Fleet review

"Naval review" redirects here. For reviews in the United States Navy, seeNaval Review.For the magazine, seeNaval Review (magazine).

Afleet reviewornaval reviewis an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbenthead of stateand/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to hold fleet reviews. Fleet reviews may also include participants and warships from multiple navies.

A crowd gathers to watch theRepublic of Korea Navyfleet review, held in commemoration of the navy's 70th anniversary in 2015

Commonwealth realms

Fleet reviews in the Commonwealth realms are typically observed by the reigning monarch or their representative, a practice allegedly dating back to the 15th century. Such an event is not held at regular intervals and originally only occurred when the fleet was mobilised for war or for a show of strength to discourage potential enemies, or during periods of commemorations. Since the 19th century, they have often been held for thecoronationor for special royal jubilees and increasingly included delegates from other national navies.

Traditionally, a fleet review will have participating ships dressed in flags and pennants of their respective countries, and anchored in two or more lines with an open passage between them. The crew of participating anchored ships are positioned on the upper decks, while their officers and captains are at the bridge. As the reviewing vessel sails passes the anchored ships, their crew will give three cheers and wave their caps to the reviewing officials, while their officers and captain will render a salute.

Australia

Three frigates of theRoyal Australian NavyenterSydney Harbourduring the second day of the2013 International Fleet Reviewin Australia

Australia has a history of Fleet Reviews, the last Fleet Review took place in Australia in October 2024.

• Port Phillip royal review, 1921 - Reviewed byEdward, Prince of Wales.
• Royal Australian Navy25th birthday review, 1936
• 50th Year Review, 1961
• The 75th fleet review, 1986 - Led byUSSMissouri,the fleet was reviewed byPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
• Bicentennial naval salute, 1988 - Led byUSSNew Jersey
• Centennial naval review 2001 - Cancelled due toterrorist attacksin the United States.
• Sydney freedom of entry review, 14 March 2009 - The fleet review also consisted of a freedom of entry parade inSydney;the fleet was reviewed byMarie Bashir,Governor of New South Wales,and the parade byQuentin Bryce,Governor-General of Australia.
• International Fleet Review,4–5 October 2013 - to commemorate the centenary of the Royal Australian Navy's fleet arrival in Sydney Harbour;led byHMASSydney,the fleet was reviewed by Governor-GeneralQuentin BryceandPrince Harry,who took the royal salute on board HMASLeeuwin.Approximately 20 foreign nations participated, activities including a tall ships parade, naval gun salutes, aerial flypasts, fireworks and lightshow spectacular, ships open to visitors, and a combined Naval march.
• Royal Fleet Review- KingCharles IIIconducted a royal fleet review in Sydney Harbour on 22 October 2024.The King conducted the review on board the Admiral's BargeAdmiral HudsonwithHMAS Hobart,HMAS Arunta,HMAS Warramunga,HMAS GascoyneandHMAS Yarrataking part in the review.

Canada

QueenElizabeth IIinHalifax, Nova Scotiaa day prior to reviewing the fleet assembled there to commemorate the 100th anniversary of theRoyal Canadian Navy

In Canada, fleet reviews may take place on either the Atlantic or Pacific coasts, typically inHalifax Harbourfor the former andVictoria Harbourfor the latter.

• July 1958 - To mark the 100th anniversary ofBritish Columbia's entry intoCanadian Confederation;theRoyal Canadian Navyreview was conducted byPrincess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon.
• June 1959 - Held atMontrealto mark the opening of theSaint Lawrence Seaway;attended by ships from theRoyal Canadian NavyandUnited States Navy;the former was reviewed byQueenElizabeth II.
• July 1959 - Held atHalifax Harbour;reviewed by Queen Elizabeth II.
• 12 June 2010 - The Pacific Canadian Naval Centennial International Fleet Review was held to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Navy and held atEsquimalt Harbour.Ships from the Royal Canadian Navy,Royal Australian Navy,Marine nationale,Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force,Royal New Zealand Navy,andUnited States Navywere reviewed byGovernor GeneralMichaëlle Jean.
• 29 June 2010 - An International Fleet Review was held to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Navy and held at theBedford Basin.Ships of the Royal Canadian Navy, Brazilian Navy, Royal Danish Navy, French Navy, German Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, Royal Navy, and United States Navy were reviewed by Queen Elizabeth II.

New Zealand

There have been several Fleet Reviews hosted by theRoyal New Zealand Navy(RNZN). These include the following:

• International Fleet Review, 5 October 1991, to mark the 50th anniversary of the RNZN.
• International Naval Review, 18 November 2016, to mark the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th birthday. In a break with tradition the RNZN mistakenly described the Review as a "Naval Review" rather than as the customary "Fleet Review".

