Greatest admiral of all time

General naval discussions that don't fit within any specific time period or cover several issues.

Who was the greatest admiral in History?

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RF
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by RF »

neil hilton wrote:
As for Germany in 1918, the RN blockade was the most important factor in the armistice (the other factors obviously had an effect) but it was the blockade that that was the real kill shot, if the Germans hadn't folded in 1918 there would have been a famine of biblical proportions in 1919.
The blockade wasn't lifted until after the Treaty of Versailles was signed on 28 June 1919. Prior to then the state of war still existed, it was the Armistice that stopped the actual fighting.
Since March 1918 the Germans had access to Russian wheat, courtesy of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, although Russia itself was in turmoil. There were severe food shortages but not actual widespread famine - rural communities were better off than the towns and cities, which is where the food riots were concentrated. The shortages in the urban areas were also exacerbated by the Army seizing a lot of the supplies to keep its officers and troops reasonably well fed. Remember that the food shortages were initially brought on by the male agricultural labour force being conscripted into the German Army and no immediate plans had been made to replace them with female labour - this was as a result of the Germans not planning for a long war. Before 1914 Germany could feed itself, German agriculture was protected by very high trade tariffs
Where the RN blockade really hurt was in cutting off supplies of raw materials for German industry and inferior substitutes had to be used.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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neil hilton
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by neil hilton »

Also there was Austria-Hungary, Turkey and the Balkan States all unable to feed themselves and with their agricultural systems disrupted. Remember it takes many months to grow a crop and disruption to the planting, growing and harvesting cycle results in lower yields until the system is secured again with adequate manpower and preparation all year long. In other words it takes years for a farming system to fully recover from even a short term disruption.
Food was allowed through the blockade in January 1919 but the Germans refused it until March when they considered their food shortage critical, even with the Russian grain help. Even so somewhere between 500000 and 750000 German civilians died of starvation in ww1. It would have been much worse if they hadn't quit when they did and it would have been much easier if they had quit earlier.
Germany believed the armistice was just temporary, using to reorganise but then the food shortage became critical and forced them to surrender.
Sounds like a famine of biblical proportions to me.
Veni, vidi, verrimus!
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blaslezista

Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by blaslezista »

Blas de Lezo bitches !!!
Shur
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by Shur »

FOR SANTIAGO!!!!

Image
Bryan

Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by Bryan »

It seems Blas of Lezo is the best for most of us
Cannonball

Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by Cannonball »

Blas De Lezo last Stand at Cartagena 1741

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNSYtZLYoU4
airbanas

Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by airbanas »

Blas de Lezo, when admiral Vernon was trying to conquer Cartagena de Indias, had 6 ships an 2000 men. Vernon had 200 ships and 20000 men. Until Normandy never was made a fleet like that.

Admiral Blas de Lezo, without an eye, a leg and an arm ( all lost in other combats, he was called Medio-Hombre [half-man]), defeated Vernon.

The english king, George II, banned to talk about this in the future. That's why the majority of english people don't know this.

Nelson was a great admiral, of course. Nelson was one-armed. Everybody knows it. But, how Nelson lost his arm? In Santa Creuz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, he tried to unship, but canarians beat him, defeating and making him surrender. The spanish defender of Canarias, general Antonio Gutiérrez de Otero, let him to reembark wih his flags. That's why Nelson is considered unbeaten. But he wasn't.
Legazpi

Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by Legazpi »

Blas de Lezo, no doubt: 3000 Spanish troopers, 600 indians and 6 vessels with its shipmen against 186 british ships with 2000 guns, 23.600 combatants and 4000 Virginian recruits. He won.
Themroc
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by Themroc »

If you make this poll it is simple ignorance. Blas de Lezo is the ONE by far. His history is suitable for a film. Certainly, his defense of Cartagena de Indias and the history after that episode is almost incredible. The only reason because is hasn't filmed yet is he's spaniard. Nelson was a bright admiral, no doubt. But closest to Luis de Cordova, no more (and not less). Who knows somebody so, write here: which one could defeat a 6-7 to 1 force in infantry and a 50 to 1 ships (with fortifications of Cartagena de Indias for Lezo) ? Nobody. Who had the eggs to entry into a bay defended for 2 fortress and various ships with a only ship, capturing the main argelian ship in Oran and cutting for various months the deployment of otoman materials to argelian people? And the Stanhope?.. And..
Rochesterian

