Useful Links

Independent Voices

United Kingdom National Defence Association
The UKNDA is "a campaign for sufficient, appropriate and fully funded Armed Forces that the United Kingdom needs to defend effectively this Country, its people, their vital interests and security at home and throughout the world". Established in 2007 and campaigning on behalf of all UK armed forces (not just the RN), it has a similar agenda to this web site. In its first year it has achieved considerable recognition in media and political circles and is having a small, but increasing impact. We would reccomend you join this organisation which represents the best hope of persuading politicans that the armed forces desperately need a large increase in funding.

Navy Matters
An independent web site considering the future Royal Navy and promoting naval affairs. Well written by Richard Beedall, a defence professional, the site contains authoritative articles about warship procurement histories and the future fleet. Sadly not very up to date.

Keep Our Future Afloat
A professionally run web site, KOFAC is a consortium of trade union, local authority and local community interests looking to sustain the skills and facilities for naval shipbuilding in the North West of England.

Facebook
The “Save the Royal Navy’ Facebook group has around 1300 members, it takes very little effort to set up such a group and this represents a small inroad to reaching the vast and predominantly young audience who use Facebook.

Official Sites

Royal Navy
The official MoD web site for the RN. Covers the RN, RFA and Royal Marines in exhaustive detail. With video and animation, the site is geared toward recruitment but is also fairly reliable for basic facts and figures. Recently the site has added 'Royal Navy Live' which provides RN news updated on a daily basis. You can also subscribe to receive email news bulletins which are of excellent quality but are of the 'good news only' variety.

TwoSix.tv
Released quarterly, this is the Royal Navy's internal communications video which provides an insight to life in the RN. Often showing the passion that serving personel in the Navy have for the service and demonstrating how the navy needs and deserves public support as well as continued Government funding.

Royal Navy Presentation Team Video
Aiming to educate the general public about "why we need a navy" and what the RN does, RNPT tour the UK (for free) providing an engaging video-based presentation.

Defence News Blog
As the number of stories in the media about the defence crisis is on the increase, the official government view is presented here. Replying to the media stories, many illustrating the neglect and decline of our armed forces. Some poor junior spin doctor in the MoD has to write this stuff, in between announcing deaths in Afganistan, trying to put a positive slant on events in the face of a rising tide of bad news.

Publications

Warship World
This is a dependable quarterly magazine covering naval issues both past and present. It is primarily focused on the RN but does feature some international coverage. Published by Maritime Books - a specialist publisher of mainly RN related books, it is written in an accessible style. It has a fine pedigree of being a lone 'voice in the wilderness' for many years warning of the dangers of the continual cutting of the RN and is well worth the subscription.

Warships International Fleet Review
Similar to Warship World and published monthly in the UK but with a wider, more international and geo-political focus, it carries in-depth articles on RN issues, some of which are available on its web site. Great photography and a more technical & international emphasis than Warship World.

Navy News
Monthly glossy newspaper and winner of 'plain English' awards with good photography and (good news only) from around the fleet. Well designed and making good use of photography, it is owned by the MoD so the shiny-happy Navy News only ever going to be a PR publication. For example disastrous cuts to the fleet are referred to as "defence shake-ups" and the tone is upbeat no matter what. In recent years the editorial style has become slightly dumbed-down, e.g. carriers are continually referred to a 'flat-tops' or HMS Cornwall as the 'ice cream frigate' (pennant no. F99 - geddit?). Their website is primarily focussed on naval personnel stories than on operational matters.

The Daily Telegraph and The Times Online
While most of the 'sea-blind' press is only really interested in the navy when sailors misbehave or there are onboard sex scandals, the Times and Telegraph broadsheets (and their online versions) are the only newspapers to consistently carry intelligent stories about the armed forces. There is a dire need for this type of decent coverage of the state of the RN.

Follow Save the Royal Navy on Twitter
Follow us as we provide regular tweets and useful links about issues facing the RN (under the username NavyLookout).

Subscribe to Save the Royal Navy
The news blog carried on the homepage of the is website. Click here to subscribe to the frequently updated news RSS feed.

Welfare Support

Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma
Asbestos was used in many naval vessels from the 1940s onward and was viewed as a kind of miracle material, particularly useful for its insulating properties. However, by the 1960s, the risks associated with asbestos—including the risk of mesothelioma cancer and other lung diseases caused by inhaling the toxic fibers—were becoming evident. Learn more about how sailors were subject to asbestos exposure on naval vessels.
(US-based website)

Royal Navy Benevolent Fund
Gives help to serving and ex-serving Royal Navy ratings and Royal Marine ranks and their families. A fine charitable organisation filling in gaps where government provison and care is lacking.

The White Ensign Association
Providing a financial advisory service and help with accommodation and resettlement for serving and retired personnel of the Royal Navy.

The Royal Navy Association
Established to promote the RN and encourage recruitment,
foster comradeship and remember those who died whilst serving. Also provides welfare support, employment and financial advice to serving and ex-RN perosonnel.

Hope for Heroes
A highly successful charity founded in 2007 with growing public and media support that is helping wounded ex-servicement, particularly the victims of the conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan. It is a sad indictment of this government that it is left to charities to help and rehabilitate servicemen injured serving their country.

One MORE MOVE
A website dedicated to helping UK military community overcome the stress and and frustrations of regular re-loaction and make the most of where they live.

Industry Sites

Jane's Information Group
Most well-known for the annual publication 'Jane's Fighting Ships' the Bible of world naval forces, Jane's provide extensive intelligence about naval developments both online and in print. Aimed at senior officers and industry professionals, their products are of the highest standard with prices to match.

NavalTechnology.com
Covering UK and worldwide naval construction, a good point of reference. Aimed at professionals within the naval technology industries carrying news releases and detailed information on industry projects.

Defence Management Journal
The marine section of the Defence Management Journal website carrys useful articles mainly about RN procurement projects and future fleet (you will need to sign up for a free account).

Naval Forums

DefenceTalk.com (Naval Section)
DefenceTalk.com is an online Community of International Defence experts, professionals and enthusiasts dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information. With a professional edge, this is the leading international defence website. It covers RN issues but has a very wide scope. There is a naval forum here and RN photo section here.

Warships Discussion Boards (RN Section)
This is a discussion board which is part of the US-based site NavWeaps.com which is mainly focused on international naval history. This forum is inhabited by naval experts and some very knowledgeable enthusiasts discussing a wide range of mostly RN issues.

The Rum Ration
Very informal naval gossip and chat forum mainly inhabited by ex-RN and RN personnel commenting on a wide variety of topics.

Daly History Blog
An informal blog written by a 'young historian' commenting on the current state of the Royal Navy, it's history and its future.

Warships Photo sites

ShipNostalgia.com (RN Ships Section)
As the name suggests, this site is mainly for ship photos from the past, although many current photos are posted by mostly UK ship enthusiasts. Some real gems appear here although you will have to register to view the full size pictures. Also has an excellent RFA section.

ShipSpotting.com (Military Vessels Section)
An international site for ship photos. Many good quality photos are posted each day and the military vessels section covers the world's navies and includes plenty of RN vessels.

NavyPhotos.co.uk
Great library of current and historical RN photos from Plymouth-based photographers. Kindly provided by local enthusiast David Page. Some room for improvement in the presentation.

Through Their Eyes Military photo archive
A historical photo archive that has many original Royal Navy , Kriegsmarine and U-boat photo albums offered as high resolution scans on cds.