- For the periodical, see Naval History (magazine).
Naval history is the area of military history concerning war at sea and the subject is also a sub-discipline of the broad field of maritime history. Traditionally, the focus has been on direct combat between ships at sea, rather than the use of ships to transport armies or military supplies, although frequently naval strategy hinges on the need to protect transport shipping. Recent writing in naval history has expanded the scope of the subject to include the full range of issues associated with navies, including matters of technology, finance, bureaucracy, social history, shipbuilding, supply, and logistics.
Naval history is of special interest not only because of the value of learning how societies of the past dealt with the double challenge of human enemies and the implacable sea, but also because ships were the first technology to enable a global civilization. In the days before radio, naval officers at remote locations were frequently called upon to singlehandedly decide the fates of their nations.
See also
- List of naval battles
- Roman Navy
- Naval history of China
- Hanseatic League
- Republic of Venice
- History of the Ottoman Navy
- Portugal in the period of discoveries
- Spanish Navy
- Dutch East India Company
- History of the Royal Navy
- History of the United States Navy
- Naval History - U.S. Naval Institute's magazine about naval history
- Naval warfare, the subject of naval history
- History of ship transport
- Naval historian, a practioner who writes naval history
- Category:Naval historians, list of naval historians
- Naval Historical Center, U.S. Navy
- Service Historique de la Defense, French Navy's Historical Office
- German Armed Forces Military History Research Office, German Navy's Historical Office
- Maritime history
External links
- International Journal of Naval History, A Global Forum for Naval Historical Scholarship, an e-journal.
- Naval-History.Net, Naval History of the 20th Century, World Wars 1, 2, post-war and Falklands War - navies, ships, ship losses, casualties