Greatest admiral of all time

Post by Rochesterian »

My vote is for Blas de Lezo, he defeat admiral Vernon in Cartagena de Indias.
British forces: the bigest naval force in the history until "day D"
186 ships
23.600 soldiers
4.000 recruits from Virginia (commander: Lawrence Washingtong, George Washington's brother)
2.000 cannons

Spanish forces
6 ships
3.000 soldiers and recruits
600 indians
150 sailors

Blas de Lezo, an Admiral who lost in different combats one leg, one eye and one arm (that's why he was called half man) won, and british king George II imposed the death penalty for those who talk about this defeat.
reader...

Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by reader... »

reading ... reading the historical facts, if it was not the best but the defense and victory of Cartagena by Admiral Blas de Lezo address this overwhelming pirate fleet ....
English version .....
The third attack on Cartagena de Indias took place March 13 - May 20, 1741, and was the largest action of the war. The British concentrated one of the largest fleets ever assembled until then in Caribbean waters. The fleet consisted of 186 ships, including 2,620 artillery pieces and more than 27,000 men. Of that number, 10,000 were soldiers responsible for initiating a ground assault. There were also 12,600 sailors, 1,000 Jamaican slaves and macheteros, and 4000 recruits from Virginia led by Lawrence Washington (1718-1752), the older half-brother of George Washington, future President of the United States. The defenses of Cartagena de Indias did not exceed 3,000 men between regular troops, Black & Afro-descendants militia, 600 Indian archers, plus the crews and troops of six Spanish warships. Blas de Lezo's advantages consisted of a formidable primary fortress, numerous secondary fortifications, and the experience of 22 battles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blas_de_Lezo

a lot of explanations to try to justify an incredible defeat: 186 ships and 27,000 fighters of the English pirates against 4,000 fighters and 6 ships for the Spanish part ...

Such was the colossal defeat of the English pirates who hid coins and medals previously recorded to celebrate the victory that never came. So convinced were the defeat of Cartagena de Indias medals which put into circulation on its face that said: "The British heroes took Cartagena on April 1, 1741" and "The Spanish pride Vernon humiliated"
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RF
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by RF »

neil hilton wrote: Germany believed the armistice was just temporary, using to reorganise but then the food shortage became critical and forced them to surrender.
Germany was never in any position to restart the war, something which should have been blindingly obvious to them at the time, having under the terms of that armistice withdrawn their forces not only from France, Belgium and Luxembourg but also Alsace-Lorraine as well.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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neil hilton
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by neil hilton »

Blas de Lezo! LOL. The battle of Cartagena in 1741 makes him a competent siege general of the period not a great admiral.
Why is he even on the list *facepalm*.
This thread has lost the rudder :?
Veni, vidi, verrimus!
I came, I saw, I swept the floor!
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neil hilton
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by neil hilton »

RF wrote:
neil hilton wrote: Germany believed the armistice was just temporary, using to reorganise but then the food shortage became critical and forced them to surrender.
Germany was never in any position to restart the war, something which should have been blindingly obvious to them at the time, having under the terms of that armistice withdrawn their forces not only from France, Belgium and Luxembourg but also Alsace-Lorraine as well.
Absolutely true. The German army wasn't capable of resuming the war but the high command wanted to continue, probably delusional, until the food shortage forced them to face reality. In the Russo Japanese war of 1905 the Japanese had no such problems so why would they have surrendered?
Veni, vidi, verrimus!
I came, I saw, I swept the floor!
navalhforums7365
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Re: Greatest admiral of all time

Post by navalhforums7365 »

I would like to mention Admiral Raymond A. Spruance - not the greatest ( can there be such a thing ? ) but i think he deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest.

I admire the decisiveness and strength of character he showed at Midway. I can't think of another battle - land or sea - where a few minuets mattered so much. In opposition to many of his colleagues he had to have great nerve in launching all his strike planes at maximum range upon the first sighting report of a Japanese carrier. He showed great trust in the ability of his air crews and left them to do their job. The weight of responsibility on him must have been enormous considering what was at stake and of course if he errored he was vulnerable to being post battle castigated as not a carrier man.
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