Top most powerful battleships of World War II
From the moment guns are installed on ships, the eternal rivalry between projectile and armor begins. After realizing the vulnerability of the majestic sailing fleet to gunfire, engineers and shipbuilders begin to install armor on warships. In the 19th century, the first battleships appeared, completing their development by the beginning of the 20th century and becoming the main striking and most powerful force of the fleet. They are being replaced by dreadnought battleships, even larger, more powerful and heavily armored. The development of battleships peaked during World War II, when the competition between shell and armor reached its climax, giving rise to the most powerful and magnificent ships ever created by man. They will be discussed in our article.
6. Battleships of the King George V class
Before World War II, the navies of the leading maritime powers were intensively armed with modern battleships. Great Britain was considered a trendsetter in the field of military shipbuilding and the most powerful naval power for several centuries, but after the First World War its leadership began to gradually fade away. As a result, the Lady of the Seas approached the war with the least powerful “main” battleship.
The British began designing battleships of the King George V type in the late 1920s to replace super-dreadnoughts. Over the course of several years, the original project underwent significant changes, and by 1935 the final version, about 230 meters long and with a displacement of about 35 thousand tons, was approved. The main caliber of the new battleship was to be ten 356-mm guns. The placement of the main caliber artillery was original. Instead of the classic four 2-gun turrets or three 3-gun turrets, they chose the option with two turrets with four guns each at the bow and stern and one turret with two guns at the bow. At the beginning of World War II, the caliber of 356 mm was considered insufficient and was the smallest among the other battleships of the leading powers. The King George armor-piercing projectile weighed a modest 721 kg. The initial speed was low - 757 m/s. The English guns did not shine with their rate of fire. The only advantages can be attributed to the traditionally high-quality gun barrels and armor-piercing shells, coupled with the reliability of the system as a whole.
The average caliber of the battleship was represented by sixteen 133-mm guns in two-gun turrets. These guns were supposed to become universal, conducting both anti-aircraft fire and performing the function of fighting enemy destroyers. While such guns coped well with the second task, they turned out to be ineffective against aviation due to their low rate of fire and imperfect guidance systems. Also, the King George battleships were equipped with two reconnaissance seaplanes with one catapult.
The armor of British ships was based on the classic “all or nothing” principle, when the main and most important components of the ship were covered with the thickest armor, and the ends of the hull and deck remained practically unarmored. The thickness of the main armor belt reached an impressive 381 mm. Overall, the booking was quite good and balanced. The quality of the English armor itself remained excellent. The only criticism was the frankly weak mine and torpedo protection.
The main power plant developed 110 thousand horsepower and allowed the battleship to accelerate to 28 knots. The estimated cruising range at an economical 10-knot speed reached 14 thousand miles, but in reality everything turned out to be much more modest.
In total, the British managed to build five ships of this type. The battleships were created to confront the German fleet in the Atlantic, but they had to serve in many parts of the world. The most belligerent of the British battleships were the King George V, which had long been the flagship of the English Royal Navy, and the Prince of Wales, which took the battle along with the ill-fated Hood against the legendary Bismarck. At the end of 1941, the Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese aircraft, but the rest of her brothers survived the war and were safely scrapped in 1957.
Battleship Vanguard
In addition to ships of the King George V type, during the war the British managed to lay down the new Vanguard - a larger and more powerful battleship, devoid of many of the shortcomings of previous battleships. In terms of displacement and armament (50 thousand tons and eight 381-mm guns), it resembled the German Bismarck. But the British were able to complete the construction of this ship only in 1946.
5. Battleships of the Littorio / Vittorio Veneto type
After the First World War, Italy experienced difficult times. There was not enough money to build new battleships. Therefore, the release of new ships was postponed in every possible way for financial reasons. Italy began to develop a modern battleship only after the laying of powerful and fast battlecruisers of the Dunkirk class in France, its main rival in the Mediterranean, which completely devalued the old Italian battleships.
The main theater of military operations for the Italians was the Mediterranean Sea, which was historically considered “theirs.” This left its mark on the appearance of the new battleship. If for the British, autonomy and long cruising range were a key factor when developing their own battleships, then the Italian designers could sacrifice it for the sake of increased firepower and armor. The lead "Littorio" and "Vittorio Veneto" were larger than the "King George" - their total displacement was about 45 thousand tons with a length of about 240 meters. The battleships entered service in the spring of 1940.
The main battery consisted of nine powerful 15-inch (381 mm) guns in three 3-gun turrets. The Italians took the path of maximally boosting old guns of a similar caliber, increasing the barrel length from 40 to 50 calibers. As a result, Italian guns turned out to be record holders among 15-inch guns in Europe in terms of muzzle energy and projectile power, second in armor penetration only to the larger-caliber guns of the American Iowa and Japanese Yamato.
The weight of the armor-piercing projectile reached 885 kg with a high initial speed of 870 m/s. For this we had to pay for the extremely low accuracy and accuracy of fire, which is considered the main disadvantage of this type of battleship. Unlike the British, the Italians divided their medium artillery into mine and anti-aircraft artillery. Twelve 6-inch (152 mm) guns in four 3-gun turrets were used to combat the attacking destroyers. For firing at aircraft there were twelve 90-mm guns, which were supplemented by 37-mm machine guns. The experience of the war showed the complete inadequacy of the anti-aircraft artillery of Italian battleships, as well as most similar ships of other countries.
The air group of the Littorio-class battleships consisted of three seaplanes and one catapult for launching them. The main armor belt was spaced apart and, although not very impressive in thickness, provided protection against 380 mm shells.
Battleship Vittorio Veneto
The main power plant produced 130 thousand horsepower and accelerated the Italian battleship to 30 knots. Such a high speed was a great advantage and made it possible to choose the optimal combat distance or even evade the fire of a stronger enemy. The cruising range was quite modest (4.5-5 thousand miles), but quite sufficient for the Mediterranean.
Battleship Roma
In total, the Italians managed to launch three battleships of this type; the fourth ship remained unfinished. Throughout World War II, the ships fought and were periodically damaged by British and American aircraft, after which they were repaired and put back into service. As a result, "Vittorio Veneto" and "Littorio" were transferred after the war to the UK and the USA, respectively, where they were cut up in the mid-1950s. The third battleship, Roma, suffered a sadder fate. After the surrender of Italy, the Germans sank it with Fritz-X guided bombs so that the ship would not fall to the Allies. Thus, the beautiful and graceful Italian battleships were never able to gain military glory.
4. Battleships of the Richelieu class
After the First World War, France found itself in a similar position to Italy regarding the state and further development of the navy.