United Kingdom

Because of the need for a natural large, sheltered and deep anchorage, UK fleet reviews have usually been held in theSolentoffSpithead,althoughSouthend,Torbay,theFirth of Clydeand some overseas ports have also hosted reviews. In the examples below, the venue is Spithead unless otherwise noted.

A list follows of fleet reviews in England, Great Britain, and later the UK since the 14th century.

Pre-1700

• June 1346 -Edward III,before sailing to war with France
• 1415 - Generally acknowledged as the first fleet review on record, byHenry V,atSouthampton,before sailing for his first French campaign that ended in theBattle of Agincourt
• May 1662,Charles IIon the occasion of his wifeCatherine of Braganza's arrival inPortsmouth
• February 1693,William IIIandMary II,after theBattles of Barfleur and La Hougue

1700–1837

King George III reviewing the fleet from rowboats (centre foreground) at Spithead, 1773

• March 1700, onPeter the Great's visit toEngland,a show of strength
• 23–27 June 1773,King George IIIset out fromKew,in a Royal coach with scarlet outriders, for what some call the first formal Royal Review. On his arrival he was saluted by a "triple discharge of cannon", and proceeded to the dockyard where admirals and captains were assembled, each with his barge, to escort the King to Spithead. They had dressed their crews in fancy colours, each to his own taste (at that time thecrews were not issued uniforms), whilst they themselves were resplendent in the full dress designed for them byGeorge IIin 1748. The ships on show were those that had fought the French in theSeven Years' Warand were soon to join theWar of American Independence,and were led byHMSBarfleur,of 90 guns, built only 5 years before.
• May 1778,George III,before France joinedAmerican War of Independence
• 1781
• June 1794, after theGlorious First of June
• 25 June 1814, the last to consist solely of sailing ships. It was to celebrate theTreaty of Paris (1814),and to show the Allied Sovereigns, including the Czar of Russia and the King of Prussia, "the tremendous naval armaments which has swept from the ocean the fleets of France and Spain and secured to Britain the domain of the sea." 15ships of the lineand 31frigateswere present, all of them veterans of theNapoleonic Wars.It was reviewed not byGeorge III,but by thePrince Regent
• September 1820,George IV,first Coronation Review. One ship in attendance wasHMSBeagle,later made famous byCharles Darwin.

Queen Victoria

17 occurred during her reign, the most for any monarch.

Fleet review during the Shah of Persia's visit in 1876.HMSDuke of Wellington,then the flagship at Portsmouth, may be seen in the left foreground.

• March 1842, her first, held by herself andPrince Albertas a "Grand Naval Review."
• 1844, May - visit of theKing of Saxony;and October, on the visit ofEmperor Nicholas I,KingLouis-Philippeof France andFriedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia,both were a show of strength
• 19 June 1845, inspecting theexperimental squadron,from the newHMYVictoria and Albert(1843).The Board of Admiralty attended in their steam yacht,Black Eagle.Some placethisnot 1814 as the last time that a Royal Review consisted only of sailing ships, and nearly the last time that the Queen could watchHMSTrafalgar's men run aloft and set the sails "with feline agility and astonishing celerity."
• 11 August 1853, two reviews that year, firstly on 15 July 1853, the fleet mobilisation for theCrimean War,and a full Review on 11 August including for the first time steam screw ships of the line.
• 10 March 1854. Wary of a Russian break out into theNorth Sea,due to the numbers of their ships in theBaltic Sea,the British Admiralty brought together a force to contain them. This first division of the Baltic fleet was commanded byVice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier.Napier's task was to find naval recruits and train them as quickly as possible. From the screw yacht-tender,HMSFairy,and two months before her 35th birthday (which it was perhaps also intended to commemorate), Queen Victoria reviewed Napier's fleet at Spithead, shortly before it set sail, including (on 10 March 1854) a review of the first part of the fleet to set sail only eighteen days before Britain declared war on Russia. According to reports in theLondon Illustrated News(which printed a special edition for the occasion, with drawings of various scenes from the day of the Review),Fairyreviewed the fleet as it steamed up a path created by the ships anchored on each side, then a day later led the fleet out of Spithead as it began its journey to the Baltic.
• 23 April 1856, of the Baltic fleet on its return. First recorded example of the evening illumination of the fleet. Showed lessons learnt from the Crimean War, with the first of theironcladships present in the form of 4 1,500-ton floating batteries. Over 100gunboatswere present, "puffing about likelocomotive engineswith wisps of white steam trailing from their funnels. "
• August 1865, on visit of the French fleet
• 17 July 1867, held forAbdulaziz,and hisKhediveof Egypt,Ismail of Egypt.For the first time every ship flew theWhite Ensign,after the dissolution of the oldRed,WhiteandBlue Squadrons.New designs were the five-mastedHMSMinotaurwith her powerful broadside, and the graceful 14-knot ironclad sister-shipsHMSWarriorandHMSBlack Prince.

