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549:(first published in 1891) he enunciated its principles with great cogency and with keen historic insight. The central idea of his teaching was that naval supremacy is the condition precedent of all vigorous military offensive across the seas, and, conversely, that no vigorous military offensive can be undertaken across the seas until the naval force of the enemy has been accounted for either destroyed or defeated and compelled to withdraw to the shelter of its own ports, or at least driven from the seas by the menace of a force it dare not encounter in the open. This broad and indefeasible principle he enunciated and defended in essay after essay, in lecture after lecture, until what at first was rejected as a paradox came in the end to be accepted as a commonplace. He worked quite independently of Captain Mahan, and his chief conclusions were published before Captain Mahan's works appeared.
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sequel he prepared a new evolutionary signal-book, which was adopted by the Royal Navy, and still remains in substance the foundation of the existing system of tactical evolutions at sea. The same series of experimental studies led him to conclusions concerning the chief causes of collisions at sea; and these conclusions, though stoutly combated in many quarters at the outset, have since been generally accepted, and were ultimately embodied in the international code of regulations adopted by the leading maritime nations on the recommendation of a conference at
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Colomb moved on to tactics. Having first determined by experiment—for which he was given special facilities by the admiralty—what are the manoeuvring powers of ships propelled by steam under varying conditions of speed and helm, he proceeded to devise a system of tactics based on these data. In the
482:. After serving three years in that capacity, he remained at Portsmouth as flag-captain to the commander-in-chief until 1886, when he was retired by superannuation before he had attained flag rank. Subsequently, he became rear-admiral, and finally vice-admiral on the retired list.
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of the United States Navy had made it a household word with all. But he thoroughly grasped its conditions, and in his great work on
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was published by
Longmans in London in 1873, an interesting and informative account, one distinguished by a studied moderation.
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The admiral died quite suddenly and in the full swing of his literary activity on 13 October 1899, at
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Colomb attended the court martial at
Portsmouth of Captain Ernest Rice as his friend, following the loss of
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Colomb saw that the introduction of steam into the navy would necessitate a new system of signals, and new
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Colomb entered the navy in 1846, and served first at sea off
Portugal in 1847; afterwards, in 1848, in the
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Colomb did not invent the term "sea-power", as it is of very ancient origin, nor did he employ it until
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in the
Persian Gulf region and was engaged in the suppression of the slave trade, particularly around
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system with signal lamps about 1862. This system of signals was adopted by the navy in 1867.
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After his retirement Colomb devoted himself rather to the history of
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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Slave-catching in the Indian Ocean: A record of naval experiences
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in the Arctic
Expedition of 1854; as lieutenant of the
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was also a soldier and strategist of the Royal Navy.
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341:(29 May 1831 – 13 October 1899). Born in
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369:and inventor. He was the son of General
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585:Sterling, Christopher H., ed. (2008).
403:in Chinese waters; as midshipman and
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517:Francis John Bolton
457:and Oman. His book
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671:1899 deaths
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499:The Graphic
429:Crimean War
427:during the
413:Burmese War
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357:, he was a
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170:Nationality
143:29 May 1831
660:Categories
529:Washington
521:Morse code
480:Portsmouth
425:Baltic Sea
391:midshipman
359:Royal Navy
256:Royal Navy
224:Allegiance
178:Occupation
139:1831-05-29
69:newspapers
566:Trafalgar
531:in 1889.
491:HMS
475:Thunderer
473:HMS
468:Audacious
466:HMS
448:HMS
440:Devonport
363:historian
361:officer,
343:Knockbrex
303:Thunderer
301:HMS
295:Audacious
293:HMS
285:HMS
265:1846–1886
210:(brother)
204:Relatives
455:Zanzibar
433:Sveaborg
421:Hastings
405:shipmate
355:Scotland
278:Commands
242:Service/
99:May 2007
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618:at the
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423:in the
417:Phoenix
409:Serpent
407:of the
396:Reynard
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186:Parents
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502:, 1889
493:Sultan
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367:critic
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572:Notes
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90:JSTOR
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152:Died
133:Born
62:news
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