After laying down the “pocket battleships” of the Scharnhorst class in Germany, the French were forced to urgently design ships to combat them. The resulting Dunkirk turned out to be so successful that it served as the basis for the creation of full-fledged battleships of the Richelieu class.
The full displacement of the Richelieu was almost 45 thousand tons, and the maximum length was about 250 meters. In order to fit the maximum possible weapons and heavy armor into a limited displacement, the French again used the original layout of the main caliber weapons, tested on the Dunkirk.
"Richelieu" carried eight 380-mm guns with a length of 45 calibers in two 4-gun turrets. The weight of the armor-piercing projectile was 890 kg with an initial speed of 830 m/s. This placement made it possible to save the total weight of each gun compared to 3- and especially 2-gun turrets. In addition, only two main caliber turrets instead of three or four required a shorter length of the main armor belt to protect the guns and artillery magazines, and simplified the system for storing and supplying ammunition and fire control.
But such a bold scheme also had its drawbacks. Damage to any of the towers resulted in the failure of half of the ship's artillery, so the French separated each of the towers with an armored partition. Each pair of guns had independent guidance and ammunition supply. In practice, the 2-tower scheme turned out to be unreliable. French sailors used to say that the turret rotation system could fail at any minute. In addition, the aft sector of the ship was not protected by the main caliber guns, which was partly compensated by the large rotation angles of the front turrets.
Battleship Jean Bart
The pride of French shipbuilders was armor and protection in general. In terms of survivability, the Richelieu was superior to its competitors from England and Italy, was approximately equal to the larger Bismarck and Iowa, and was second only to the much heavier Yamato. The main armor belt had a thickness of 330 mm and an 18 mm lining. The belt, tilted at 18 degrees, resulted in almost half a meter of armor. The unfinished Jean Bart received about five heavy 406-mm American main-caliber shells. The ship survived this.
The Richelieu power plant produced 150 thousand horsepower, and the speed of more than 31 knots was one of the best in the class, formally second only to the Iowa. The maximum cruising range was about 10 thousand miles at an economical speed.
In total, the French planned to build three battleships of this type. Only two were put into operation - "Richelieu" and "Jean Bar", which survived the war not without incident. These ships have become one of the most balanced and successful ships of this class. Many experts give them the palm in battleship construction. They combined fairly powerful weapons, excellent armor and high speed. At the same time, they had average dimensions and displacement. However, many of the positive aspects were only good on paper. Like the Italian battleships, the French Richelieu and Jean Bart did not cover their history with immortal exploits. They managed to survive the war and even serve after it, having undergone modernization. As for the aesthetic side, the author of the article puts them in first place. The French battleships turned out to be truly beautiful and graceful.
3. Bismarck-class battleships
After World War I, Germany was one of the first to begin designing new modern battleships. As a country that lost the war, it was prohibited from building large warships. Therefore, the launch Scharnhorst and Gneisenau could only be called battleships with a stretch. Nevertheless, German engineers gained serious experience. And after the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement in 1935, which effectively abolished the Versailles restrictions, Germany began the development and construction of the largest and most powerful ships ever in service with the German fleet.
Bismarck-class battleships had a total displacement of about 50 thousand tons, a length of 250 meters and a width of 36 meters, surpassing their European counterparts in size. The main artillery, as on the Richelieu and Vittorio Veneto, was represented by 380-mm guns. The Bismarck carried eight guns in four 2-gun turrets, two each at the bow and stern. This was a step back from the 3- and 4-gun turrets of competitors.
Main caliber artillery was more durable, but required more space, armor and, accordingly, weight to accommodate it. The Bismarck guns did not stand out as anything special other than traditional German quality compared to the fifteen-inch guns of the French and Italians. Unless, unlike the latter, the pragmatic Germans relied on shooting accuracy at the expense of the power and weight of the projectile (800 kg). As time has shown, it was not in vain.
The Bismarck's armor can be called moderate and not entirely ordinary. Using a scheme with four main caliber turrets, the Germans had to armor up to 70% of the hull length. The thickness of the main armor belt reached 320 mm in its lower part and up to 170 mm in the upper part. Unlike many battleships of the period, the armor of the German battleships was not sharply differentiated, with outstanding maximum thicknesses, but the overall armor area was higher than that of any of the competitors. Perhaps it was precisely this armoring scheme that allowed the Bismarck to withstand numerous salvos from the British for a long time, remaining afloat.
The main power plant was the weak point of the project. It developed about 150 thousand “horses”, accelerating the “Tirpitz” and “Bismarck” to 30 knots, which was a very good result. At the same time, it was not reliable and especially economical. The actual cruising range was almost 20% lower than the stated 8.5-8.8 thousand miles.
German shipbuilders were unable to create a ship that was qualitatively superior to its competitors. The combat characteristics of the Bismarck were at the level of the Richelieu and Littorio, but the combat fate of the German battleships made them the most recognizable and famous ships of the Second World War.
In total, the Germans managed to commission two ships of this type. The Bismarck had to fight in 1941, which became the most famous naval battle of World War II. A German detachment from the battleship Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen collided with the British ships. And although the British had the advantage of the battleship Prince of Wales and the battle cruiser Hood, the salvoes of the Bismarck sent the beauty and pride of the Royal Navy to the bottom in a matter of minutes - the flagship cruiser Hood, along with its entire crew. As a result of the duel, German ships were also damaged. The shocked and enraged British sent an entire squadron to capture the Bismarck. The German battleship almost managed to escape pursuit, but the British planes damaged the ship's steering, and then for a long time they shot at the immobilized ship with all their guns. As a result, the Bismarck crew opened the seams and sank their ship.
Model of the battleship Tirpitz
After the loss of one of the two battleships, the Germans hid the remaining Tirpitz in the Norwegian fjords. Even inactive and hidden, this ship remained a constant headache for the British throughout the war, drawing enormous forces onto itself. In the end, the Tirpitz could only be sunk from the air with specially designed huge 5-ton bombs.
2. Iowa-class battleships
The United States approached World War II as a leader in economic and production potential. The owner of the most powerful navy was no longer Great Britain, but its partner overseas. By the end of the 1930s, the Americans managed to develop a battleship project within the framework of the Washington Agreement. At first these were ships of the South Dakota class, which were generally comparable to their European competitors. Then the time came for even larger and more powerful battleships of the Iowa type, called by many experts the best ships of this class.
