The Royal Navy has protected Britain's shores and coastline for hundreds of years and was once the most powerful naval fighting force in the world. Discover more about the establishment of the Royal Navy and how it has evolved. Plus, read about some heroic naval leaders and their infamous endeavours.

A history of naval portraiture in six artworks
Curator Katherine Gazzard charts the evolution of this complex and creative genre
20 Oct 2021
Dressed to kill – fashion and the Royal Navy
Officers, gentlemen, and dedicated followers of fashion... Author and lecturer Dr Amy Miller explains how the history of Royal Navy clothing isn't as 'uniform' as it first appears.
16 Apr 2021
In memory of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Royal Museums Greenwich Trustee and Patron
The Duke of Edinburgh had a long and very committed involvement with Royal Museums Greenwich.
26 Mar 2019
Life at a Prisoner of War Camp
JOD/332 is a log kept by Captain Stanley Algar while a Prisoner of War at the Milag Nord camp near Bremen. However, the diary is not all it seems, while I was expecting to read Stanley Algar’s story of his capture and the gruelling day to day life in the camp, what it contained was quite different.
08 Jan 2019
Captain Bell and the River Plate
This month we take a look into Archive and Library item MSS/75/130/2 concerning Captain Frederick Secker Bell (1897-1973). Bell was educated at the Royal Naval Colleges at Dartmouth, Osborne, Isle of Wight and the Royal Navy Staff College at Greenwich.  He served on board the battleship HMS Canada at the battle of Jutland in 1916, received his Captaincy in December 1938 and took command of HMS Exeter a month prior to the declaration of war on September 3 1939.
27 Mar 2018
Come fly with me
Looking back 100 years into the creation of the Royal Air Force through the words of the pilots.
08 Mar 2018
An Echoing Voice
From 2014 the archives department has been focusing on cataloguing World War One manuscripts. In October 2017 while cataloguing, I came across the diary of a man who wrote only so his children would have something first hand from their father rather than just what they read in the news.
16 Jun 2017
‘A most lamentable and deplorable theme’
This June marks the 350th anniversary of the Dutch Raid on the Medway which took place 9-14 June 1667. It was humiliating for the English Navy resulting in the loss of thirteen English ships, with the Unity and Royal Charles captured. Mike Bevan, archivist at the Caird Library, takes a closer look.   
13 Nov 2016
Remembrance Sunday - Remembering the Battle of Jutland
On Remembrance Sunday, Jeremy Michell, the curator of our Jutland 1916 gallery, delves deeper into the personal stories that emerged of the battle. 
28 Oct 2016
Black History Month: Marcus Bailey and the Battle of Jutland
During Black History Month Curator Andrew Choong Han Lin shares the story of Marcus Bailey, who served on HMS Chester at the Battle of Jutland