Royal Navy and the Slave Trade

As Rough As It May Seem,It's Still Steady As You Go...

In 1807, the UK became one of the first nations to end its own

participation in the slave trade, and went on to lead an international

campaign to put a final end to the transatlantic trade, and ultimately

slavery itself.

Following the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, it was the only nation with the

political will, the economic strength, and a Navy strong enough to

attempt it.

The Royal Navy has a proud history associated with the abolition of the

slave trade and the pursuance of humanitarian rights, playing a

significant role in the years following the 1807 Act to abolish the Slave

Trade, through active policing and enforcement. This campaign which

began in West Africa, lasted well into the 20th century and, by then was

worldwide.

Between 1807 and 1866, the Royal Navy captured well over 500

slave ships and prevented many more from loading their slave

cargo.

The abolition was also very demanding for the sailors enforcing the act;

the Royal Navy committed up to 13% of its total manpower to its West

Africa squadron, which in one year lost 25% of those serving on the

station, mainly to disease.

Overall, the nineteenth-century costs of suppression were

bigger than the eighteenth-century profits.

Although the transatlantic slave trade was over, slavery and the Royal

Navy’s efforts to suppress it continued in East Africa and the Indian

Ocean into the 20th century. This trade in humans is now commonly

known as people trafficking. Continuing Operations Today