05/24/2016 at 20:10 · pavlofox · 22 130

The largest battleships in the world

For the first time ships of the line appeared in the 17th century. For a while, they lost the palm to slow-moving armadillos. But at the beginning of the 20th century, battleships turned into main force fleet. The speed and range of artillery pieces became the main advantages in naval battles. Countries concerned about increasing the power of the navy, since the 1930s of the 20th century, began to actively build heavy-duty battleships designed to enhance superiority at sea. Not everyone could afford the construction of incredibly expensive ships. The largest battleships in the world - in this article we will talk about super-powerful giant ships.

10. Richelieu | Length 247.9 m

The French giant "" opens the rating of the largest battleships in the world with a length of 247.9 meters and a displacement of 47 thousand tons. The ship is named after the famous statesman France Cardinal Richelieu. A battleship was built to counter the Italian navy. The battleship Richelieu did not conduct active hostilities, except for participation in the Senegal operation in 1940. In 1968, the supership was scrapped. One of his guns was erected as a monument in the port of Brest.

9. Bismarck | Length 251 m

The legendary German ship "" takes 9th place among the largest battleships in the world. The length of the vessel is 251 meters, the displacement is 51 thousand tons. The Bismarck left the shipyard in 1939. The Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler, was present at its launch. One of the most famous ships of the Second World War was sunk in May 1941 after prolonged fighting by British ships and torpedo bombers in retaliation for the destruction of the English flagship, the cruiser Hood, by a German battleship.

8. Tirpitz | Ship 253.6 m

On the 8th place in the list of the largest battleships is the German "". The length of the vessel was 253.6 meters, displacement - 53 thousand tons. After the death of the "big brother", "Bismarck", the second of the most powerful German battleships practically failed to take part in naval battles. Launched in 1939, the Tirpitz was destroyed in 1944 by torpedo bombers.

7. Yamato | Length 263 m

"- one of the largest battleships in the world and the largest warship in history ever sunk in a sea battle.

"Yamato" (in translation, the name of the ship means the ancient name of the Land of the Rising Sun) was the pride of the Japanese navy, although due to the fact that the huge ship was protected, the attitude of ordinary sailors towards it was ambiguous.

The Yamato entered service in 1941. The length of the battleship was 263 meters, displacement - 72 thousand tons. Crew - 2500 people. Until October 1944, the largest ship in Japan practically did not participate in the battles. In Leyte Gulf, the Yamato opened fire on American ships for the first time. As it turned out later, none of the main calibers hit the target.

Japan's last pride hike

On April 6, 1945, the Yamato went on its last campaign. American troops landed on Okinawa, and the remnants of the Japanese fleet were tasked with destroying enemy forces and supply ships. The Yamato and the rest of the ships of the formation were attacked by 227 American deck ships for a two-hour period. Japan's largest battleship went out of action, having received about 23 hits from aerial bombs and torpedoes. As a result of the explosion of the bow compartment, the ship sank. Of the crew, 269 people survived, 3 thousand sailors died.

6. Musashi | Length 263 m

The largest battleships in the world include "" with a hull length of 263 meters and a displacement of 72 thousand tons. This is the second giant battleship built by Japan during World War II. The ship entered service in 1942. The fate of "Musashi" was tragic. The first campaign ended with a hole in the bow, resulting from a torpedo attack by an American submarine. In October 1944, Japan's two largest battleships finally came into serious combat. In the Sibuyan Sea, they were attacked by American aircraft. Coincidentally, the enemy's main attack was on the Musashi. The ship sank after being hit by about 30 torpedoes and bombs. Together with the ship, its captain and more than a thousand crew members died.

On March 4, 2015, 70 years after the sinking, the Musashi was discovered by American millionaire Paul Allen. It is located in the Sibuyan Sea at a depth of one and a half kilometers. "Musashi" takes 6th place in the list of the largest battleships in the world.

Incredible but Soviet Union not a single super battleship was built. In 1938, the battleship "" was laid down. The length of the ship was to be 269 meters, and the displacement - 65 thousand tons. To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the battleship was 19% complete. It was not possible to complete the ship, which could become one of the largest battleships in the world.

4. Wisconsin | Length 270 m

The American battleship "" is ranked 4th in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world. It was 270 meters long and had a displacement of 55,000 tons. He entered service in 1944. During World War II, he accompanied aircraft carrier groups and supported amphibious operations. Served during the Gulf War. The Wisconsin is one of the last battleships in the US Navy Reserve. Was decommissioned in 2006. Now the ship is in the parking lot in the city of Norfolk.

3. Iowa | Length 270 m

With a length of 270 meters and a displacement of 58,000 tons, it ranks third in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world. The ship entered service in 1943. During the Second World War, "Iowa" actively participated in combat operations. In 2012, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet. Now the ship is in the port of Los Angeles as a museum.