Fleet review during theDiamond Jubilee of Queen Victoriaon 26 June 1897

• 23 June 1873, for the visit ofNasser-al-Din Shah(1848–1896), theShah of Persia
• August 1878, of thereserve squadron
• 25 July 1887,Golden Jubilee.Notable for the appearance of aNordenfeltsubmarine (though the first RN submarine would beHolland 120 years later)
• 4 August 1889, on the visit ofKaiser Wilhelm IIand hisAdmiral von Tirpitz,a show of strength
• August 1891, on visit of the French fleet
• August 1896, on visit of MPs andLi Hung Chang
• 26 June 1897,Diamond Jubilee,notable for being presided over by the Prince of Wales (laterEdward VII) since she was too frail to attend in person. The ships formed two lines seven miles long; the 170 British ships included 50 battleships.Parsonsmade an unscheduled and dramatic appearance with hisTurbiniashowing power of steam turbine.
• August 1899, her last, notable for being presided over by the Prince of Wales (laterEdward VII) since she was too frail to attend in person, and for the visit of a squadron from theGerman Navy.

Edward VII

Lines of battleships at the 1909 review of theHomeandAtlantic Fleet

• 16 August 1902, Coronation Review, the first time in the modern era that a review was used to mark the coronation
• 9 August 1905, review of the British and French fleets by King Edward VII at Spithead
• August 1907, review of the reconstitutedHome Fleet
• 12 June 1909, review ofHome FleetandAtlantic Fleet,includingHMSInvincible
• 16 July 1909, Home and Atlantic fleets assemble off Southend prior to displaySouthend,including HMSInvincible
• 17–24 July 1909, Home and Atlantic Fleets on display from Westminster to the Nore.

George V

Arrival of the Fleet for the Coronation ReviewbyA. B. Cull.The painting depicts the arrival of the fleet at Spithead to celebrate thecoronation of King George V and Queen Maryin 1911

• 24 June 1911,Coronation Fleet Review.USSDelawaresailed 4 June from America and appeared at the review from 19 June to 28 June.
• The cruiserHai Chiof theImperial Chinese Navyappeared to participate in the fleet review.
• 9 May 1912, forHouses of Parliament,atWeymouth,featured the first take-off of a plane from a ship which was underway - on 4 May CommanderCharles Samsonbecame the first man to take off from a ship which was underway. He did this in aShort S.27biplanewhilstHMSHiberniasteamed at 10.5 knots (19 km/h).
• 18–20 July 1914,fleetmobilisation for World War I. No fewer than 59 warships and 17seaplanes
• 21–22 July 1919, atSouthend,to mark the end of World War I
• Saturday 26 July 1924, includingHMSWarspite
• 16 July 1935, Silver Jubilee. 160 warships includingHMSRevenge.Dudley Davenport,at the time a young cadet serving on boardHMSIron Duke(he later went on to a successful naval career, eventually reaching the rank ofrear admiral), noted his impressions of this event in his diary:

"Turned out at 0545 and scrubbedfocsle…after breakfast we gave all the brightwork a final polish and generally cleaned up… after lunch we fell in on deck... All the ships with saluting guns fired a royal salute of 21 guns the noise was not as bad as we were led to expect. But the smoke screened most of the ships for some minutes… After tea ‘Clean Lower Deck’ was sounded and we had to fall in for manning ship my position on Y Turret grid on the Quarter Deck was an excellent one as we could see the yacht approaching… asthe V&Aapproached the band played ‘God Save the King’ and the guard presented arms in the Royal Salute. When the King was halfway past we gave 3 cheers. You could just see the King on the Bridge, Saluting…About ½ hour later we fell in again as he passed the other side.

After supper we watched the illuminations... after half hour all the lights were turned off and red flares were lit on deck, each held by a sailor at the guardrail. These did not look very good except for the first few seconds... the ships remained illuminated for the rest of the time until midnight... We turned in about 2345 very tired. "

George VI

A fleet of assault landing crafts passHMSBuloloduring naval exercises in 1944. KingGeorge VIis aboard theBulolo,saluting as the fleet of LCAs passes by.

