ABSTRACT
The co-operation and support of a strong navy was one of the greatest advantages enjoyed by the British army during the last half of the eighteenth century. To exploit this advantage and to meet the strategic requirements of the Seven Years War and the American War, the British armed forces set about developing and mastering the complex skills and techniques of amphibious warfare. To maintain the organization of the army while at sea, once the troops were embarked and arranged on board ship, every British transport, victualler, and storeship engaged in an amphibious operation raised a distinguishing flag indicating its cargo or the army unit it carried. According to Robert Beatson, flat-bottomed boats were developed after Rochefort, for the need for a proper landing craft was among the many lessons learned by the British from this abortive raid.
