Yemen’s Houthi rebels—once a relatively obscure group—are suddenly dominating the Red Sea and threatening global trade, and Britain’s Royal Navy—once the world’s preeminent military force—appears to be back on center stage.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels—once a relatively obscure group—are suddenly dominating the Red Sea and threatening global trade, and Britain’s Royal Navy—once the world’s preeminent military force—appears to be back on center stage.

When World War I broke out, the Royal Navy had the world’s largest and most powerful fleet, as it did during the preceding Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian eras. Indeed, the Royal Navy had famously allowed Britannia to rule the waves—and, as a result, to build extraordinary globe-spanning trade.

Back then, the Royal Navy’s tasks included escorting British vessels—which still made up a large part of the global merchant fleet—through perilous waters, such as those in the Red Sea and its neighborhood, and it did so using an impressive fleet. During its peak in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Royal Navy had all manner of battleships and other vessels.

The world wars were exceptional periods, of course, but in 1960, the Royal Navy had 156 destroyers and frigates, as well as 54 submarines, two battleships and large amphibious craft, 14 cruisers, eight carriers, and smaller vessels. “For the Royal Navy, protecting global shipping has historically been one of its major roles,” said retired Royal Navy Adm. Alan West, who served as Britain’s first sea lord and chief of the naval........

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