2. New Jersey | Length 270.53 m

The second place in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world is occupied by the American ship "", or "Black Dragon". Its length is 270.53 meters. Refers to the Iowa-class battleships. Left the shipyard in 1942. The New Jersey is a true veteran of naval battles and the only ship that took part in the Vietnam War. Here he played the role of supporting the army. After 21 years of service, it was withdrawn from the fleet in 1991 and received the status of a museum. Now the ship is parked in the city of Camden.

1. Missouri | Length 271 m

The American battleship "" tops the list of the largest battleships in the world. It is interesting not only for its impressive size (the length of the ship is 271 meters), but also for the fact that it is the last American battleship. In addition, the Missouri went down in history due to the fact that the surrender of Japan was signed on board in September 1945.

The supership was launched in 1944. Its main task was to escort Pacific aircraft carrier formations. Participated in the war in the Persian Gulf, where he opened fire for the last time. In 1992, he was withdrawn from the US Navy. Since 1998, the Missouri has had the status of a museum ship. The parking lot of the legendary ship is located in Pearl Harbor. Being one of the most famous warships in the world, it has been featured in documentaries and feature films more than once.

High hopes were placed on heavy-duty ships. Characteristically, they never justified themselves. Here is a good example of the largest battleships ever built by man - the Japanese battleships "Musashi" and "Yamato". Both of them were defeated by the attack of American bombers, without having time to fire at the enemy ships from their main calibers. However, if they met in battle, the advantage would still be on the side of the American fleet, equipped by that time with ten battleships against two Japanese giants.

By the end of the Second World War, the class of high-speed battleships had reached the limit in its development, having favorably combined the destructive power and security of dreadnoughts with the high speed of battlecruisers, these maritime models performed many amazing feats under the flags of all warring states.

It is not possible to compile any "rating" of the battleships of those years - four favorites claim the first place at once, and each of them has the most serious reasons for this. As for the other places of the honorary pedestal, 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, 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 warfare dictated different rules: inland seas or the open ocean, the proximity or, conversely, the extreme remoteness of the bases. Classic squadron battles with the same monsters or a bloody mess with repelling endless air attacks and shelling fortifications on the enemy coast.

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 out of the question.

Nevertheless, the contenders for the title of the best battleship are visible to the naked eye. These are Bismarck, Tirpitz, Iowa and Yamato - ships that even those who have never been interested in the fleet have heard of.

Life According to Sun Tzu

... Her Majesty's battleships Anson and Duke of York, aircraft carriers Victorias, Furies, escort aircraft carriers Sicher, Empire, Passuer, Fanser, cruisers Belfast, Bellona , Royalist, Sheffield, Jamaica, destroyers Javelin, Virago, Meteor, Swift, Vigilent, 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 in this composition in April 1944 did the British dare to approach the Alta Fjord - where, under the gloomy vaults of the Norwegian rocks, the pride of the Kriegsmarine, the Tirpitz super-battleship, rusted.
The results of the Wolfram operation are estimated as controversial - carrier-based aircraft managed to bomb the German base and cause serious damage to the battleship's superstructures. However, the next Pearl Harbor did not work out - the British could not 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 opened leaks in the underwater part of the hull - the result of a previous British attack using mini-submarines.

... In total, during the stay in Norwegian waters, the Tirpitz withstood dozens of air strikes - in total, during the war years, about 700 British and Soviet aircraft took part in raids on the battleship! In vain.

Hiding behind an anti-torpedo net, the ship was invulnerable to Allied torpedo weapons. At the same time, aerial bombs proved ineffective against such a well-defended target; it was possible to smash 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 parking lot of the Teutonic beast: mini-submarines and man-torpedoes; deck and strategic air raids. Informant agents from the locals, regular surveillance of the base from the air ...

"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, he fettered all the actions of the British 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: the planning of any operation began with the question “What to do if
Will the Tirpitz leave her anchorage and go out to sea?

It was the Tirpitz that scared away the escort of the PQ-17 convoy. All battleships and aircraft carriers of the metropolitan fleet in the Arctic latitudes hunted him. The boat K-21 fired at him. For his sake, the 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 the monstrous 5-ton Tallboy bombs.

Tallboy ("Big Boy")

The impressive success of the Tirpitz battleship is a legacy left over from the legendary Bismarck, a battleship of the same type, the meeting with which forever instilled fear in the hearts of the British: a funeral column of flame froze before their eyes, shooting up over the British battlecruiser HMS Hood. During the battle in the Danish Strait, the gloomy Teutonic Knight took only five volleys to deal with the British "gentleman".

"Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" in 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 the main, medium and universal caliber!

