During which conflict did the Royal Navy primarily engage in capturing slaving ships?

The Royal Navy primarily engaged in capturing slaving ships during the Napoleonic Wars. This conflict, which lasted from 1803 to 1815, involved the British trying to undermine the economic power of France and its allies. During this time, Britain became increasingly vocal against the slave trade, which they viewed as a moral issue as well as a strategic one.

With the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire in 1807, the Royal Navy intensified its efforts to enforce this ban. They made it a priority to patrol the Atlantic and capture vessels engaged in the illegal slave trade, thus working towards suppressing it on a larger scale. The meticulous record-keeping and documentation of such captures during this period offered a historical insight into Britain’s maritime operations against slavery.

In contrast, while there were naval engagements related to the other conflicts listed, they did not have the same level of focus or systematic efforts aimed at capturing slaving ships. The American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 centered more around territorial disputes and naval supremacy, while the Crimean War involved a different set of geopolitical issues, chiefly concerning the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the interests of European powers in the 19th century.