The length of such battleships reached a record 270 meters, and the total displacement exceeded 55 thousand tons. "Iowa" was supposed to resist Japanese battleships of the "Yamato" class. Nevertheless, American shipbuilders retained the 16-inch (406 mm) main artillery caliber used on the South Dakota. But the main caliber guns were lengthened from 45 to 50 calibers, increasing the power of the gun and the weight of the armor-piercing projectile from 1016 to 1225 kg. In addition to the guns themselves, when assessing the firepower of the Iowa-class ships, one should note the most advanced artillery fire control system among battleships of that period. In addition to ballistic computers and optical rangefinders, it used radar, which significantly increased shooting accuracy, especially in poor weather conditions.
In addition, given the perfection of guidance systems and the quality of ammunition, American battleships were the absolute leaders in anti-aircraft weapons.
But booking was not Iowa’s strong point. The citadel in the central part of the ship was covered by a modest 307 mm main armor belt. In general, the battleship was armored at the level of the South Dakota and European battleships with a smaller displacement, and it was even inferior to the Richelieu. Not relying too much on their armor protection, the Americans took a different path.
Iowa-class battleships received the most powerful power plant among similar ships, producing 212 thousand horsepower. For comparison, on the predecessor the turbine power reached only 130 thousand “horses”. Iowa could theoretically accelerate to a record 33 knots, surpassing absolutely all World War II battleships in speed. Thus, American battleships had an advantage in maneuver, being able to choose the optimal distance and conditions for artillery combat, partially compensating for not the strongest armor.
In total, the Americans planned to build six ships of this type. But taking into account the already built four battleships of the South Dakota type and the increasingly increasing role of aircraft carriers, the United States limited itself to a series of four ships - Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin. All battleships took an active part in the war in the Pacific. On September 2, 1945, the Japanese Surrender Act was signed on board the Missouri.
1. Yamato-class battleships
The Japanese military understood that it was impossible to compete economically with its main rival in the Pacific, the United States of America. Therefore, it was decided to achieve qualitative superiority in order to compensate for the quantitative lag. This confrontation resulted in the birth of the largest and most powerful battleships in history.
When designing these ships, the Japanese tried to make the most armed and most protected ship in the world. Discarding the Washington Agreements, in the strictest secrecy, in 1937 they laid down the giant battleship Yamato, whose total displacement exceeded 70 thousand tons, and its length reached 260 meters.
The main caliber artillery was represented by nine 18-inch guns in three 3-gun turrets, classically arranged as on the Vittorio Veneto and Iowa. No battleship in the world had such artillery. The armor-piercing projectile weighed nearly one and a half tons. And in terms of the total weight of the Yamato salvo, it was almost twice as large as European battleships with 15-inch guns. The artillery fire control system was perfect for its time. And if the Yamato did not have such innovations as radars (they were installed on the Iowa), then optical rangefinders and ballistic computers were not inferior to their world counterparts. Simply put, it would have been better for any battleship of that time not to appear within the firing range of the Japanese monster’s guns of more than 40 kilometers.
Japanese anti-aircraft guns, while not inferior in quality to European ones, lagged behind American ones in terms of shooting accuracy and pointing speed. Small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft guns, the number of which during the war increased from eight built-in machine guns to fifty, were still qualitatively inferior to the Bofors and Oerlikons of the Americans.
The armor of the Yamato-class battleships, like the main artillery, was “top of the line.” Moreover, in an effort to install armor of maximum thickness on their ships, the Japanese tried to reduce the length of the citadel. As a result, the main armor belt covered only about half of the ship in the central part. But its thickness was impressive - 410 mm. It should be noted that Japanese armor was inferior in quality to the best at that time English and German due to the closure of access to Japan to the most modern technologies for the production of armor steel and the lack of supplies of a number of rare alloying elements. But still, Yamato remained the most heavily armored ship in the world.
Battleship Musashi
The main power plant of the Japanese super-battleship was quite modest and produced about 150 thousand horsepower, accelerating the huge ship to 27.5 knots. Yamato was the slowest of the World War II battleships. But the ship carried the largest air group of reconnaissance aircraft - as many as seven on two catapults.
The Japanese planned to commission three battleships of this type, but were able to complete only two - Yamato and Musashi. The third, Shinano, was converted into an aircraft carrier. The fate of the ships was sad. Japanese sailors joked that Yamato-class battleships were larger and more useless than even such huge and useless things as the Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids.
By the time the Second World War ended, the class of high-speed battleships had reached the limit in its development, advantageously combining the destructive power and security of dreadnoughts with the high speed of battlecruisers; these examples of the sea performed many amazing feats under the flags of all the warring states.
It is not possible to compile any “rating” of battleships of those years - four favorites are vying for first place, and each of them has the most serious reasons for this. As for the remaining places on the podium, it is generally impossible to make any conscious choice here. Only individual tastes and subjective preferences. Each battleship is distinguished by its unique design, chronicle of combat use and, often, a history of tragic death.
Each of them was created for its own specific tasks and conditions of service, for a specific enemy and in accordance with the chosen concept of using the fleet.
Different theaters of combat dictated different rules: inland seas or open ocean, proximity or, conversely, extreme remoteness of bases. Classic squadron battles with the same monsters or a bloody mess with repelling endless air attacks and shelling of fortifications on the enemy coast.
The ships cannot be considered in isolation from the geopolitical situation, the state of the scientific, industrial and financial spheres of states - all this left a significant imprint on their design.
A direct comparison between any Italian "Littorio" and the American "North Caroline" is completely excluded.
However, the contenders for the title of best battleship are visible to the naked eye. These are the Bismarck, Tirpitz, Iowa and Yamato - ships that even those who have never been interested in the fleet have heard of.
Living according to the teachings of Sun Tzu
...Her Majesty's battleships "Anson" and "Duke of York", aircraft carriers "Victory", "Furious", escort aircraft carriers "Seacher", "Empuere", "Pesuer", "Fanser", cruisers "Belfast", "Bellona" , “Royalist”, “Sheffield”, “Jamaica”, destroyers “Javelin”, “Virago”, “Meteor”, “Swift”, “Vigilant”, “Wakeful”, “Onslot”... - a total of about 20 units under the British , Canadian and Polish flags, as well as 2 naval tankers and 13 carrier-based aviation squadrons.
Only with this composition in April 1944 did the British dare to approach the Altafjord - where, under the gloomy arches of the Norwegian rocks, the pride of the Kriegsmarine, the super-battleship Tirpitz, rusted.
The results of Operation Wolfram are assessed as controversial - carrier-based aircraft managed to bomb a German base and cause serious damage to the battleship's superstructure. However, another Pearl Harbor did not work out - the British were unable to inflict mortal wounds on the Tirpitz.
The Germans lost 123 men killed, but the battleship still posed a threat to shipping in the North Atlantic. The main problems were caused not so much by numerous bomb hits and fires on the upper deck, but by newly discovered leaks in the underwater part of the hull - the result of a previous British attack using mini-submarines.
