A permanent Royal Navy, with its own staff, dockyards and a group of purpose-built warships, was created in the 16th century in the reign of Henry VIII. Under Elizabeth I, England was at war with Spain. Privately-owned ships combined with the Royal Navy raided Spanish commerce and colonies. In 1588, Philip II of Spain sent the Spanish Armada against England to stop English support for the Dutch rebels, to stop English pirate activity, and to depose Elizabeth. The Spaniards sailed from Lisbon, planning to escort an invasion force from the Spanish Netherlands. The plan failed due to poor planning, English tactics, blocking action by the Dutch, and bad weather.
In law, the head of the Royal Navy is the monarch or her consort, holding the ceremonial title of Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom. The Lord High Admiral was Elizabeth II from 1964 to 2011. Her husband Prince Phillip was in the Royal Navy during World War II. He was Lord High Admiral from 2011 to 2021. The professional head of the naval service is the First Sea Lord. He is a member of the Defence Council and the Admiralty Board. The Navy Board is below Admiralty Board and is responsible for running the Navy. Their offices are in the Ministry of Defence, London.
Full command of the Royal Navy is the job of Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET). The purpose of CINCFLEET is to provide ships, submarines and commando forces for military and diplomatic jobs as needed by the Government.
CINCFLEET command headquarters are in Portsmouth; operational headquarters are at Northwood, Middlesex. This is the Permanent Joint Headquarters and a NATO Regional Command.
During the Cold War, the Royal Navy mainly focused on hunting for Soviet submarines. These submarines were most active in the North Atlantic Ocean, the ocean near Britain. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the Royal Navy focuses of deep sea exploration.
The main jobs of the Royal Navy are:
As of 1st November 2011, the Royal Navy numbered 36,640 personnel and 2,300 Royal Naval Reserve (Volunteer Reserve). Both of these figures include the Royal Marines and Royal Marines Reserve. In addition there were 19,600 Regular Reserves.
Women have been in the Royal Navy since 1917. From 1939 to 1993 they were part of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) and were called "Wrens". Since 1993 they have been a part of the regular Navy. The Royal Navy is an equal rights employer, with women having the same opportunities as their male counterparts. In 2012 for the first time a female officer, Commander Sarah West commanded a major warship, HMS Portland.
"This is not a complete list of all Royal Navy vessels. It is a simplified version of only the major units for simplicity. "
HMS Illustrious (R06) is the navy’s last aircraft carrier. It was once part of a set of three, HMS Invincible has been scrapped and HMS Ark Royal was decommissioned (Taken out of service). Previously she operated the Harrier Jump-Jet fighter however they were decommissioned in 2011. She now only operates helicopters and serves as a helicopter carrier. Her nickname is “Lusty”. Recently, there has been HMS Queen Elizabeth 2 which is now considered to be the largest aircraft carrier of her kind. October 21st was actually named HMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Day by the Americans.
HMS Ocean (L12) is the navy’s biggest ship and main helicopter carrier. She played a big role in the Invasion of Iraq in 2003 and was the British flagship during the Libyan Civil War, during 2012 she will be deployed at the London 2012 Olympics. Over Christmas 2011 her crew became famous for making a music video of “All I want for Christmas is you”. This was filmed when they were at war in Libya. Her nickname is “The Mighty-O”.
HMS Albion (L14) is the rotating flagship of the Royal Navy with HMS Bulwark. She is named "Albion" after the ancient name of Britain. She is presently in "extended readiness" and can be recalled to the main fleet when needed.
HMS Bulwark (L15) is the rotating flagship of the Royal Navy with HMS Albion. She has been on major deployments to Lebanon and led a training mission to Asia. She is presently the Fleet Flagship of the Royal Navy and is on call to respond as needed.
HMS Daring (D32) is one of a new group of Destroyers. She is designed for anti-air warfare. She can also conduct patrol missions and carry a boarding party from the Royal Marines. She and her sisters will be the main warships for the next decade at least.
"The other Type 45 Destroyers are HMS Dauntless and HMS Diamond. Three others are under construction."
HMS Sutherland (F81) is one of the Duke class Frigates. She is designed for anti-submarine warfare. She can also conduct a variety of other missions. She is the first ship to have this name in over 200 years. She was deployed to Libya during 2011 to support operations there. The Duke class Frigates are the main combatant of the Royal Navy.
"The other Type 23 Frigates are HMS Argyll, HMS Lancaster, HMS Iron Duke, HMS Monmouth, HMS Montrose, HMS Westminster, HMS Northumberland, HMS Richmond, HMS Somerset, HMS Kent, HMS Portland and HMS St Albans. Three others used to serve in the Royal Navy but were sold to Chile. "
HMS Protector (A173) is one of two Icebreaking patrol vessels in the Royal Navy. She has been loaned for three years whilst HMS Endurance is fixed. She primarily patrols the British Antarctic Territory but also serves in the nearby Falklands and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands.
HMS Vanguard (S28) is one of four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN). She can fire the Trident II nuclear missile around the globe. At any time at least one boat is at sea with nuclear weapons to defend Britain. Their operations are highly secretive. They are based at HMNB Clyde in Scotland.
"The other Vanguard class submarines are HMS Vigilant, HMS Vengeance and HMS Victorious."
HMS Astute (S119) is the first of a new type of fleet submarine (SSN). Her type is nuclear powered. They can fire the Tomahawk missile at ground targets and torpedoes at surface ships. She is one of the most capable submarines in the world.
"Six other Astute class vessels are under construction."
Mafia
The Mafia is a crime group working in many parts of the world that was created in Italy more than 200 years ago. The mafia makes money from crime. They make billions of dollars a year from such crimes as making and selling illegal drugs, money laundering, from stealing, gambling and prostitution.
The first written use of the word mafia has it being said on a list of rebels against the catholic church. It meant "boldness, ambition, pride", and since none of these were considered appropriate for a woman it is the name of a witch. Many people also believe that Arabic affected the word 'mafia' during the period of Arab control of Sicily, after the fall of the Roman Empire in 846 AD. 'Mahias' is an Arab word meaning 'bold man', and this is believed to be incorporated into the modern term mafia, which also suggests the bold and argumentative nature of its constituents.
A boss in the Sicilian mafia had a list of ten rules. These rules have been called the mafia's Ten Commandments.
The mafia in Italy have been around for hundreds of years. They work in the areas of Calabria, Sicily, Naples and Apulia which are all areas in the South of Italy.
This group was founded by Felice Maniero, but has now been dismantled.
The Italian-American mafia began at the time when many Italians moved to the United States in the 1800s. The first Italian mafia was in New Orleans in Louisiana but soon they were in many cities across the country. The Italian mafia in the United States is actually called "La Cosa Nostra" which in Italian language means "This thing of ours" or "Our thing". The American mafia is divided into different groups or "families". Many large cities have only one Italian-American mafia family, but some larger cities like New York City have more.
New York City has five Italian mafia families. They are called: