Portal:Battleships
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The Battleships Portal![]() A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term battleship came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ironclad warship, now referred to by historians as pre-dreadnought battleships. In 1906, the commissioning of HMS Dreadnought into the United Kingdom's Royal Navy heralded a revolution in the field of battleship design. Subsequent battleship designs, influenced by HMS Dreadnought, were referred to as "dreadnoughts", though the term eventually became obsolete as dreadnoughts became the only type of battleship in common use. Battleships were a symbol of naval dominance and national might, and for decades the battleship was a major factor in both diplomacy and military strategy. A global arms race in battleship construction began in Europe in the 1890s and culminated at the decisive Battle of Tsushima in 1905, the outcome of which significantly influenced the design of HMS Dreadnought. The launch of Dreadnought in 1906 commenced a new naval arms race. Three major fleet actions between steel battleships took place: the long-range gunnery duel at the Battle of the Yellow Sea in 1904, the decisive Battle of Tsushima in 1905 (both during the Russo-Japanese War) and the inconclusive Battle of Jutland in 1916, during the First World War. Jutland was the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of dreadnoughts of the war, and it was the last major battle in naval history fought primarily by battleships. The Naval Treaties of the 1920s and 1930s limited the number of battleships, though technical innovation in battleship design continued. Both the Allied and Axis powers built battleships during World War II, though the increasing importance of the aircraft carrier meant that the battleship played a less important role than had been expected in that conflict. (Full article...) Selected article![]() The North Carolina class was a series of two fast battleships, North Carolina and Washington, built for the United States Navy in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The navy was originally uncertain whether the ships should be fast enough to counter the Japanese Kongō class, which was believed by the United States to be capable of 26 knots (30 mph; 48 km/h), or should sacrifice speed for additional firepower and armor. The Second London Naval Treaty's requirement that all capital ships have a standard displacement of under 35,000 long tons (35,560 metric tons (t)) meant that the desired objectives could not be fully realized within the treaty limits, and the navy considered over fifty designs before one was chosen. Towards the end of this lengthy design period, the General Board of the United States Navy declared that it was in favor of design "XVI-C", which called for a speed of 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h) and a main battery of nine 14-inch (356 mm)/50 caliber Mark B guns. The board believed that such ships could fulfill a multitude of roles, as they would have enough protection to be put into a battle line while also having enough speed to escort aircraft carriers or engage in commerce raiding. However, the acting Secretary of the Navy authorized a modified version of a different design, "XVI", which in its original form had been rejected by the General Board. This called for a 27-knot (31 mph; 50 km/h) ship with twelve 14-inch rifles in quadruple turrets and protection against guns of the same caliber. In a major departure from traditional American design practices, "XVI" accepted lower speed and protection in exchange for maximum firepower. After construction had begun, the United States, concerned over Japan's refusal to commit to the caliber limit of the Second London Naval Treaty, invoked the "escalator clause" of that pact and increased the caliber of the class' main armament; nine 16-inch (406 mm)/45 Mark 6 caliber guns replaced the twelve 14-inch guns of the original design.
Selected biography![]() Admiral of the Fleet John Arbuthnot "Jacky" Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, GCB, OM, GCVO (25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920) was a British admiral known for his efforts at naval reform. He had a huge influence on the Royal Navy in a career spanning more than 60 years, starting in a navy of wooden sailing ships armed with muzzle-loading cannon and ending in one of battlecruisers, submarines and the first aircraft carriers. The argumentative, energetic, reform-minded Fisher is often considered one of the fathers of battleships and a naval hero second only to Lord Nelson. Though recognized as a seagoing admiral involved in major battles, Fisher is primarily celebrated as an innovator, strategist and developer of the navy. When appointed First Sea Lord, he removed 150 ships then on active service but which were no longer useful and set about constructing modern replacements, creating a modern fleet for World War I. His reforms improved naval gunnery, torpedoes, destroyers as a class of ship intended for defence against attack from torpedo boats or submarines, introduced turbine engines to replace reciprocating designs, and oil fueling to replace coal. He also supervised the construction of HMS Dreadnought, the first all big gun battleship.
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Brazil's Minas Geraes fires a full ten-gun broadside to port during her firing trials. A 1910 article in Scientific American commented that it was "the greatest broadside ever fired from a battleship." Minas Geraes participated in many revolts throughout her career, both on the side of rebels and the government. After Brazil's entrance into the Second World War, she was regulated to harbor defense, as the battleship was too old to play an active part in the war. Minas Geraes was towed to Italy for scrapping in 1954 after having been in service for over forty years.
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Related WikiProjectsQuality content![]() Battlecruisers of Germany • Bayern-class battleships • Indefatigable-class battlecruisers • Iowa-class battleships • König-class battleships • Rivadavia-class battleships • Tosa-class battleships • Yamato-class battleships ![]() Almirante Latorre-class battleship • Amagi-class battlecruiser • Alaska-class cruiser • ARA Moreno • ARA Rivadavia • Armament of the Iowa-class battleship • Battle of Midway • Battle of the Eastern Solomons • Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands • Battleship • Bayern-class battleship • Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes • Brazilian battleship São Paulo • Chilean battleship Almirante Latorre • Courageous-class battlecruiser • Derfflinger-class battlecruiser • Design 1047 battlecruiser • Dreadnought • Dutch 1913 battleship proposal • Ernst Lindemann • Fred Moosally • HMAS Australia (1911) • HMS Eagle (1918) • HMS Indefatigable (1909) • HMS Lion (1910) • HMS Royal Oak (08) • Helgoland-class battleship • Indiana-class battleship • Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi • Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga • Japanese battleship Haruna • Japanese battleship Tosa • Japanese battleship Yamato • Kaiser-class battleship • König-class battleship • Minas Geraes-class battleship • Moltke-class battlecruiser • Montana-class battleship • Nassau-class battleship • Naval Battle of Guadalcanal • North Carolina-class battleship • Operation Ten-Go • Pre-dreadnought battleship • Rivadavia-class battleship • Russian battleship Slava • SMS Baden (1915) • SMS Bayern (1915) • SMS Derfflinger • SMS Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand • SMS Friedrich der Grosse (1911) • SMS Goeben • SMS Grosser Kurfürst (1913) • SMS Helgoland • SMS Hindenburg • SMS König • SMS Kronprinz (1914) • SMS Lützow • SMS Markgraf • SMS Moltke (1910) • SMS Rheinland • SMS Seydlitz • SMS Von der Tann • SMS Westfalen • Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleship • South American dreadnought race • USS Connecticut (BB-18) • USS Illinois (BB-65) • USS Indiana (BB-1) • USS Iowa (BB-61) • USS Iowa turret explosion • USS Kentucky (BB-66) • USS Massachusetts (BB-2) • USS Missouri (BB-63) • USS Nevada (BB-36) • USS New Jersey (BB-62) • USS Wisconsin (BB-64) • Yamato-class battleship ![]() List of battlecruisers • List of battlecruisers of Germany • List of battlecruisers of Japan • List of battlecruisers of Russia • List of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy • List of battleships of Austria-Hungary • List of battleships of Germany • List of battleships of Italy • List of battleships of the Ottoman Empire • List of battlecruisers of the United States • List of sunken battlecruisers ![]() Borodino-class battlecruiser • Design A-150 battleship • Deutschland-class battleship • Florida-class battleship • Fusō-class battleship • German battleship Tirpitz • HMS Courageous (50) • HMS Hood (51) • HMS New Zealand (1911) • HMS Princess Royal (1911) • HMS Queen Mary • Japanese battleship Hiei • Japanese battleship Kirishima • Japanese battleship Kongō • Japanese battleship Musashi • Kongō-class battlecruiser • Lexington-class battlecruiser • Russian battleship Rostislav • Russian battleship Sevastopol (1895) • SMS Deutschland (1904) • SMS Hannover • SMS Kaiser (1911) • SMS Kaiserin • SMS Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm • SMS Nassau • SMS Ostfriesland • SMS Posen • Tosa-class battleship • USS Hawaii (CB-3) • USS Texas (BB-35) • United States Naval Gunfire Support debate ![]() Battlecruisers of Russia • Battlecruisers of the Royal Navy • Battleships of Austria-Hungary • Battleships of Germany • Courageous-class battlecruisers and aircraft carriers • Ekaterina II-class battleships • Evstafi-class battleships • Gangut-class battleships • Imperator Aleksandr II-class battleships • Imperatritsa Mariya-class battleships • Kongō-class battlecruisers ![]() 28 cm SK L/40 gun • 30.5 cm SK L/50 gun • Admiral-class battlecruiser • BL 18 inch Mk I naval gun • Bismarck-class battleship • Brandenburg-class battleship • Braunschweig-class