...In total, during its stay in Norwegian waters, the Tirpitz withstood dozens of air strikes - in total, during the war years, about 700 aircraft of British and Soviet aviation took part in raids on the battleship! In vain.
Hidden behind an anti-torpedo net, the ship was invulnerable to Allied torpedo weapons. At the same time, aerial bombs turned out to be ineffective against such a well-protected target; it was possible to destroy the armored citadel of the battleship for an infinitely long time, but the destruction of the superstructures could not critically affect the combat effectiveness of the Tirpitz.
Meanwhile, the Britons stubbornly rushed to the site of the Teutonic beast: mini-submarines and human torpedoes; raids by carrier-based and strategic aviation. Local informant agents, regular air surveillance of the base...
“Tirpitz” became a unique embodiment of the ideas of the ancient Chinese commander and thinker Sun Tzu (“The Art of War”) - without firing a single shot at enemy ships, it shackled all British actions in the North Atlantic for three years!
One of the most effective warships of the Second World War, the invincible Tirpitz turned into an ominous scarecrow for the British Admiralty: planning any operation began with the question “What to do if
"Tirpitz" will leave its anchorage and go to sea?
It was the Tirpitz that scared away the escort of convoy PQ-17. He was hunted by all the battleships and aircraft carriers of the metropolitan fleet in the Arctic latitudes. The K-21 boat shot at him. For his sake, Lancasters from the Royal Air Force settled at the Yagodny airfield near Arkhangelsk. But everything turned out to be useless. The British were able to destroy the super-battleship only towards the end of the war with the help of monstrous 5-ton Tallboy bombs.
Tallboy
The impressive success of the battleship Tirpitz is a legacy left from the legendary Bismarck, a sister battleship, the encounter with which forever instilled fear in the hearts of the British: a funeral pillar of flame soared above the British battlecruiser HMS Hood froze before our eyes. During the battle in the Denmark Strait, the gloomy Teutonic knight needed only five volleys to deal with the British “gentleman”.
"Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" on a military campaign
And then came the hour of reckoning. The Bismarck was chased by a squadron of 47 ships and 6 submarines of Her Majesty. After the battle, the British calculated: in order to sink the beast, they had to fire 8 torpedoes and 2876 shells of main, medium and universal caliber!
What a tough guy!
Hieroglyph "loyalty". Yamato-class battleships
There are three useless things in the world: the Cheops pyramid, the Great Wall of China and the battleship Yamato...Really?
This is what happened to the battleships Yamato and Musashi: they were undeservedly slandered. Around them there was a persistent image of “losers”, useless “Venderwaffles” who died shamefully at the first meeting with the enemy.
But based on the facts, we have the following:
The ships were designed and built on time, managed to fight and, finally, suffered a heroic death in the face of numerically superior enemy forces.
What else is required of them?
Bright victories? Alas, in the situation in which Japan was in the period 1944-45, even the sea king Poseidon himself could hardly have acted better than the battleships Musashi and Yamato.
Disadvantages of super battleships?
Yes, first of all, weak air defense - neither the monstrous Sansiki 3 fireworks (460 mm anti-aircraft shells), nor hundreds of small-caliber magazine-fed machine guns could replace modern anti-aircraft guns and control systems with fire adjustment based on radar data.
Weak PTZ?
I am begging you! "Musashi" and "Yamato" died after 10-11 torpedo hits - not a single battleship on the planet could withstand that many (for comparison, the probability of the death of the American "Iowa" from being hit by six torpedoes, according to the calculations of the Americans themselves, was estimated at 90%) .
Otherwise, the battleship Yamato corresponded to the phrase “the most, the most”
The largest battleship in history and, concurrently, the largest warship that took part in the Second World War.
70 thousand tons of total displacement.
The main caliber is 460 mm.
Armored belt – 40 centimeters of solid metal.
The walls of the conning tower are half a meter of armor.
The thickness of the front part of the main battery turret is even greater - 65 centimeters of steel protection.
A grandiose spectacle!
The main miscalculation of the Japanese was the veil of extreme secrecy that shrouded everything related to the Yamato-class battleships. To date, only a few photographs of these monsters exist - mostly taken from American aircraft.
Such ships were worth being proud of and seriously frightening the enemy with them - after all, until the last moment the Yankees were sure that they were dealing with ordinary battleships, with guns of 406 mm caliber.
With a competent PR policy, the very news of the existence of the battleships Yamato and Musashi could cause panic among the commanders of the US Navy and their allies - just as happened with the Tirpitz. The Yankees would rush to build similar ships with half-meter armor and 460 or even 508 mm guns - in general, it would be fun. The strategic effect of Japanese super-battleships could be much greater.
Yamato Museum in Kure. The Japanese carefully preserve the memory of their "Varyag"
How did the leviathans die?
The Musashi sailed all day in the Sibuyan Sea under heavy attacks from aircraft from five American aircraft carriers. He walked all day, and by the evening he died, receiving, according to various estimates, 11-19 torpedoes and 10-17 aircraft bombs...
Do you think the Japanese battleship had great security and combat stability? And which of his peers could repeat this?
"Yamato"...death from above was his destiny. Traces of torpedoes, the sky is black from planes...
To put it bluntly, Yamato committed honorable seppuku, sailing as part of a small squadron against eight aircraft carriers of the 58th Task Force. The result is predictable - two hundred aircraft tore apart the battleship and its small escort in two hours.
The era of high technology. Iowa-class battleships
What if?
What if, instead of the Yamato, a battleship identical to the American Iowa came out to meet Admiral Mitscher’s 58th task force? What if Japanese industry had been able to create air defense systems similar to those found on US Navy ships at the time?
How would the battle between the battleship and American aircraft carriers have ended if the Japanese sailors had systems similar to the Mk.37, Ford Mk.I Gunfire Control Computer, SK, SK-2, SP, SR, Mk.14, Mk.51, Mk.53 ... ?
Behind the dry indices are hidden masterpieces of technical progress - analog computers and automatic fire control systems, radars, radio altimeters and projectiles with a radar fuse - thanks to all these “chips,” the Iowa anti-aircraft fire was at least five times more accurate and effective than the shots of Japanese anti-aircraft gunners .
And if you take into account the terrifying rate of fire of the Mk.12 anti-aircraft guns, the extremely effective 40 mm Bofors and belt-fed Oerlikon assault rifles... There is a considerable chance that the American air attack could have drowned in blood, and the damaged neo-Yamato could have hobbled to Okinawa and run aground, turning into an invincible artillery battery (according to the Ten-Ichi-Go operation plan).
Everything could have been... alas, the Yamato went to the seabed, and the impressive complex of anti-aircraft weapons became the prerogative of the American Iowas.
It is absolutely impossible to come to terms with the idea that the Americans have the best ship again. US haters will quickly find a dozen reasons why the Iowa cannot be considered the most advanced battleship.
The Iowas are harshly criticized for the lack of a medium caliber (150...155 mm) - unlike any German, Japanese, French or Italian battleships, American ships were forced to fend off attacks from enemy destroyers only with universal anti-aircraft guns (5 inches, 127 mm).
Also, among the disadvantages of the Iowas are the lack of reloading compartments in the main battery towers, worse seaworthiness and “wave surfing” (compared to the same British Vanguard), the relative weakness of their PTZ compared to the Japanese “long lances”, “fraud” with declared maximum speed (at a measured mile, the battleships barely accelerated to 31 knots - instead of the declared 33!).
But perhaps the most serious of all accusations is the weakness of the armor compared to any of their peers - the Iowa's beam bulkheads especially raise many questions.
Of course, defenders of American shipbuilding will now go into overdrive, proving that all of the Iowa's listed shortcomings are just an illusion; the ship was designed for a specific situation and ideally suited the conditions of the Pacific Theater of Operations.
The lack of medium caliber became an advantage of American battleships: universal “five-inch” guns were enough to fight surface and air targets; there was no point in taking 150 mm guns on board as “ballast”. And the presence of “advanced” fire control systems completely eliminated the factor of the lack of “medium caliber”.
Accusations of poor seaworthiness are a purely subjective opinion: the Iowa has always been considered an extremely stable artillery platform. As for the strong “overwhelming” of the bow of a battleship in stormy weather, this myth was born in our time. More modern sailors were surprised by the habits of the armored monster: instead of calmly rocking on the waves, the heavy Iowa cut the waves like a knife.
The increased wear of the main battery barrels is explained by very heavy projectiles (which is not bad) - the Mk.8 armor-piercing projectile weighing 1225 kg was the heaviest ammunition of its caliber in the world.
The Iowa had no problems at all with the range of shells: the ship had a whole range of armor-piercing and high-explosive ammunition and charges of varying power; after the war, “cassette” Mk.144 and Mk.146 appeared, filled with explosive grenades in quantities of 400 and, accordingly, 666 pieces. A little later, the Mk.23 special ammunition with a 1 kt nuclear warhead was developed.
As for the “shortage” of the design speed at the measured mile, the tests of the Iowas were carried out with limited power of the power plant - just like that, without a good reason, to boost the vehicles to the design 254,000 hp. the thrifty Yankees refused.
The general impression of the Iowas can only be spoiled by their relatively low security... however, this disadvantage is more than compensated for by the many other advantages of the battleship.
The Iowas have more service than all other WWII battleships combined - World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq... Battleships of this type outlived everyone - modernization in the mid-1980s made it possible to extend the service life of veterans until the beginning of the 21st century - the battleships lost parts artillery weapons, in return receiving 32 Tomahawk SLCMs, 16 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, SeaSparrow air defense systems, modern radars and Phalanx close combat systems.
Off the coast of Iraq
However, the physical wear and tear of the mechanisms and the end of the Cold War played an important role in the fate of the most famous American battleships - all four monsters left the US Navy ahead of schedule and turned into large naval museums.
Well, the favorites have been identified. Now is the time to mention a number of other armored monsters - after all, each of them is worthy of its own portion of surprise and admiration.
For example, Jean Bart is one of two Richelieu-class battleships built. An elegant French ship with a unique silhouette: two four-gun turrets in the bow, a stylish superstructure, a dashingly curved back chimney...
Richelieu-class battleships are considered one of the most advanced ships in their class: having a displacement of 5-10 thousand tons less than any Bismarck or Littorio, the “French” were practically not inferior to them in terms of armament power, and in terms of “ security" - the layout and thickness of the Richelieu armor was even better than many of its larger peers. And all this was successfully combined with a speed of more than 30 knots - the “French” was the fastest of the European battleships!
The unusual fate of these battleships: the flight of unfinished ships from the shipyard to avoid capture by the Germans, a naval battle with the British and American fleets in Casablanca and Dakar, repairs in the USA, and then a long happy service under the flag of France until the second half of the 1960s.
But here is a magnificent trio from the Apennine Peninsula - Italian battleships of the Littorio class.
These ships are usually the object of harsh criticism, but if you take an integrated approach to assessing them, it turns out that the Littorio battleships are not so bad compared to their British or German peers, as is commonly believed.
The project was based on the ingenious concept of the Italian fleet - to hell with greater autonomy and fuel reserves! – Italy is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, all bases are nearby.
The saved load reserve was spent on armor and weapons. As a result, the Littorio had 9 main caliber guns in three rotating turrets - more than any of their European counterparts.
"Roma"
A noble silhouette, high-quality lines, good seaworthiness and high speed are in the best traditions of the Italian school of shipbuilding.
Ingenious anti-torpedo protection based on calculations by Umberto Pugliese.
At a minimum, the staggered reservation scheme deserves attention. In general, when it comes to armor, Littorio-class battleships deserve the highest marks.
As for the rest...
As for the rest, the Italian battleships turned out to be bad - it is still a mystery why the Italians’ guns fired so crookedly - despite excellent armor penetration, the 15-inch Italian shells had surprisingly low accuracy and accuracy of fire. Rebooting gun barrels? The quality of the liners and shells? Or maybe the national characteristics of the Italian character had an effect?
In any case, the main problem of the Littorio-class battleships was their incompetent use. The Italian sailors never managed to engage in a general battle with Her Majesty's fleet. Instead, the lead “Littorio” was sunk right at its anchorage during a British raid on the Taranto naval base (the cheerful slobs were too lazy to pull up the anti-torpedo net).
The Vittorio Veneto raid against British convoys in the Mediterranean ended no better - the battered ship was barely able to return to base.
In general, nothing good came out of the idea with the Italian battleships. The battleship Roma ended its combat journey brighter and more tragically than anyone else, disappearing in a deafening explosion of its own artillery magazines - the result of a well-aimed hit by a German guided air bomb "Fritz-X" (air bombs? That's an understatement. The 1,360-kilogram Fritz-X ammunition was little like regular bomb).
Epilogue.
There were different battleships. Some of them were formidable and effective. There were no less formidable ones, but ineffective ones. But every time, the fact that the enemy had such ships caused the opposite side a lot of trouble and anxiety.
Battleships always remain battleships. Powerful and destructive ships with the highest combat stability.
Based on materials:
http://wunderwaffe.narod.ru/
http://korabley.net/
http://www.navy.mil.nz/
http://navycollection.narod.ru/
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://navsource.org/
For a certain time, they were significantly inferior in terms of technology and armament to slow-moving battleships. But already in the 20th century, countries wishing to strengthen their fleets began to create battleships that would have no equal in firepower. But not all states could afford to build such a ship. Superships had enormous costs. Let's take a look at the world's largest battleship, its features and other important details.
"Richelieu" and "Bismarck"
The French ship called Richelieu boasts a displacement of 47 thousand tons. The length of the vessel is about 247 meters. The main purpose of the ship was to contain the Italian fleet, but this battleship never saw active combat operations. The only exception is the Senegalese operation of 1940. In 1968, Richelieu, named after the French cardinal, was scrapped. One of the main weapons is installed in Brest as a monument.
"Bismarck" is one of the legendary ships of the German fleet. The length of the vessel is 251 meters, and the displacement is 51 thousand tons. The battleship was launched in 1938, with Adolf Hitler himself present. In 1941 the ship was sunk by forces resulting in the death of many people. But this is far from the world’s largest battleship, so let’s move on.
German "Tirpitz" and Japanese "Yamato"
Of course, the Tirpitz is not the largest battleship in the world, but during the war it had outstanding technical characteristics. However, after the destruction of the Bismarck, he never took an active part in the hostilities. It was launched in 1939, and already in 1944 it was destroyed by torpedo bombers.
But the Japanese "Yamato" is the world's largest battleship, which was sunk as a result of battles. The Japanese treated this ship very carefully, so it did not take part in hostilities until 1944, although such an opportunity arose more than once. It was launched in 1941. The length of the vessel is 263 meters. There were 2.5 thousand crew members on board at all times. In April 1945, as a result of an attack by the American fleet, it received 23 direct hits from torpedoes. As a result, the bow compartment exploded and the ship sank to the bottom. According to approximate data, more than 3,000 people died and only 268 managed to escape as a result of the shipwreck.
Another tragic story
Japanese battleships had bad luck on the battlefield during World War II. It is difficult to name the exact reason. Whether it was a technical issue or whether the command was to blame will remain a mystery. Nevertheless, after Yamato, another giant was built - Musashi. It was 263 meters long with a displacement of 72 thousand tons. First launched in 1942. But this ship also faced the tragic fate of its predecessor. The first one was, one might say, successful. After an attack by an American submarine, the Musashi received a serious hole in the bow, but safely left the battlefield. But after some time in the Sibuyan Sea, the ship was attacked by American aircraft. The main blow fell on this battleship.
As a result of 30 direct hits by bombs, the ship sank. More than 1,000 crew members and the ship's captain died then. In 2015, Musashi was discovered by an American millionaire at a depth of 1.5 kilometers.
Who had dominance in the ocean?
Here we can definitely say - America. The fact is that the largest battleship in the world was built there. Moreover, during the war the USA had more than 10 combat-ready superships, while Germany had only about 5. The USSR had none at all. Although today we know about a project called “Soviet Union”. It was developed during the war, and the ship was already 20% built, but nothing more.
The world's largest battleship of the war, which was decommissioned later than all others, was the USS Wisconsin. It went to port in Norfolk in 2006, where it remains today as a museum exhibit. This giant was 270 meters long with a displacement of 55 thousand tons. During the war, he actively took part in various special operations and accompanied aircraft carrier groups. It was last deployed during combat operations in the Persian Gulf.
Top 3 giants from America
"Iowa" is an American battleship 270 meters long with a displacement of 58 thousand tons. This is one of the most outstanding US ships, even if it is not the largest ship in the world. was first launched in 1943 and took part in many naval battles. It was actively used as an escort for aircraft carriers, and was also used to support ground forces. In 2012 it was sent to Los Angeles, where it is now located as a museum.
But almost every American knows about the “black dragon”. "New Jersey" was so nicknamed because it terrified with its mere presence on the battlefield. This is the world's largest battleship in history, which took part in the Vietnam War. It was launched in 1943 and was similar in type to the Iowa ship. The length of the vessel was 270.5 meters. This is a real veteran of naval battles, who in 1991 was sent to the port of Camden. It is still there and serves as a tourist attraction.
The world's largest battleship of World War II
The honorable first place is occupied by the ship "Missouri". She was not only the largest representative (271 meters in length), but was also the last American battleship. This ship is known mostly because it was on board that the Japanese surrender pact was signed. But at the same time, the Missouri took an active part in the hostilities. It was launched from the shipyard back in 1944 and was used to escort aircraft carrier groups and support various special operations. He fired his last shot in the Persian Gulf. In 1992, it was decommissioned from US reserves and went to storage at Pearl Harbor.
This is one of the most famous ships in America and the whole world. More than one documentary film has been made about him. By the way, millions of dollars are spent annually in the United States to maintain the working condition of already decommissioned battleships, because they are of historical value.
Hopes were not justified
Even the world's largest battleship of war did not live up to the expectations placed on it. A striking example of this is the Japanese giants, which were destroyed by American bombers without having time to respond with their main calibers. All this indicated low effectiveness against aviation.
Nevertheless, the firepower of the battleships was simply amazing. For example, the Yamato was equipped with 460 mm artillery guns weighing almost 3 tons each. In total there were about 9 such guns on board. True, the designers introduced a ban on simultaneous salvos, as this would inevitably lead to mechanical damage to the ship.
Protection was also an important aspect. Armor plates of varying thickness protected the most important components and assemblies of the ship and were supposed to provide it with buoyancy in any situation. The main gun had a 630 mm mantlet. Not a single gun in the world could penetrate it, even when fired almost point-blank. But still this did not save the battleship from destruction.
He was attacked by American attack aircraft almost the whole day. The total number of aircraft that took part in the special operation reached 150 aircraft. After the first breakdowns in the hull, the situation was not yet critical, when another 5 torpedoes hit, a list of 15 degrees appeared, it was reduced to 5 degrees with the help of anti-flooding. But already at this time there were huge losses of personnel. When the roll reached 60 degrees, a monstrous explosion occurred. These were the main caliber cellar reserves, approximately 500 tons of explosives. So the world's largest battleship, a photo of which you can see in this article, was sunk.
Let's sum it up
Today, any ship, even the world's largest battleship, is significantly behind from a technical point of view. The guns do not allow effective aimed fire due to insufficient vertical and horizontal aiming angles. The huge mass does not allow it to gain high speed. All this, along with their large dimensions, makes battleships easy prey for aviation, especially if there is no air support and destroyer cover.
The fate of these steel monsters, conceived as a thunderstorm of the oceans and seas, turned out differently. The military leadership of all the warring countries had high hopes for them. However, it soon became clear that size, in general, does not matter. Battleships gradually gave way to aircraft carriers.
(Total 7 photos)
1. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the USSR had three Sevastopol-class battleships in service: “Paris Commune”, “October Revolution” and “Marat”. They were laid down in June 1909 at the shipyards of St. Petersburg and launched in June-September 1911 and were called then, of course, differently: “Sevastopol”, “Gangut” and “Petropavlovsk”. "Marat" and "October Revolution" were used in the coastal defense system of Leningrad, and the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet "Paris Commune" defended Sevastopol in 1942. All three battleships were withdrawn from service only after the war.
2. The history of German battleships was sad. The Bismarck was sunk by a British squadron on May 27, 1941, during its first military campaign. The Tirpitz, sent to Norwegian waters in 1942 to hunt Arctic convoys, was destroyed by five-ton bombs while parked as a result of a British air raid in November 1944. On the night of February 27, 1942, in the North Sea, a 500-kilogram British air bomb pierced the upper deck of the battleship Gneisenau; it was never restored. Scharnhorst was sent to the bottom north of Norway by the battleship Duke of York and the cruiser Jamaica on December 26, 1943.
3. The French battleship Richelieu participated in the liberation of Norway in 1943-1944, together with the forces of the British Navy. The obsolete battleship was scrapped in 1968.
4. Almost two dozen battleships of the King George V, Queen Elizabeth, Nelson and Revenge types of the Royal Navy of Great Britain fought with enemies from the English Channel to the Mediterranean and the coast of Africa.
5. Four American battleships were sunk and four more were seriously damaged in the attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor. The remaining American battleships fought as part of the US Pacific Fleet. The Japanese surrender was signed on board the battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945. The Missouri turned out to be a long-liver: it fired its last salvo in 1991 in the Persian Gulf. The ship appears in the old movie Under Siege with Steven Seagal. True, the filming was carried out on the decommissioned battleship Alabama.
6. The Japanese battleships Yamato and Musashi were the largest ships of this type in the world. Imperial Japan really hoped that thanks to battleships it would be possible to seize supremacy at sea. However, the Yamato's first combat campaign in the Philippi Sea turned out to be extremely unsuccessful: on June 19, 1944, it fired at its own planes. On October 24, 1944, the Musashi was lost in the Sibuyan Sea from bombs and torpedoes of American aircraft. On April 7, 1945, as a result of a powerful attack by carrier-based aircraft, the Yamato sank to the bottom, taking with it more than three thousand crew members.
7. Italy has never been a maritime power. The three battleships Littorio, Vittorio Veneto and Roma did not achieve any major successes. “Vittorio Veneto” and “Littorio” went to the Allies after the war and were dismantled for scrap, and “Roma” was sunk by German aircraft on September 9, 1943, the day after the surrender of Italy.
The battleships of World War II did not play an important role during the large-scale naval battles that shook the skies over the seas and oceans for exactly six years, from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945. They did not fulfill their function and did not live up to the high hopes placed on them. But huge amounts of money were spent on their construction, and considerable funds were also spent on their maintenance. The fate of these imaginary “masters of the sea,” instruments of failed domination, is very instructive, and can serve as an example of incorrect calculations, incorrect predictions of the future nature of strategy and tactics, and irrational expenditure of economic resources.
The state of naval tactical thought in the interwar period
Since the Anglo-Dutch naval battles raged on the seas until the middle of the 20th century, the idea of an ideal ship existed and practically did not change in the minds of the command of fleets around the world. The main tactical technique was formed at the same time, in the 17th century, and it consisted of lining up all forces in a wake column, and then opening fire from all barrels. Whoever sinks the most enemy units wins. The Battle of Jutland in 1916, which took place according to a slightly different scenario, brought some confusion into the minds of naval commanders. Carrying out vigorous maneuvering, the German squadron inflicted significant damage on the British forces, which had quantitative and qualitative superiority, suffering half as many losses and “beating on points” (in sports terminology) the enemy. However, the British also hastened to announce the victorious outcome of the battle, without bothering to analyze their generally unsuccessful actions. But you should have thought about it. Perhaps then the battleships of World War II would have been a more effective weapon in the fight against fascism, or at least there would have been fewer of them, freeing up resources for other, more important defense programs. However, the winners of Jutland, the Germans, did not draw the right conclusions either. They (at least Hitler and his immediate circle) also considered power and size to be a priority factor in defeating the enemy. And other countries that faced heavy battles on the seas and oceans held similar views. They were all wrong.
What is a battleship?
The question is not superfluous, and to answer it we should return to history, to those times when ships (then still sailing, and later steam) of opponents lined up in wake formations (that is, one after another), and the guarantee of victory was the advantage of artillery weapons. The formation was a straight line, this was dictated by the main principle of battle, otherwise there would be interference in the line of fire, and the power of the guns could not be fully used. The ships that had the largest number of guns lined up on their decks were defined as “linear.” In the Russian fleet, the abbreviation “battleship” has taken root, consisting of the roots of two words “linear” and “ship”.
Sails gave way to steam engines and turbines, but the principle and purpose of a large floating artillery battery, armored and fast, remained unchanged. It was possible to combine all the required fighting qualities only if it was large in size. For this reason, the battleships of World War II had a monstrous displacement.
Battleships and the economy
Shipbuilders of the thirties, fulfilling orders from fleets and governments, tried to provide them with the most powerful and destructive weapons in the history of mankind. Not every country could afford to have at least one ship of this class; in addition to its defense function, it also played the role of a prestigious fetish. By owning battleships, the state asserted its own power and demonstrated it to its neighbors. Today, owners of nuclear weapons or aircraft carriers constitute a kind of special club, access to which is allowed only to certain countries with the economic potential of the corresponding level. In the thirties, battleships served as a symbol of military power. Such an acquisition, not only was very expensive, but also required additional funds for constant maintenance, maintenance and training of crews and infrastructure. The fleets included units that survived the previous global conflict, but new ones were also launched. The battleships of the Second World War, that is, those built between 1936 and 1945, were the focus of all the latest achievements of technical thought of their time. Their presence served as a kind of guarantee of a new worldwide massacre. It was possible to create such a powerful and expensive weapon only if it had to be used, and in the very near future. Otherwise there is no point in it.
How many were there in total?
Over the entire period called pre-war (in fact, the war was already underway, in Spain and the Far East, for example), and all the years of the “hot phase” of the world conflict, the most developed countries, seeking to establish or restore their regional (or world) dominance, built twenty seven units of ships belonging to the class of battleships.
The Americans launched the most, as many as ten. This testifies to the very serious intentions of the United States to maintain the level of its influence in remote areas of the World Ocean, however, without large-scale direct participation of ground forces, which at that time were quite modest.
Britain takes second place with its five units. Good too.
Germany, having just rejected the terms of Versailles, launched four.
Italy, which during the reign of Duce Mussolini claimed the role of a regional Mediterranean leader, was able to master three large-tonnage units. France managed to produce the same number of dreadnoughts.
Japanese battleships of the Second World War are represented by two units of the Yamato series. Relatively compared to other members of the “club,” the imperial fleet was going to compensate for the small number with the cyclopean size of the ships.
The figures given are actual. The plans were much more extensive.
Soviet battleships of World War II were laid down in Tsarist Russia. Before the World War, the domestic fleet was developing rapidly; the modernization program launched then became the basis for growth for many years, after the revolution.
There were three battleships: “Paris Commune” (Sevastopol), “Marat” (Petropavlovsk) and “October Revolution” (Gangut), all of the same design. They survived the hard times, albeit with damage, and served for some time after 1945. Thirty years of age is not considered old for a warship, and in 1941 they turned that age. Thus, at the time of entry into the war, after the German attack, the USSR possessed three fairly modern units of battle-class ships, “inherited” from the tsarist regime. But this does not mean that the leadership of the USSR had no plans to strengthen the Navy. They were, and not only plans, but also very specific actions. Stalin was preparing the most ambitious project in the entire history of domestic shipbuilding.
USSR plans
According to the government shipbuilding program adopted in 1936, over the next seven years, Soviet shipyards were supposed to launch no less than 533 naval units. Of these, there are 24 battleships. Perhaps they were going to be built in accordance with capabilities, smaller and more modest, so to speak, in the “economy version”? No, the planned displacement is 58.5 thousand tons. Reservation - from 375 mm (belt) to 420 (base of gun turrets). Project “A” (No. 23) was calculated with the help of American engineers invited to the USSR in 1936 with appropriate remuneration. The Italian specialists with whom they tried to cooperate at the beginning were rejected, and not because the Nazis (this circumstance did not prevent the purchase of the “blue cruiser”), they simply “couldn’t cope” with the scale of the plan. The guns were ordered from the Barricades plant (Stalingrad). Nine giant main caliber 406 mm cannons were supposed to fire 11 quintal shells each. Three armored decks. Only the newest battleships of Japan during the Second World War could compete with such power, but no one knew about them then, they were deeply classified, and became an unpleasant surprise for the American Navy in December 1941.
Why didn't the plans come true?
The battleship "Soviet Union" of project "A" was laid down in Leningrad by plant No. 15 in the summer of 1938, two units ("Soviet Belarus", "Soviet Russia") began to be built in Molotovsk (today this city is called Severodvinsk), another one - in Nikolaev (“Soviet Ukraine”). So it is impossible to blame I.V. Stalin for projectism and manilovism; the plans set by the party were carried out steadily. Another question is that there were objective difficulties, for which, quite possibly, some comrades who failed to complete the task were subjectively responsible before the law. At the time of the German attack, the ships under construction were in varying degrees of readiness, but no more than a fifth of the total volume of work. The most modern battleships of the USSR of the Second World War never entered combat service, serving as donors for other important defense programs. Their guns and armor plates were used, but they themselves never went to sea. There was not enough time and experience; developing the technology took too long.
What if we had time?
JV Stalin was often reproached (and continues to do so) for not preparing the country to repel the German invasion. To some extent, these claims can be considered justified. However, taking into account the situation that developed in the first months of Hitler’s aggression, today we can conclude that even the most modern and large Soviet battleships of World War II could not influence the course of hostilities that took place primarily on the land front. Already in the summer of 1941, the operational area of the Baltic Sea, due to its geographical features (closedness), was closed with minefields and blocked by Kriegsmarine submarine forces. USSR battleships from the Second World War that were in service were used as stationary batteries, similar to coastal ones. With their heavy main caliber guns they inflicted damage on the advancing enemy, but aviation and long-range artillery were more successful in this. In addition, putting such a huge ship to sea is associated with enormous risk. He, like a magnet, attracts to himself all the forces of the enemy, who calms down only by letting him sink. A sad example is the many battleships of the Second World War, which became a steel grave for their crews.
The Germans and their battleships
Not only Stalin suffered from gigantomania, but also his main opponent, the Chancellor of Germany. He had great hopes for the German battleships of World War II; their construction was too expensive, but they were the ones who were supposed to crush the naval power of arrogant Britain. This, however, did not happen. After the loss of the Bismarck in 1941, shot by a superior enemy, the Fuhrer treated the Tirpitz as an expensive and thoroughbred fighting dog, which it would be a pity to let into an ordinary dog dump, but you still have to feed it, and it is used as a means of intimidation. For a long time, the second battleship annoyed the British until they dealt with it, bombing the beauty and pride of the Kriegsmarine in an unknown Norwegian fjord.
Thus the battleships of Germany rested at the bottom. In World War II, they played the role of huge beasts, hunted by a pack of smaller, but more agile predators. A similar fate awaited many other ships of this class. Their loss entailed enormous casualties; they often died along with their entire crews.
Japan
Who built the largest and most modern battleships of World War II? Japan. "Yamato" and the second ship of the series, which became the last, "Musashi", had a titanic displacement (full) exceeding 70 thousand tons. These giants were and were armed with the most powerful main caliber guns of 460 mm. The armor also had no equal - from 400 to 650 mm. To destroy such a monster, dozens of direct hits from torpedoes, aerial bombs or artillery shells were required. The Americans found all these lethal weapons in sufficient quantities, and the circumstances were such that they were able to use them. They were angry at the Japanese for Pearl Harbor and had no pity.
USA
US battleships of the Second World War are represented by ships of various designs, including the newest ones, launched between 1941 and 1943. These primarily include the “Iowa” class, represented, in addition to the head unit, by three more (“New Jersey”, “Wisconsin” and “Missouri”). On the deck of one of them, namely the Missouri, the last point in the six-year world war was put. The displacement of these giant ships was 57.5 thousand tons, they had excellent seaworthiness, but for modern naval combat they were, after the advent of missile weapons, practically unsuitable, which did not prevent them from using their artillery power for punitive purposes against countries that did not have the ability to effectively resist them. They served for a long time and fought on different coasts:
- “New Jersey” - from Vietnamese and Lebanese.
- “Missouri” and “Wisconsin” - from Iraqi.
Today, all three of the last US battleships of World War II are berthed and welcoming tourist visitors.