF's.:confused:

Gash article anyway. I wonder how our Spanish & Italian colleagues feel when told they don't have carriers?

As for extensive UK / Fr industrial co-operation, don't hold your breath. There are areas where equipment can be bought as a job lot, but as M Sarkozy has helpfully put off a decision on PA2 until 2012, the anticipated savings are unlikely to be realised.