The World’s 4 Main Blue Water Navy’s
Blue Water Navy is the nation that controls a Navy that can operate globally and project naval power all around the world’s oceans of all the world’s countries; four nations possess true blue water navy, which can operate far out into the world’s oceans.
70% of our planet’s surface is covered in water, and for proper power to be a true global power and not a regional power, they need a Navy that can project power around the globe.
The nations in order of importance and capabilities are the United States of America, which has 11 currently active supercarriers, and Japan, which has four helicopter carriers that can be converted into true aircraft carriers in wartime.
The reason why Japan doesn’t possess true aircraft carriers is due to its pacifist constitution in force in Japan after its defeat during World War II by the United States of America, which destroyed two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with the world’s first nuclear bombs.
Now we have the United Kingdom, which currently possesses two aircraft carriers and depends on the United States to fulfil the role and provide support with destroy escorts that protect Britain’s two aircraft carriers.
The UK is determined to retain its ability to have a true blue-water Navy. Still, it is unwilling to invest in carrier groups that possess adequate protection provided by destroyers and frigates.
The United Kingdom is dependent on support from the United States of America.
France is the fourth great naval power; they currently have one aircraft carrier but are also an Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea power. Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar made it incredibly hard for the French to concentrate their military forces.
Now, you may be wondering why China and Russia are not counted as powerful blue water Navy’s answer for this is first, the Russians have the four seas problem and, due to the collapse of technical education in the 1980s, have been unable to keep up technologically with Western nations.
As for the Chinese, it will take them decades to build a blue-water navy that can compete with the United States of America.
According to the author of Prisoners of Geography, Tim Marshall predicted it would be 30 years before China becomes a serious threat to American sea power.
Furthermore, the Chinese are developing their technological base and capacities to deploy sea power, which is limited to the South China Sea at the moment, and historically, China has never been a great sea power.
Like France, though to a much lesser degree, China is a continental first and a sea power a distant second.
