The hottest Naval Warfare Substack posts right now

Ukraine is winning the war at sea: unmanned naval drones have damaged a Russian Kilo submarine in Novorossiysk and struck distant shadow-fleet tankers, degrading the Black Sea Fleet and threatening Russia’s oil shipments.
Europe split over funding Ukraine: the EU chose guaranteed loans (about €90bn) instead of seizing frozen Russian assets, a compromise that buys time but raises doubts about European willingness to fully confront Russia.
U.S. policy appears to be easing toward Russia: the Trump administration quietly removed sanctions on some foreign firms and U.S. exports to countries linked to Russia rose, suggesting Washington may be undermining broader sanctions pressure.

Ukrainian military chief Kyrylo Budanov is using new technology like sea drones to attack the Russian navy in the Black Sea. This modern strategy is similar to Sir Francis Drake’s historic tactics.
Ukraine’s use of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) is changing naval warfare and helping them take on Russia's stronger navy. These drones are proving effective in disrupting supply lines and targeting enemy ships.
Despite being outmatched in the Black Sea, Ukraine's innovative use of USVs is forcing Russia to alter its strategies and pull back its naval forces, which might help Ukraine resume its grain exports.

The Pacific War was a uniquely vast and complex conflict fought across a contiguous oceanic theater, using air, submarine, surface, and amphibious forces and often resembling positional, continental-style warfare despite being fought from the sea.
Japan had no single coherent grand strategy; the protracted war in China turned into a crippling resource sink that forced mobilization, worsened Army–Navy rivalry, and pushed Tokyo into desperate, contradictory choices that made southern expansion and confrontation more likely.
U.S. policy of escalating economic pressure—most importantly the effective oil embargo after Japan’s move into Indochina—helped corner Japan and create the political will for war, and the eventual American victory relied not just on industrial overmatch but on decisive early battles and operational innovations like the fast carrier task force, amphibious doctrine, and submarine warfare.

The German navy, or Kriegsmarine, was not ready for World War II and had high hopes for a large fleet that never materialized. They planned to have many ships, but when war started, they only had a few.
Despite their ambitions, the German naval forces wasted valuable resources and weakened the army by focusing too much on building surface ships rather than submarines, which could have been more effective.
The invasion of Norway was a surprise success for Germany, but it also led to heavy losses for their surface fleet. This campaign revealed issues with British naval power and showed how quickly the situation can change in war.

World War I changed how countries thought about war. People were shocked by the high number of deaths and realized the war would not be quick or easy.
Submarines became a powerful new weapon during the war because they could attack from below the surface without being easily seen. This changed naval tactics forever.
Germany's use of unrestricted submarine warfare angered many countries, including the United States. This led to debates about the rules of war and how far countries could go to win.

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World War One was a time of confusion for many, as both soldiers and leaders struggled to adapt to the new, brutal warfare tactics. The experiences varied greatly depending on one's role in the military hierarchy.
Despite its static nature, World War One sparked new military strategies that changed the future of warfare, including unrestricted submarine warfare and amphibious assaults, which became key tactics in World War Two.
The Dardanelles campaign showed the pitfalls of assuming naval power alone could secure victory. Poor planning and underestimating the enemy's defenses led to a failed attack and high casualties.