battleship • Bretagne-class battleship • Colorado-class battleship • Courbet-class battleship • Delaware-class battleship • Design B-65 cruiser • Ekaterina II-class battleship • Ersatz Monarch-class battleship • Ersatz Yorck-class battlecruiser • Erzherzog Karl-class battleship • Evstafi-class battleship • Franz von Hipper • French battleship Courbet (1911) • French battleship Dunkerque • French battleship France • French battleship Iéna (1898) • French battleship Jauréguiberry • French battleship Jean Bart (1911) • French battleship Paris • French battleship Suffren • G3 battlecruiser • Gangut-class battleship • German battleship Gneisenau • German battleship Scharnhorst • Greek battleship Kilkis • Greek battleship Lemnos • Greek battleship Salamis • H-class battleship proposals • Habsburg-class battleship • High Seas Fleet • HMS Agamemnon (1906) • HMS Agincourt (1913) • HMS Anson (79) • HMS Dreadnought (1906) • HMS Eagle (1918) • HMS Furious (47) • HMS Glorious • HMS Howe (32) • HMS Indomitable (1907) • HMS Inflexible (1907) • HMS Invincible (1907) • HMS King George V (41) • HMS Lord Nelson (1906) • HMS Renown (1916) • HMS Repulse (1916) • HMS Royal Sovereign (05) • HMS Swiftsure (1903) • HMS Tiger (1913) • HMS Triumph (1903) • HMS Vanguard (23) • Imperator Aleksandr II-class battleship • Imperatritsa Mariya-class battleship • Indefatigable-class battlecruiser • Invincible-class battlecruiser • Iowa-class battleship • Iron Duke-class battleship • Italian battleship Roma (1940) • Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano • Kaiser Friedrich III-class battleship • Kronshtadt-class battlecruiser • L 20 α-class battleship • Lion-class battlecruiser • Lion-class battleship • Littorio-class battleship • Mackensen-class battlecruiser • Mississippi-class battleship • O-class battlecruiser • Operation Kita • Radetzky-class battleship • Reinhard Scheer • Renown-class battlecruiser • Russian battleship Andrei Pervozvanny • Russian battleship Chesma (1886) • Russian battleship Dvenadsat Apostolov • Russian battleship Ekaterina II • Russian battleship Evstafi • Russian battleship Gangut (1911) • Russian battleship Georgii Pobedonosets • Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr II • Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr III • Russian battleship Imperator Nikolai I • Russian battleship Imperator Nikolai I (1916) • Russian battleship Imperator Pavel I • Russian battleship Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya • Russian battleship Imperatritsa Mariya • Russian battleship Ioann Zlatoust • Russian battleship Petropavlovsk (1897) • Russian battleship Petropavlovsk (1911) • Russian battleship Poltava (1894) • Russian battleship Poltava (1911) • Russian battleship Retvizan • Russian battleship Sevastopol (1911) • Russian battleship Sinop • Russian battleship Tri Sviatitelia • Scharnhorst-class battleship • SMS Árpád • SMS Babenburg • SMS Brandenburg • SMS Braunschweig • SMS Elsass • SMS Erzherzog Ferdinand Max • SMS Erzherzog Friedrich • SMS Erzherzog Karl • SMS Habsburg • SMS Hessen • SMS Kaiser Barbarossa • SMS Kaiser Friedrich III • SMS Kaiser Karl der Grosse • SMS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse • SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II • SMS Lothringen • SMS Mecklenburg • SMS Oldenburg (1910) • SMS Pommern • SMS Preussen (1903) • SMS Prinz Eugen • SMS Prinzregent Luitpold • SMS Radetzky • SMS Schlesien • SMS Schleswig-Holstein • SMS Schwaben • SMS Szent István • SMS Tegetthoff • SMS Thüringen • Treaty battleship • SMS Viribus Unitis • SMS Weissenburg • SMS Wettin • SMS Wittelsbach • SMS Wörth • SMS Zähringen • SMS Zrínyi • Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow • South Dakota-class battleship (1939) • Stalingrad-class battlecruiser • Swiftsure-class battleship • Tegetthoff-class battleship • United States Battleship Division Nine (World War I) • USS Alaska (CB-1) • USS Guam (CB-2) • USS Lexington (CV-2) • USS Massachusetts (BB-59) • USS Texas (1892) • USS Missouri grounding incident • Wittelsbach-class battleship CategoriesRelated portalsHow can I help?
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