Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on one strand of a much larger picture of war and society during a critical period of civic development and national expansion. Since the Navy is no longer such a pervasive force in the public mind, it is useful at the outset to consider how the senior service markets itself today when the operations of nuclear-powered submarines are largely secret and surface warships rarely fight pitched battles. Service as a commissioned officer in the Royal Navy was one of the few professions in which a man without an independent income could maintain himself as a gentleman, apparently working for the public good rather than for private gain. The Navy's impact on all levels of society inevitably took many forms. From the time of Vernon's victories, naval battles were re-enacted at popular shows.