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THE PINK ROUTES

In the July 1997 issue of the Defence of Britain Project Newsletter they acknowledge the handover of Hong Kong to the Peoples Republic of China. They questioned the lack of research, adequate records and interpretation in respect of fortifications of the British Empire, citing a lack of funds as being one significant limitation. Nevertheless, they did highlight the need to accentuate the positive in Britain’s Imperial past, particularly in relation to the defence of the Empire. This web site is a small contribution to try and record some of these heritage fortifications throughout the World, particularly with regard to Coastal Defences.

This examination of the fortifications at British ports and coaling stations around the World between 1850 and 1914 has been divided geographically into the following broad areas:

Home Waters

Atlantic Ocean including the Caribbean

Mediterranean Sea

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Within these areas we have Coaling Stations, Fortresses, Defended Commercial Ports and Royal Naval Dockyards. For comparison purposes we have included some major defended ports of other nations such as France and the United States.

The map below shows the extent of the Imperial Federation and British Empire in 1886. It would continue to expand with new additions such as East Africa.

The British Empire 1886

Trade Routes 1885

This map shows the world wide network of commercial and military ports that were primarily intended to promote British trade. The orange shading shows the primary patrol areas for the Royal Navy, while the white circles show the secondary patrol areas.

During the second half of the 19^th Century the British Empire covered about one third of the World’s land mass and on maps this was often coloured in pink. This dispersed grouping was largely dependent on sea-going vessels for trade and protection, and the Royal Naval was responsible for maintaining sea supremacy. While great efforts had been made to defend some of the home ports with the 1859 Royal Commission, it was not until 1879 that the British Government started to concern itself with the defence of the many overseas ports.

On the 3^rd September 1881 there was an initial report on armaments, shipping, trade routes and specifically Cape Town. The second report dealt with the Royal Navy while the third report on 22^nd July 1882 dealt with the defence of the trade routes identified in the initial report. This last report also looking at Coaling Stations which were necessary to ensure that the Royal Navy could obtain sufficient good quality coal to remain effective. This led to a complete reappraisal of British coastal defence in the run up to World War I.

The Naval Defence Act was passed into British Law on the 31^st May, 1889. This Act laid out the basic requirement for the Royal Navy to maintain a fleet of battleships that was at least equal to the combined strength of the next two largest naval fleets in the World. This two power standard was to be maintained until the after World War I. This resulted in an increase in coastal fortifications at harbours with shipbuilding and maintenance facilities.

This web site is an ongoing study into the defence of British Ports around the World between 1840 and 1914, primarily examining fortifications and their armaments. This was a period of extensive technological change with vessels moving from sail to steam power and the range of guns increasing from hundreds of metres to kilometres with increased velocity. The advent of under-sea cable in 1850 allowed for the speedier transmission of messages around the World.

The simplified map on the right is intended to shown the geographic extent of the British Empire about 1900. The dispersed nature required good sea communication both for military and commercial purposes. The introduction of the undersea cable helped with communication, but the whole network depended on secure ports. The importance of coaling stations was emphasised in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The Russian Black Sea Fleet sailed 18,000 miles round the Cape of Good Hope to get to Port Arthur in China. Obtaining coal was a constant problem for the fleet, and what they could obtain was often of poor quality that led to the fouling of boilers and poor boiler pressure. Their subsequent destruction by the Japanese Navy can be partially attributed to the wear and tear on ships and their crews in this arduous journey.