What a tough guy!

Hieroglyph "fidelity". Yamato-class battleships

There are three useless things in the world: the Great Pyramid of Cheops, 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 stable image of "losers", useless "wanderwaffles" who shamefully died at the first meeting with the enemy.

But the facts are:

The ships were designed and built on time, managed to fight and, finally, accepted 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 fireworks "Sansiki 3" (anti-aircraft shells of 460 mm caliber), nor hundreds of small-caliber magazine-fed assault rifles could replace modern anti-aircraft guns and control systems with fire adjustment according to radar data.

Weak PTZ?
I beg of you! "Musashi" and "Yamato" died after 10-11 torpedo hits - no battleship on the planet would have survived so much (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 "most, most"

The largest battleship in history and, concurrently, the largest warship that took part in World War II.
70 thousand tons of full displacement.
The main caliber is 460 mm.
Armored belt - 40 centimeters of solid metal.
The walls of the conning tower - half a meter of armor.
The thickness of the frontal part of the GK tower is even greater - 65 centimeters of steel protection.

A grand spectacle!

The main miscalculation of the Japanese is the veil of extreme secrecy that shrouded everything that was connected with the battleships of the Yamato type. To date, there are only a few photographs of these monsters - mostly taken from American aircraft.

It was worth being proud of such ships 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 406 mm guns.

With a competent public relations policy, the very news of the existence of the battleships Yamato and Musashi could cause panic fear 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 a meter of armor and guns of 460 or even 508 mm caliber - in general, it would be fun. The strategic effect of Japanese super-battleships could be much greater.

Museum "Yamato" in Kure. The Japanese cherish the memory of their "Varyag"

How did the leviathans die?

Musashi sailed all day in the Sibuyan Sea under heavy attacks from aircraft from five American aircraft carriers. He walked all day, and in the evening he died, having received, according to various estimates, 11-19 torpedoes and 10-17 air bombs ...
What do you think, were the security and combat stability of the Japanese battleship great? And who of his peers could repeat this?

"Yamato"... death from above was his destiny. Traces of torpedoes, the sky is black from aircraft ...
Speaking frankly, the Yamato made an honorable seppuku, leaving 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 few escorts 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 towards the 58th task force of Admiral Mitscher? What if the Japanese industry could create air defense systems similar to those on US Navy ships at the time?

How would the battle between the battleship and the American aircraft carriers end 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 …?

Dry indices hide masterpieces of technological progress - analog computers and automatic systems fire control, radars, radio altimeters, and radar fuse shells - 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 Oerlikon belt-fed assault rifles ... There is a considerable chance that the American air attack could choke in blood, and the damaged neo-Yamato could hobble to Okinawa and run aground, turning into an invincible artillery battery (according to the Ten-Ichi-Go operation plan).

Everything could be ... alas, the Yamato went to the seabed, and the impressive anti-aircraft complex became the prerogative of the American Iows.

It is absolutely impossible to come to terms with the idea that the best ship is again with the Americans. USA haters will instantly 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 fight off enemy destroyer attacks only with universal anti-aircraft guns (5 inches, 127 mm).

Also, among the shortcomings of the Iowa are the lack of reloading compartments in the GK towers, the worst seaworthiness and “surfacing on the wave” (compared to the same British Vanguard), the relative weakness of their PTZ in front of the Japanese “long lances”, “mukhlezh” with declared maximum speed (on a measured mile, the battleships could hardly accelerate to 31 knots - instead of the declared 33!).

But perhaps the most serious of all accusations - the weakness of the armor compared to any of their peers - the Iowa's traverse bulkheads raise a lot of questions.

Of course, the defenders of American shipbuilding will now go steam, proving that all the listed shortcomings of the Iowa are just an illusion, the ship was designed for a specific situation and ideally suited the conditions of the Pacific theater of operations.

The absence of a medium caliber became an advantage for American battleships: universal five-inch guns were enough to deal with surface and air targets - it made no sense to take on board 150 mm guns as a "ballast". And the presence of "advanced" fire control systems finally leveled the factor of the absence of a "medium caliber".

Reproaches for 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 the battleship in stormy weather, this myth was already born in our time. Modern sailors were surprised by the habits of an armored monster: instead of swaying calmly on the waves, the heavy Iowa cut the waves like a knife.

The increased wear of the main gun 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 with the range of shells at all: the ship had a whole range of armor-piercing and high-explosive ammunition and charges of various capacities; after the war, "cassette" Mk.144 and Mk.146 appeared, stuffed with explosive grenades in the amount of 400 and, accordingly, 666 pieces. A little later, a special Mk.23 munition was developed with a 1 kt nuclear warhead.

