Annual Manoeuvres of 1899

Map of the Manoeuvres

The Royal Navy's Annual Manoeuvres of 1899 pitted the Red (or hostile Fleet "A", comprised of ships of the Channel Fleet along with a large torpedo boat flotilla) against the Blue (or British Fleet "B", ships of the Reserve Fleet, along with a large destroyer flotilla). A small third group of ships represented a convoy.

The primary objects of the exercise were to:

• learn how to best use cruisers in support of a fleet
• learn how speed and fighting strength trade off against each other
• learn how to employ destroyers and torpedo boats

These manoeuvres were also noteworthy in that three warships, Europa, Alexandra and Juno, were experimentally equipped with crude quarter-Watt Marconi wireless-telegraphy (W/T) sets. These performed very well, allowing communication at ranges exceeding 50 miles, and encouraged the fitting of W/T in forty-two warships, and the creation of eight shore stations, over the next twelve months.

The umpires for the manoeuvres were Vice-Admiral Cyprian Arthur George Bridge and Rear-Admirals John Fellowes and Swinton Colthurst Holland assisted by Commander Hubert Grant-Dalton acting as secretary.

Bibliography

• Naval Manœvres 1899 Cd. 92.
• Lambert, Nicholas A., "Strategic Command and Control for Manoeuvre Warfare: Creation of the Royal Navy's "War Room" System, 1905-1915", The Journal of Military History, Vol. 69, No. 2, pp.361-410.