• Thursday 20 May 1937 -Coronation Fleet Review.The largest assembly of warships since the coronation review of 1911, it has been described bymilitary historianHedley Paul Willmott as "the last parade of the Royal Navy as the world's greatest and most prodigious navy". Ten Britishbattleshipsandbattlecruiserswere present, and for the first time at a coronation review, fouraircraft carriers.Altogether, there were 101 surface warships, 22submarinesand 11auxiliariesdrawn from theHome,MediterraneanandReserve Fleets.

The Review Procession included theroyal yacht,HMYVictoria and Albert,twominesweepersand asurvey ship.The Commonwealth and Empire were represented by two warships from Canada and one each from New Zealand and India. A large complement of British merchant ships ranging fromocean linerstopaddle steamerswere also present.

By tradition, foreign navies were invited to send a single warship each to the review and seventeen were present.Notable among them wereUSSNew York,which had brought AdmiralHugh Rodman,the President's personal representative for the coronation, across the Atlantic; the newFrench battleshipDunkerque;and the elderlySovietMarat.Also present were the formidable looking German "pocket battleship",Admiral Graf Spee,the Greek cruiser,Georgios Averofand the Japaneseheavy cruiser,Ashigara.

Described by one naval officer in a letter to a friend -

"The day was quite as bad as I feared but my sisters are insistent that they enjoyed it all"

It was also the occasion of the infamous "Woodrooffe Incident"[1][2]in theBBCRadio coverage (known by the phrase 'The Fleet's Lit Up!')

HMYVictoria and Albert IIItook part in this review, her second and last before being scrapped in 1939.

• 9 August 1939, includingHMSRevenge
• May 1944, in secret, of theD-Dayinvasion fleet - the largest review to date (800 vessels, ranging from capital vessels to small minesweeper and landing craft).

Elizabeth II

Sailors of theUSSBaltimoreman the rails during the 1953 fleet review for thecoronation of Elizabeth II

• 15 June 1953, Coronation Fleet Review,Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.The first post-war review, with all the ongoing technical innovations the war had produced on display (Plan of the ships at anchorat theWayback Machine(archived 13 March 2017)). Present were 197 Royal Navy warships, together with 13 from the Commonwealth and 16 from foreign navies, as well as representative vessels from the BritishMerchant Navyand Fishing Fleets.
• 27–28 May 1957, review of the fleet offInvergordon,Scotland.
• 7–11 August 1965, partial review at theTail of the BankonFirth of Clyde.First RN nuclear submarineHMSDreadnoughtappeared.
• 16 May 1969 Elizabeth II -NATOreview (NATO's 20th anniversary),Spithead- 64 ships from the 11 NATO countries participated: British contingent includedHMSPhoebeandHMSDido;United States -USSWasp.
• July 1969 - Fleet Review: Ships of theWestern Fleet(14 ships) andQueen's Colourpresentation aboardHMSEagleinTorbay
• 28 June 1977,Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II.HMSBlakeandHMSTigerboth appeared.
• 1993 - Commemoration ofBattle of the Atlanticanniversary,HMSCornwallas flagship of the event (off North Wales).
• 1994 -D-Day50th anniversary, includingHMSEdinburgh.
• 1999 -Battle of the Atlanticcommemoration.
• 28 June 2005,International Fleet ReviewforTrafalgar 200,also held in lieu of the 2002Golden JubileeReview, the latter of which was cancelled on cost grounds.

India

Main article:President's fleet review

There have been 12 President's fleet reviews, of which 2 were International fleet reviews - IFR 2001 andIFR 2016.

Japan

Main article:Fleet Review (Japan)

Destroyers of theJMSDFduring rehearsals for the 2009fleet review

Since 1956, theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Forcehas hosted a fleet review approximately every three years inSagami Bay.TheImperial Japanese Navyhad historically held fleet reviews from 1869 to 1940.

TheJapan Coast Guardlast held a fleet review in 2018 in honor of the JCG's 70th anniversary.

South Korea

Main article:Republic of Korea Navy § International fleet review

In October 1998, theRepublic of Korea Navyhosted its first international fleet review in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Korea off the coast of Busan. They have since reconvened every 10 years on the 60th and 70th anniversaries in 2008 and 2018.

21 ships from 11 countries (Australia, Bangladesh, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States) participated in the first fleet review together with 34 ships and 15 aircraft from South Korea.

United States

Main article:Naval Review

TheUnited States Navyhas hosted several naval reviews, with ships paraded by the navy reviewed by thepresident of the United Statesor theUnited States Secretary of the Navy.

See also

• Customs and traditions of the Royal Navy
• Naval tradition

External links

• Media related toParades of shipsat Wikimedia Commons
• Past Reviews
• Royal Australian Navy-IFR