As for the "shortage" of the design speed per measured mile, the Iowa tests were carried out with a limited power plant - just like that, without a good reason, to boost the cars to the design 254,000 hp. the thrifty Yankees refused.

The overall impression of the Iowa can only be spoiled by their relatively low security ... however, this disadvantage is more than compensated 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 survived everyone - the modernization of the mid-1980s made it possible to extend the service life of veterans until the beginning of the 21st century - the battleships lost part artillery weapons, in exchange for receiving 32 Tomahawk SLCMs, 16 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Sea Sparrow air defense systems, modern radars and Phalanx melee systems.

Off the coast of Iraq

However, the physical deterioration 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 are determined. Now it's time to mention a number of other armored monsters - after all, each of them is worthy of its portion of surprise and admiration.

Here, for example, "Jean Bart" - one of two built battleships of the type "Richelieu". An elegant French ship with a unique silhouette: two four-gun turrets in the bow, a stylish superstructure, a famously curved chimney...

Battleships of the Richelieu type 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 the “ security "- the scheme and thickness of the reservation" Richelieu "was even better than many of his larger peers. And all this was successfully combined with a speed of more than 30 knots - the "Frenchman" 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, naval battles with the British and American fleets in Casablanca and Dakar, repairs in the United States, and then a long happy service under the flag of France until the second half of the 1960s.

And here is a magnificent trinity from the Apennine Peninsula - Italian battleships of the Littorio type.

These ships are usually the object of harsh criticism, but if you take an integrated approach when evaluating 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 brilliant concept of the Italian fleet - to hell with great autonomy and fuel supply! - Italy is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, all the bases are nearby.
The saved load reserve was spent on armor and weapons. As a result, Littorio had 9 main battery guns in three rotating turrets - more than any of their European "colleagues".

"Roma"

The noble silhouette, high-quality contours, good seaworthiness and high speed are in the best traditions of the Italian school of shipbuilding.

Ingenious anti-torpedo protection based on the calculations of Umberto Pugliese.

At a minimum, the spaced booking scheme deserves attention. In general, in everything related to booking, Littorio-class battleships deserve the highest ratings.

And for the rest...
Otherwise, the Italian battleships turned out to be bad - it still remains a mystery why the Italians fired their guns so crookedly - despite excellent armor penetration, the 15-inch Italian shells had surprisingly low accuracy and accuracy of fire. Reforcing gun barrels? Quality of manufacture of liners and shells? Or maybe the national characteristics of the Italian character affected?

In any case, the main problem with the Littorio-class battleships was their mediocre use. The Italian sailors never managed to enter into 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 (cheerful slobs were too lazy to pull the anti-torpedo net).

The Vittorio Veneto raid against British convoys in the Mediterranean ended no better - the battered ship could barely return to base.

In general, nothing good came of the idea with the Italian battleships. The brightest and most tragic battleship Roma completed its battle path, disappearing in a deafening explosion of its own artillery cellars - the result of a well-aimed hit by the German Fritz-X guided bomb (air bombs? It’s an understatement. The 1360-kilogram Fritz-X ammunition was little like regular bomb).

Epilogue.

Battleships were different. Among them were formidable and effective. There were no less formidable, but ineffective. But every time, the fact that the enemy had such ships gave the opposite side a lot of trouble and anxiety.
Battleships always remain battleships. Powerful and destructive ships with the highest combat stability.

According to materials:
http://wunderwaffe.narod.ru/
http://korabley.net/
http://www.navy.mil.nz/
http://navycollection.narod.ru/
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://navsource.org/

Battleships dominated the seas for over three hundred years, reaching their height of sophistication during World War II. The presence of battleships in the 20th century was akin to owning nuclear weapons in XXI. The most advanced design ideas were embodied in these sea leviathans. Powerful and expensive ships in the conditions of an unbridled arms race became obsolete literally in three or four years, and their serial construction became extremely burdensome even for the richest countries.

But, contrary to all expectations, their life is too short. The steel giants could not resist the aviation, which was superior to naval artillery both in range and in the ability to hit battleships in the most vulnerable places. But before retiring to the back of history, these giants were able to slam the door loudly, inscribing their names in the pantheon of maritime glory.

"Admiral Graf Spee" (12,100 tons)

This ship has become Britain's number one enemy and the target of the most powerful navy in the world. After the First World War, the German navy became a victim of restrictions on the tonnage and armament of its ships under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, thanks to the genius of German engineers, it was possible to turn the victim into a hunter by creating a new class of ships - "pocket battleships" of the "Deutschland" type, armed like a battleship, but with speed like a cruiser.
In total, three such ships were built, the Admiral Graf Spee was the last in the series and the most technically advanced. Hitler liked the ship so much that he personally created a sketch of a bronze eagle, which became the emblem of the battleship (before becoming a dictator, Hitler was an artist).

