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Naval Tradition is a social policy in Civilization V. It is part of the Commerce tree. In Brave New World it got moved to the Exploration tree.
A society can develop different kinds of traditions, including a tradition related to seafaring. Thus the figure of the old sailor, with pipe in mouth, long white beard and tally cap, telling stories in the corner of the local pub, becomes a mythical figure which agitates the fantasy of young people, making them see adventures in far-off lands, contacts with exotic people and cultures...and, of course, riches to be earned. Thus, each maritime building in a city evokes these naval traditions and increases happiness in the city.
Game Info[]
- +1
Movement for Naval units and +1 sight range for naval combat units (Vanilla and only). - A Great Admiral appears and +2 Movement for all Great Admirals ( only).
- +1 Happiness for each Harbor, Seaport, or Lighthouse ( only).
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Strategy[]
This Policy is particularly useful if you have 
Happiness problems. It potentially adds +3 Happiness per coastal city (after you build all three maritime buildings) - not a small benefit. Of course, the more coastal cities you have, the greater the benefit of this Policy.
You should consider which of the two level 1 Policies in the tree to adopt first: this one or Maritime Infrastructure. They both have great bonuses, but the other one's bonus is maybe a bit more practical.
Civilopedia entry[]
Nations with strong naval traditions value their country's navy above all other branches of the military. (For obvious reasons: they're often island nations.) Service in the navy is expected of the ruling class, and naval officers are seen as superior to officers of the army or air force. Great Britain has the longest and strongest naval tradition in Europe. The British ships were known to be superior to other nations' vessels, and the British officers and crew were the best on the water. This gave the British Navy a serious edge in morale in naval warfare.
Trivia[]
- Naval Tradition shares its name with a technology that was slated to appear in the game, but was cut before its final release. Its quote was supposed to be "Don’t talk to me about naval tradition, It’s nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash."