35 most important naval battles

England versus France
Outcome: Decisive English Victory
Strength: England:120-150 ships,France 190-213 ships
Casualties: England: Unknown(minimal) France: 16,000-18,000
This battle marks the beginning of the 100 years war between Britain and France. The victory allowed greater English presence in France.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/BattleofSluys.jpeg/300px-BattleofSluys.jpeg

Holy League versus Ottoman Empire
Outcome: Decisive Holy League victory
Strength: Holy League: 212 ships, Ottomans: 251 ships.
Loses: Holy League: 17 ships, Ottomans:187 ships
Ottoman defeat leaves Christianity in control of the Mediterranean.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Battle_of_Lepanto_1595-1605_Andrea_Vicentino.jpg

English versus Spanish
Outcome: Crushing English victory
Strength: Unknown due to irregularity of ships
Loses English:8 fireships Spanish: 66 ships
The Spanish Armada is scattered and destroyed by the english fire ships, leaving them vulnerable to the following storms, thus preserving English independence.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/images/armada_gal_gravelines.jpg

Dutch versus Spanish
Outcome: Dutch Victory
Strength: Dutch:95 ships, Spanish:38 ships
Loses: Dutch:1? Spanish:16?
Dutch defeat of the Spanish marks the decline of the Spanish golden age, and the beginning of Dutch ascendency.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/The_battle_of_the_downs%2C_by_willem_van_de_velde.JPG/300px-The_battle_of_the_downs%2C_by_willem_van_de_velde.JPG

English versus Dutch
Outcome: Draw
Strength: English: 27 ships Dutch: 44 ships
Loses: English: None, Dutch: 1 ship captured.
An accidental provocation of Dutch ships when a British warning shot inadvertently hits a Dutch ship, this minor engagement begins the Anglo-Dutch wars.
http://www.warrenpress.net/FolkestoneThenNow/images/DefeatOfDutchGoodwinSands.jpg

Dutch versus English
Outcome: Decisive Dutch victory
Strength: Dutch: 60 ships, English: Mainly forts
Loses: Dutch: 8 fire ships, English: 13 ships
The Dutch humbling of the Royal Navy allowed a swift end to the Second Anglo-Dutch war.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Van_Soest%2C_Attack_on_the_Medway.jpg/300px-Van_Soest%2C_Attack_on_the_Medway.jpg

English versus French
Outcome:Draw
Strength: English: 19 ships, French: 24 ships
Loses: none
The draw at Bantry Bay put an end to the French invasion of Ireland that was planned, even though the English squadron was badly mauled.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Bataille_de_Bantry_Bay_(1689).png/300px-Bataille_de_Bantry_Bay_(1689).png

English versus French
Outcome: English victory
Strength: English: 17 ships, French: 16 combat ships.
Loses: English: None French: 18 ships
Destruction of the French Convoy was a major blow to French interests in America.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/27/Battle_of_Cape_Finisterre%2C_1747.jpg/300px-Battle_of_Cape_Finisterre%2C_1747.jpg

English versus French
Outcome: English victory
Strength: 14 ships French: 8 combat ships
Loses: English: None French: 13
Destruction of the French Convoy was a major blow to French interests in America.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Bataille_du_cap_Finistere_octobre_1747.jpeg/220px-Bataille_du_cap_Finistere_octobre_1747.jpeg

English versus French
Outcome: Decisive English victory
Strength: English:29 ships French:27
Loses: English: 2 ships French: 7 ships
The French are rendered unable to effectively resupply their armies in America and Canada, giving the British almost free reign. The lack of protection for French merchant fleets also forces France into a economic depression, forcing it to default on its debt.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Quibcardinaux2.jpg/250px-Quibcardinaux2.jpg

English versus Spanish
Outcome: English victory
Strength: English: 24 ships Spanish: 11 ships
Loses: English: None Spanish: 5 ships
The defeat of the Spanish fleet allowed Gibraltar to be resupplied by the British admiral, foiling the Spanish siege efforts.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Holman%2C_Cape_St_Vincent.jpg/300px-Holman%2C_Cape_St_Vincent.jpg