"Admiral Graf Spee" was well protected - taking into account the internal bulkhead, the thickness of the vertical protection reached 140 mm (100 + 40), which was supposed to protect the cruiser from 152 mm, and at certain distances - from 203 mm shells. The horizontal protection was also strengthened, the area of ​​​​the armored deck became larger, and above the ammunition cellars it reached a thickness of 70 mm. Total weight booking the ship amounted to 3,000 tons - 25% of the standard displacement (12,100 tons). Another trump card of the German count was a unique power plant for that time. For the first time, diesel engines were installed on such large ships as the only type of engine. There were 8 diesel engines, models M-9Zu42 / 58, 9-cylinder, with a maximum power of 7100 hp. at 450 rpm (maximum continuous power 6655 hp), and 4 auxiliary, models M-5Z42 / 58, 5-cylinder, with a maximum power of 1450 hp. With. at 425 rpm The disadvantages of these engines, such as noise and vibration, were more than offset by a huge cruising range. Also, such a propulsion system made it possible to gain full speed in a matter of minutes. The steam turbine ships of the enemy needed from 30 minutes to an hour to do this.

The fire control system of the "Admiral Graf Spee" was one of the most advanced at that time and made it possible to fire with exceptional accuracy. The new 283 mm cannon (the Germans officially called it "28 cm", and therefore in the literature it is often listed as 280 mm) with a barrel length of 52 calibers and an elevation angle of 40 could fire 300-kilogram projectiles at a distance of 42.5 km . In total, the "pocket battleship" had six such guns, which were assisted by 6 - 150 mm, 8 - 37 mm and 12 - 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and 8 torpedo launchers of 533 mm caliber. The ship also carried two Arado 96 seaplanes.

Death: December 13, 1939 at about 6 o'clock in the morning, "Admiral Count Spee" collided with a squadron of English cruisers - heavy "Exeter", light cruisers "Ajax" and "Achilles". During the battle, "Admiral Graf Spee" practically destroyed the "Exeter" and seriously damaged two other cruisers. Although the damage to the "Admiral Count Spee" was not very great, the ship entered the port of Montevideo for repairs, but the government of Uruguay, dependent on the British, gave only three days to repair the ship. This was not enough, and the captain decided to sink the battleship, although he had every chance of winning. The commander of the "pocket battleship" Hans Langsdorff took full responsibility for the loss of the ship, and South American newspapers called him a coward. The Germans were of the same opinion.

"Bismarck" (50,900 tons)

The next battleship, which cannot be ignored, is, of course, the Bismarck. During its construction, the Germans decided to ignore the Versailles agreements. And they made a really great ship, the best battleship in the world, according to some experts. It had a feeling of incredible power - the designers were able to fit an incredible amount of weapons on the Bismarck. The ship was armed with eight 380-mm and twelve 150-mm guns, sixteen 105-mm anti-aircraft guns, sixteen 37-mm and twelve 20-mm machine guns, and 2 torpedo tubes.

Protection was also to match the armament - the armor of the main belt was 320 mm, the upper belt was 145 mm, the bow and stern were 80 mm, the main caliber turret was from 180 to 360 mm, the conning tower was 350 mm. The design of the bottom was specially designed and provided high anti-torpedo protection, and powerful armored decks protected from artillery fire and bombing. With the selected thickness, the armor could withstand a direct hit by a 380-mm caliber projectile from a distance of 20-30 km, and a torpedo explosion with a charge weight of 250 kg of TNT (trinitrotoluene). However, such a giant was not clumsy - it could reach speeds of 30.1 knots, which was one of the best indicators in the world for such ships. Also, 6 reconnaissance seaplanes were based on the battleship, which were launched by a special catapult.

The Bismarck was a formidable adversary and was able to prove it at sea when the battleships of the Royal British Navy Hood (41,600 tons) and Prince of Wales (43,786 tons) came to intercept her. Hood fired six volleys at the Bismarck, after which the German battleship covered the Englishman with a return salvo of the main caliber from a distance of 18 km. After being hit by 800 kg of shells, a powerful explosion tore the Hood in half. The British were in shock, they did not believe that the pride of their fleet could sink. It was not the loss of one warship - as if the whole empire had been defeated. "Prince of Wales" hastened to withdraw from the battle under a smokescreen, receiving seven hits.

Death: Churchill was furious and ordered four battleships and two aircraft carriers sent to sink the Bismarck. The latter could easily get away from the enemy, but a "case" got involved in the fate of the German giant. After being attacked by torpedo bombers, one of the torpedoes damaged the propellers and jammed the rudder. "Bismarck" not only lost speed, but also control. He could not conduct accurate fire at the enemy, so the English battleships, without fear, approached the uncontrollable German and shot him almost point-blank. "Bismarck" died, but never gave up - the battleship went under water with a raised flag.

