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Military history of Scotland

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File:93thinl.jpeg
The Thin Red Line of 1854.

Historically, Scotland has a long military tradition that predates the Act of Union with England. Its armed forces now form part of those of the United Kingdom and are known as the British Armed Forces.

History prior to the Union

Royal Scots Navy

Main article: Royal Scots Navy
The Scottish Red Ensign, flown by ships of the Old Scots Navy
A model of Michael in the Royal Museum

Michael (later popularly known as the Great Michael) was a carrack or great ship of the Royal Scots Navy. Laid down at Newhaven in 1507 by order of James IV, launched on 12 October 1511 and completed on 18 February 1512, she was the largest warship in Europe — twice the size of her English contemporary Mary Rose which was launched in 1509 and completed in 1510.

Scottish armies

Wars and battles

Castles

Main article: Castles of Scotland

Part of the British Armed Forces

Sensitive defence establishments

Due to their topography and perceived remoteness, parts of Scotland have housed sensitive defence establishments. During World War 2, British Commandos trained in the Scottish Highlands and the island of Gruinard was used for an exercise in biological warfare. Between 1960 and 1991, the Holy Loch was a base for the U.S fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines. Today, HMNB Clyde, only 25 miles (40 km) west of Glasgow, is the base for the United Kingdom's four Vanguard class ballistic missile submarines, which are armed with approximately 200 Trident nuclear warheads.[1] Since the decommissioning of free-falling bombs in 1998, the Trident ICBM system is the UK's only nuclear deterrent. RAF Kinloss houses the Royal Air Force's fleet of Nimrod maritime reconaissance aircraft while HMS Vulcan, the Royal Navy's submarine nuclear reactor development establishment, is located near Dounreay. This is also the site of the UK's now-abandoned fast breeder nuclear reactor programme.

Royal Navy bases in Scotland

Former Naval Air Stations in Scotland

Scottish units in the British Army

Within the British Army, the Scottish infantry previously comprised a number of 'county regiments', each recruiting from a local area. In 2006, the remaining regiments, known collectively as the Scottish Division, were amalgamated to form the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The amalgamation was vigorously opposed by supporters of the old regiments.

List of Scottish units

RAF bases in Scotland

Scottish units that are not part of the British Army

Reference

  1. ^ House of Commons Written Answers, Hansard, 14 Jul 1998 : Column: 171

See also

External links

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