Fleet Tactics in Age of Steam

1. Revival of Ramming. Steam allowed a ship herself to be used as a projectile. Many thought that the use of the ram would revive and the sinking of the Re d’Italia by the Austrians at Battle of Lissa[i] in 1866 seemed to support the idea. However, Battle of Yalu[ii] in 1894 saw the end of Ram tactics.[iii] The Chinese fought in line abreast with intention of ramming but it failed. The Japanese stayed in two columns and literally circled around the Chinese.

2. Development of Torpedo, Gun and Mine. Towards the end of eighteenth century, development of torpedo and gun was significant. The increased gunnery effective range and torpedo superseded ram. The torpedo was first used in Russo Japanese war and this war also saw the first offensive use of mine.[iv]

3. Crossing the T. Crossing the T was a tactic in which a line of warships crosses in front of a line of enemy ships. This allows them to fire a broadside, bringing more guns to bear while receiving fire only from the forward guns of the enemy. This tactic became obsolete with the introduction of missiles and aircraft. Notable battles in which warships crossed the T include Battle of Lissa (1866), Battle of Tsushima (1905) and Battle of Jutland (1916).[v]

4. Command and Control. Increasing effective range also demanded reconsideration of the positioning of flag ship. The Battles of Yalu and Tsushima brought the conclusion to put flagship in the van so that the commander could manoeuvre with a simple follow me procedure. If Admiral Scheer positioned himself at the head of his column, he might have avoided twice having his T crossed in Jutland.[vi]


5. Cruising Formation. The cruising formation was developed for cohesion, communication and rapid deployment in any direction. Ships used to cruise in a series of short columns while shifting to a single column for battle was a major commitment.

19. The Destroyer Screen. The station for destroyer and flotilla leaders were generally ahead of the van and abaft the rear on the engaged side.

References:
[i] The Battle of Lissa took place on 20 July 1866 in Adriatic Sea near the present day Croatia. It was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empire force over a superior Italian force. It was one of the last battle to involve deliberate ramming.
[ii] The Battle of Yalu' (Battle of the Yellow Sea) took place on 17 September 1894. It involved the Japanese and the Chinese navies, and was the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War.
[iii] Captain Wayne P. Hughes Jr, USN (retd), Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat. Second edition, U. S. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2000, p 66.
[iv] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_tactics_in_the_Age_of_Steam#The_Russo-Japanese_War
[v] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_tactics_in_the_Age_of_Steam
[vi] Hughes, op cit, p 79.

FLEET TACTICS IN THE AGE OF SAIL

Fleet tactics in the age of sail were used from early 1600s until 1860s when steam powered warships came into being. Such tactics were primarily determined by the sailing and fighting qualities. Due to limited weapon range, tactics in the age of sail were always dominated by ship on ship combat. The Commanded line was invented in the 1650s to achieve coordination and cooperation. Ramming became obsolete during this period. Here are some tactics which were used during the age of sail:

1. Line of Battle Tactics. The line of battle tactic was the primary tactic in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns. Effective range was within three hundred yards and firing arcs of broadside were limited to about twenty five degrees. Training of gun was slow, therefore, guns were trained by manoeuvring the ship.

2. The Column as Means of Control. The column itself was a means of controlling the force and effective concentration of firepower. Cohesion, control and firepower were valued more than speed.

3. Doubling. It was a tactics to split a column into two and move on either side of enemy’s single line of ships to envelope them. Nelson successfully doubled on the French at the Battle of Nile (1798).

4. Fighting at Anchor. A number of battles took place at anchor. Such battles tended to be decisive, as a wind which was fair to allow the attackers to enter a harbour would let neither side out again.