Choke Point - Royal Navy Choke Points

Royal Navy Choke Points

In the 18th, 19th and early 20th Centuries, the sheer size of the Royal Navy meant they had control over much of the world's oceans and seas. Choke points were of huge importance to the British Empire, which often used them to control trade in British colonies and, to a lesser extent, for defense. Choke points have also been a source of tension, notably during the Suez Crisis. Post-British Empire, the Royal Navy still deems its choke points as strategically vital. Indeed, the importance of choke points were first recognised by British Admiral John Fisher.

Major British choke points today:

• The English Channel
• GIUK gap (between Greenland, Iceland, and UK)
• Strait of Gibraltar

These choke points carry significant strategic importance for the Royal Navy to this day. The GIUK gap is particularly important to the Royal Navy, as any attempt by northern European forces to break into the open Atlantic would have to do so either through the heavily defended English Channel which is also the world's busiest shipping lane or through one of the exits on either side of Iceland. When also considering British control over the strategic fortress of Gibraltar at the entrance to the Mediterranean, Spain (northern coast), France (Atlantic coast) and Portugal are the only mainland European nations that have direct access to the Atlantic ocean in a way that cannot be easily blocked at a choke point by the Royal Navy. The GIUK gap was also a strategically important part of the Cold War as the Royal Navy were given the responsibility of keeping an eye on Soviet submarines trying to break into the open Atlantic.