"Yamato" (72,810 tons)

This ship can be called a super-battleship. The dimensions of "Yamato" are amazing: length - 263 meters! Width about 37 meters, height - 39 m. Displacement - 72,810 tons. Each of its nine guns of the main 460-mm caliber weighed 2820 tons and was capable of sending almost one and a half ton shells over a distance of 45 kilometers. The firepower was supplemented by six 155 mm, eighteen 127 mm and fifteen 25 mm guns.

The ship had a very advanced fire control system of the main caliber type 98, which consisted of two electromechanical computers. The ship was better protected than all other battleships in the history of shipbuilding. The thickness of the side armor belt was 410 mm. The conning tower was most powerfully protected. The thickness of its walls was 500 mm, the roof - 200 mm, the floor - 75 mm, and the cylindrical shaft going to it from the main deck had a wall thickness of 300 mm. The main fire control post was protected by 150-mm plates. True, it should be noted that with the exception of the tiller compartments and deck armor at the extremities, armor protection was limited to the citadel, which occupied only 54% of the length of the ship along the waterline.

The Japanese command cherished the Yamato and the Musashi of the same type so much that during the entire war they never managed to meet enemy battleships at sea. Japanese sailors sadly joked about this: “There are three biggest and most useless things in the world - this is the Cheops pyramid, the Great Wall of China and the Yamato battleship.
Death: on April 7, starting at noon, the Yamato was attacked by American aircraft from the decks of five aircraft carriers at the same time (227 aircraft in total).

The battleship survived, but the Japanese aircraft could not stand it, leaving the Leviathan without air cover. The second wave of American aircraft finished off the giant - five torpedoes and six air bombs hit the Yamato. After that, at 14.23, the bow cellar (500 tons of explosives) exploded, the flame rose into the air by 2 km. The smoke from the explosion looked like a nuclear mushroom 6 km high. Losses of Americans - 10 planes and 12 pilots.

"Missouri" (57,000 tons)

This ship can be called the last battleship of the 20th century. Missouri was launched on January 29, 1944 and for fifty years was a symbol of US naval power. On September 2, 1945, at 9:02 Tokyo time, the Japanese Surrender Act was signed on board.

During the construction of the Missouri Special attention was given to the protection of his turret guns and ammunition magazines. The thickest armor was 15 cm thick, and two huge belts along the sides of the battleship were angled into the ship, which provided protection equal to 34 cm of steel. Sheathing sheets, which were closed together, weighed up to 50 tons each.

The American was more than enough armed - each gun turret of the battleship Missouri (2 bow, 1 stern) had three 406-mm guns, the most powerful of all that have ever been installed on US Navy warships. The 406-mm projectile had a low initial speed - only 700 m / s, but a huge weight - 1220 kg! With such ballistic characteristics, hits from above through the deck of an enemy ship at long distances could become fatal: only 10-inch armor protected them, which is only permissible for Japanese supergiants of the Yamato type.

The last time the main caliber of the battleship "Missouri" had its say in the Persian Gulf was in 1991, when it supplemented the coalition's combat arsenal during the Kuwait operation "Desert Storm". And before that, the ship underwent modernization in the 1980s, having received strategic weapons - Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Vulcan-Phalanx automated anti-aircraft artillery systems, modern electronic equipment and electronic warfare. And yet, the operation of such a giant was an unaffordable luxury for the Americans.

Therefore, on March 21, 1992, the battleship Missouri headed for her native port. Soon the days of the ship were numbered, but she made another symbolic ceremonial voyage. The battleship returned to Pearl Harbor to visit the site where Japan dragged the US into World War II. For the powerful warship USS Missouri - the symbol of all battleships of World War II - it was a journey back in time.

On March 31, 1992, the battleship's equipment was dismantled at the shipyard in the port of Long Beach. The last battleship of the 20th century was put out of action. And on May 4, 1998, it was transferred to the Pearl Harbor Museum.

This is USS Iowa, the first of the largest and most powerful battleships ever to serve in the United States Navy. Equipped with 406-mm guns capable of firing nuclear projectiles, this ship is the only one in American history that has this capability.

Let me tell you more about this ship...

These nine guns firing at the same time are a terrifying yet mesmerizing sight. However, it should be recognized that in a real combat situation, this method of attack is far from optimal. The shock waves of the projectiles are so strong that they begin to influence each other, breaking the flight path. The military solved this problem by firing the guns in rapid succession - each individual gun being able to fire independently.