Sweden versus Russia
Outcome: Swedish strategic victory
Strength: Sweden: ~400 ships(many very small) Russia: 192 ships
Loses: Sweden: 14 combat ships Russia: 6 combat ships
Allowed Swedish fleet to escape the blockade of Vyborg, setting up the battle of Svensksund. The battle had more far reaching effects on naval tactics.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Russian_victory_vyborg.jpg/300px-Russian_victory_vyborg.jpg

Sweden versus Russia
Outcome: Decisive Swedish Victory
Strength: Sweden: 176 ships Russia: 145 ships
Loses: Sweden: 6 ships Russia: 73 ships
Swedens crushing victory over the Russian Fleet allowed Sweden to win back territory taken from it by the Treaty of Nystad in the following treaty of Treaty of Värälä.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Johan_Tietrich_Schoultz_m%C3%A5lning_Slaget_vid_Svensksund.jpg/300px-Johan_Tietrich_Schoultz_m%C3%A5lning_Slaget_vid_Svensksund.jpg

Britain versus France
Outcome: Draw
Strength: British: 25 ships French: 26 ships
Loses: British: None French: 7 ships
The severe tactical defeat of the French inflicted by the British was offset by the passage of the French grain convoy that the French fleet is trying to protect.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Loutherbourg%2C_The_Glorious_First_of_June.jpg/300px-Loutherbourg%2C_The_Glorious_First_of_June.jpg

British versus Spanish
Outcome: British victory
Strength: British: 15 ships Spanish: 24 ships
The defeat of the much longer Spanish fleet by Lor Jervis allowed him to resume his blockade of Cadiz and send a squadron back into the Mediterranean.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Cleveley%2C_Cape_St_Vincent.jpg/300px-Cleveley%2C_Cape_St_Vincent.jpg

British versus Dutch
Outcome: Close British victory
Strength: British:16 ships Dutch:15 ships
Loses: British: None Dutch: 9 ships captured
The destruction of the Dutch fleet at Camperdown effectively crippled the French puppet state. It also had the bonus of calming mutinous British crews who participated in the Nore and Spithead mutinies.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Thomas-Whitcombe-Battle-of-Camperdown.jpg/300px-Thomas-Whitcombe-Battle-of-Camperdown.jpg

British versus Danes
Outcome: British victory
Strength: British: 12 ships Danish: 18 ships
Loses: British: None Danish: 15 ships
The destruction of the Danish fleet in Copenhagen led Denmark to make peace with Britain, taking it out of the League of Armed Neutrality.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/PocockBattleOfCopenhagen.jpg/300px-PocockBattleOfCopenhagen.jpg

British versus Franco-Spanish
Outcome: Decisive British victory
Strength: British:27 ships Allies:33 ships
Loses: British: None Allies: 21 ships
The defeat of the Combined fleet by Nelson ended all French hope for an invasion of Britain, and secured British naval supremacy for the next century.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Turner%2C_The_Battle_of_Trafalgar_%281822%29.jpg/220px-Turner%2C_The_Battle_of_Trafalgar_%281822%29.jpg

U.K. versus Germany
Outcome: draw
Strength: British: 71 ships German: 38
Loses British: 6 ships German: 6 ships
The only major fleet action of WWI, Jutland was highly indecisive. The German High Seas Fleet inflicted more damaging casualties on the British, but fled back to Kiel, never to sortie again.
http://www.warfaremagazine.co.uk/assets/images/articles/medium/20120601091842.jpg

Allies versus Germany
Outcome: Allied victory
Strength: Allies: ~10000 assorted ships Germany:1104 submarines
Loses: Allies: 3675 ships Germany: 783 submarines
The German U-Boat was a highly effective commerce raider, and with the U.K. cut off from mainland Europe, supplies had to arrive through the North Atlantic from America. Germany attempted to spot these supplies from getting to the U.K. using their submarine fleets. At first they were very successful in their interdiction efforts, but advances in sub-hunting technology and tactics allowed Allied convoys to pass through much more often.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Officers_on_the_bridge.jpg/300px-Officers_on_the_bridge.jpg

Britain versus Germany
Outcome: British victory
Strength: Britain:17 ships Germany:2 ships
Loses: Britain:1 ship Germany: 1 ship
After the destruction of HMS Hood by the Bismark and Prinz Eugen, the two ships separated. The Bismark was eventually hunted down and destroyed, thus ending German surface incursions into the Atlantic.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1968-015-25%2C_Schlachtschiff_Bismarck%2C_Seegefecht.jpg