The Great Armament was the popular name given to the rapid build-up in the strength of the British
Royal Navy as a consequence of the need for inshore warfare vessels that emerged during the 1854-56
Crimean War against
Russia. These forces were for deployment not only in the
Black Sea and
Sea of Azof
The Sea of Azov (Crimean Tatar language, Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (ab ...
, but equally in the campaigns in the
Baltic Sea and
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...
. Following the end of that war, many of the numerous steam-driven gunboats produced as part of the Great Armament were deployed in many other locations around the world, as far apart as Africa and China.
Orders
Between 27 March 1854, when Britain declared war on Russia (France followed suit the next day) and 30 March 1856, when the Treaty of Peace was signed in Paris, the following small naval vessels were ordered by the
British Admiralty
The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
; all except the mortar vessels (which were sail propelled only) and the (iron-hulled) mortar floats (which were not self-propelled) had steam screw propulsion:
The above list excludes major warships (ships of the line and frigates) ordered during this two-year period.
References
* Winfield, Rif; Lyon, David (2004). ''
The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889''. London: Chatham Publishing. {{ISBN, 978-1-86176-032-6.
History of the Royal Navy
Crimean War