Over the course of the 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Navy changed out of all recognition. Its status as a superpower navy with worldwide bases and operations was eclipsed, but it remained a powerful force because of its potency, if not its size.
The first four decades were dominated by the Cold War, while the wars and conflicts during the whole era included the Korean War, the Suez invasion, the Indonesian confrontation, the Cod Wars, the Falklands War, two Gulf Wars, the Balkan wars and the Libya crisis.
In 1952 the UK was still a global and maritime superpower with a large empire. It had the world’s second largest navy, the largest shipbuilding industry and the largest merchant fleet. The vast networks of seaborne trade routes linking dominions, colonies, and traditional trading partners (such as in South America and the Middle East) were policed by a Navy whose size and versatility meant that it was able to engage independently in most types of conflict. It operated 328 warships of frigate or submarine size or above, of which 147 were