The USS Iowa was used in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, but soon afterward it became apparent that the battleship era had come to an end. The most powerful force at sea was the aircraft carriers with their bombers and fighters. The US canceled construction of two of the six Iowa-class battleships before the end of the war. The States also planned to create a new class of battleships - the 65,000-ton Montana-class ships with 12 406-mm guns, but canceled their development in 1943.

On January 2, 1944, as the flagship of the 7th battleship division, the battleship Iowa set off for the Pacific Ocean, where she received a baptism of fire during an operation in the Marshall Islands.

From April 8 to October 16, 1952, the battleship Iowa participated in the Korean War in combat operations off the east coast of the country, supporting ground forces with artillery strikes on Songjin, Hungnam and Koyo in North Korea.

However, after the war, the four Iowa-class battleships built—USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, and USS Wisconsin—were an active part of the most powerful battle fleet the world had seen for several decades. In the 1980s, 32 Tomahawk and 16 Harpoon missiles, as well as 4 Phalanx systems, were added to the impressive arsenal of these battleships.

Also, the Iowa-class battleships were the only US Navy ships capable of firing nuclear projectiles. Their shells were marked W23, and "taking into account their power from 15 to 20 kilotons of TNT, they made the 406-mm guns of the Iowa battleships the largest-caliber nuclear artillery in the world."

On February 24, 1958, the battleship Iowa was decommissioned from the US Navy and transferred to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. But in the early 80s he returned to service, completely updating anti-aircraft artillery and receiving the latest electronics. The main battery guns remained in place. The weight of the projectile of such a weapon is one ton. Firing range - 38 km. Six years ago, the US Congress rejected the proposal of the Secretary of the Navy to decommission the Iowa, citing the undesirability of weakening the firepower of the American fleet.

She was finally decommissioned in 1990 and was for a long time in the parking lot of the reserve fleet in Saesun Bay (State of California). October 28, 2011 was towed to the port of Richmond, California for recovery before moving to a permanent home in the port of Los Angeles. There it will be used as a museum.

Type battleships "Iowa" considered the most advanced in the history of shipbuilding. It was during their creation that designers and engineers managed to achieve the maximum combination of all the main combat characteristics: weapons, speed and protection. Battleships of the Iowa type put an end to the development of the evolution of battleships. They can be considered an ideal project. Their names are: Iowa (BB-61), New Jersey (BB-62), Missouri (BB-63), and Wisconsin (BB-64).

Information on guns:

In general, the Iowa was an undoubted triumph of American shipbuilding. Most of the shortcomings of the first American squadron battleships were corrected on it, and she had excellent seaworthiness, high speed, excellent security and powerful weapons. Although the American heavy guns were inferior in quality to the modern heavy guns of the Old World, nevertheless, the Iowa 35-caliber 305-millimeter guns, standing in balanced turrets, were significantly more effective than the formally more powerful Indian guns. An important argument in favor of the Iowa was also its powerful intermediate artillery and the first truly rapid-fire American guns.

As a result, the Americans managed to create (with practically no experience) an armadillo, slightly inferior to European contemporaries. But the Americans themselves were apparently unable to see the strengths of the project, since the next two series of battleships did not borrow almost anything from the Iowa design (which was clearly not the most correct act).

Second World War became the golden age of battleships. The powers that claimed dominance at sea, in the pre-war years and the first few war years, laid on the stocks several dozen giant armored ships with powerful main-caliber guns. As the practice of the combat use of "steel monsters" has shown, battleships acted very effectively against formations of enemy warships, even being in the numerical minority, capable of terrifying convoys from cargo ships, but they can practically oppose nothing to aircraft that, with several hits of torpedoes and bombs, can let multi-ton giants to the bottom. During the Second World War, the Germans and Japanese preferred not to risk battleships, keeping them away from the main naval battles, throwing them into battle only at critical moments, using them very inefficiently. In turn, the Americans mainly used battleships to cover aircraft carrier groups and amphibious landings in the Pacific Ocean. Meet the ten biggest battleships of World War II.

10. Richelieu, France

Battleship "Richelieu" of the same class, has a weight of 47,500 tons and a length of 247 meters, eight guns of the main caliber of 380 mm caliber placed in two towers. The ships of this class were created by the French to counter the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean. The ship was launched in 1939 and was adopted by the French Navy a year later. The Richelieu did not actually take part in the Second World War, except for a collision with a British aircraft carrier group in 1941, during an American operation against Vichy forces in Africa. In the post-war period, the battleship was involved in the war in Indochina, covering naval convoys and supporting French troops with fire during landing operations. The battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and decommissioned in 1967.

