Q&A ยท 2:09:41-2:10:32

Royal Marines aboard battleships and modern warships

Battleship Marines manned a turret and provided landing and boarding parties, while naval NCOs also maintained shipboard discipline.

Question

Were Royal Marines still carried aboard battleships, and what jobs did they perform?

Short answer

Yes. They commonly manned a turret and also supplied landing, boarding, and shore-insertion capability, while shipboard discipline was not solely their responsibility.

Notes

Royal Marines remained part of battleship complements and often manned a turret. Their broader uses included landing parties, boarding actions, and operations ashore, roles that continue in modern forms. They were never the ship's only source of order, since senior ratings and other personnel also carried authority within the naval command structure.