The impact of war: Matching expectation with reality in the Royal Navy in the first months of the great war at sea

The Royal Navy experienced many unpleasant surprises in the opening months of the First World War. Too many preconceptions were based upon the expectation of a short war, an outlook encouraged by the relative brevity of pre-war manoeuvres and a desire to avoid risk. The absence of a fleet-on-fleet encounter in the opening days of the conflict soon created significant pressures on ships and people. The navy was not used to continuous highspeed steaming and the unremitting demands placed upon seagoing personnel, including the heavy labour of repeated coaling. For a fleet poorly provided with bases and repair facilities in the North Sea, the reality of the submarine threat was also very different to what had been expected. This paper analyses both the situation in which the British found themselves and the reasons behind it.