9. Jean Bar, France

The French battleship "Jean Bar", class "Richelieu", was launched in 1940, but by the beginning of the Second World War, it was never put into the fleet. At the time of the German attack on France, the ship was 75% ready (only one main battery turret was installed), the battleship was able to get from Europe to the Moroccan port of Casablanca under its own power. Despite the absence of part of the weapons, the Jean Bar managed to take part in the hostilities on the side of the Axis countries, repelling the attacks of the US-British forces during the Allied landing in Morocco. After several hits by the main caliber guns of American battleships and aerial bombs, the ship sank on November 10, 1942. In 1944, "Jean Bar" was raised and sent to the shipyards for repairs and rearmament. The ship became part of the French Navy only in 1949, never took part in any military operation. In 1961, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and sent for scrap.

8. Tirpitz, Germany

The German battleship Tirpitz of the Bismarck class, launched in 1939 and put into service in 1940, had a displacement of 40,153 tons and a length of 251 meters. Eight main guns with a caliber of 380 millimeters were placed in four towers. Vessels of this class were intended for raider operations against the enemy merchant fleet. During the Second World War, after the loss of the battleship Bismarck, the German command preferred not to use heavy ships in the maritime theater of operations, in order to avoid their loss. Tirpitz spent most of the war in the fortified Norwegian fjords, taking part in only three operations to intercept convoys and support landings on the islands. The battleship sank on November 14, 1944 during a raid by British bombers, after being hit by three aerial bombs.

7. Bismarck, Germany

The battleship Bismarck, commissioned in 1940, is the only ship on this list to take part in a truly epic naval battle. For three days, the Bismarck, in the North Sea and the Atlantic, stood alone against almost the entire British fleet. The battleship was able to sink the pride of the British fleet, the cruiser Hood, in battle, and seriously damaged several ships. After numerous hits by shells and torpedoes, the battleship went under water on May 27, 1941.

6. Wisconsin, USA

The American battleship "Wisconsin", class "Iowa", with a displacement of 55,710 tons, has a length of 270 meters, on board, which has three turrets with nine 406 mm main battery guns. The ship was launched in 1943 and entered service in 1944. In 1991, the ship was withdrawn from the fleet, but remained in the US Navy reserve until 2006, becoming the last battleship in the US Navy reserve. During World War II, the ship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, support amphibious operations, and bombard the coastal fortifications of the Japanese army. In the post-war period, he participated in the Persian Gulf War.

5. New Jersey, USA

The Iowa-class battleship New Jersey was launched in 1942 and entered service in 1943. The ship went through several major upgrades, and was eventually decommissioned from the fleet in 1991. During the Second World War, it was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, but did not really participate in any serious naval battle. For the next 46 years, she participated in the Korean, Vietnamese and Libyan wars as a support ship.

4. Missouri, USA

The Iowa-class battleship Missouri was launched in 1944 and commissioned into the Pacific Fleet the same year. The ship was withdrawn from the fleet in 1992, and turned into a floating museum ship, which is now available for anyone to visit. During the Second World War, the battleship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups and support amphibious landings, and did not participate in any serious naval battle. It was on board the Missouri that the Japanese surrender pact was signed, which put an end to World War II. In the post-war period, the battleship participated in only one major military operation, namely the Gulf War, during which the Missouri provided fire support to the multinational forces from the sea.

3. Iowa, USA

The Iowa battleship, class of the same name, was launched in 1942 and was put into service a year later, fought on all oceanic fronts of World War II. At first, he patrolled the northern latitudes of the US Atlantic coast, after which he was transferred to the Pacific Ocean, where he covered aircraft carrier groups, supported landing forces, attacked enemy coastal fortifications and participated in several naval operations to intercept strike groups of the Japanese fleet. During the Korean War, she provided artillery fire support for ground forces from the sea. In 1990, the Iowa was decommissioned and turned into a museum ship.

2. Yamato, Japan

The pride of the Japanese imperial fleet, the Yamato battleship had a length of 247 meters, weighed 47,500 tons, had three turrets with 9 460 mm main caliber guns on board. The ship was launched in 1939, but was ready to go to sea on a military campaign only in 1942. For the entire duration of the war, the battleship took part in only three real battles, of which only in one was it able to fire on enemy ships from main battery guns. Yamato was sunk on 7 April 1945 by enemy aircraft after being hit by 13 torpedoes and 13 bombs. Today, the Yamato-class ships are considered the largest battleships in the world.

1. Musashi, Japan

"Musashi" is the younger brother of the battleship "Yamato", has similar specifications and weapons. The ship was launched in 1940, was put into service in 1942, but was ready to go on a military campaign only in 1943. The battleship participated in only one serious naval battle, trying to prevent the Allies from landing troops in the Philippines. On October 24, 1944, after a 16-hour battle, Musashi sank in the Sibuyan Sea, after being hit by several torpedoes and aerial bombs. Musashi, along with her brother Yamato, is considered the largest battleship in the world.