Back in the distant 17th century, the first battleships appeared . Over a period of time, they were significantly inferior in technical aspects and armament to low-speed battleships. But already in the 20th century, countries wishing to strengthen their fleet began to create battleships that would not have equal firepower. But not all states could afford to build such a ship. Oversized ships were of enormous cost. Consider 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 was never seen in active combat. An exception is the 1940 Senegalese operation. In 1968, the "Richelieu", named after the French cardinal, was decommissioned. One of the main guns was 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, while Adolf Hitler himself was present. In 1941, the ship was sunk by the forces of the British fleet, as a result of which many people died. But this is not the largest battleship in the world, so let's move on.
German Tirpitz and Japanese Yamato
Of course, Tirpitz is not the largest battleship in the world, but during the war it had outstanding technical characteristics. However, after the destruction of Bismarck, he never took an active part in the hostilities. It was launched in 1939, and already in the 44th it was destroyed by torpedo bombers.
But the Japanese "Yamato" - the world's largest battleship, which was sunk as a result of fighting. The Japanese were very careful about this vessel, therefore, until the 44th year, it did not take part in hostilities, even though such an opportunity had occurred more than once. It was launched in 1941. The length of the vessel is 263 meters. On board were constantly 2.5 thousand crew members. In April 1945, as a result of an attack by the US Navy, the battleship Yamato received 23 direct hits by torpedoes. As a result, the bow compartment exploded, and the ship sank. According to rough estimates, more than 3,000 people died and only 268 managed to escape as a result of a shipwreck.
Another tragic story
Japanese battleships during World War II were not lucky on the battlefield. It is difficult to name the exact reason. It consisted in the technical part or the blame for the entire command, this will remain a mystery. Nevertheless, after the 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 was expecting the tragic fate of its predecessor. The first naval battle was successful. After the attack of the American submarine, “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 precisely on this battleship.
As a result of 30 direct hits by bombs, the ship sank. Then killed more than 1000 crew members and the captain of the ship. In 2015, Musashi was discovered by an American millionaire at a depth of 1.5 kilometers.
Who owned ocean dominance?
Here we can definitely say - America. The fact is that the largest battleship in the world was built there. Moreover, the USA during the war had more than 10 combat-capable super-ships, while Germany was all about 5. The USSR did not have any. Although today it is known about a project called the "Soviet Union". It was developed during the war, and the ship was already built at 20%, but nothing more.
The world's largest battleship of the war, which was decommissioned later than all - "Wisconsin." He went to the parking lot in the port of Norflock in 2006, where he is today as a museum exhibit. This giant was 270 meters long with a displacement of 55 thousand tons. During the war, he actively participated in various special operations and accompanied aircraft carrier groups. The last time was involved during the fighting in the Persian Gulf.
Top 3 Giants from America
"Iowa" - a linear American ship with a length of 270 meters with a displacement of 58 thousand tons. This is one of the most distinguished ships in the United States, even if not the largest ship in the world. The battleship "Iowa" 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, he was sent to Los Angeles, where he is now located as a museum.
But almost every American knows about the “black dragon”. “New Jersey” was so nicknamed for terrifying one of his 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, which in 1991 was sent to the port of Camden. There he is now and serves as a tourist attraction.
The world's largest battleship of World War II
The honorable first place is occupied by the Missouri ship. He was not only the largest representative (271 meters in length), but was the last American battleship. This ship is known for the most part due to the fact that it was on board that the Japan Surrender Pact was signed. But at the same time, Missouri took an active part in the hostilities. It was launched from the shipyard in 1944 and was used to accompany aircraft carrier groups and support various special operations. He made his last shot in the Persian Gulf. In 1992, it was decommissioned from the reserves of the US Navy and went to the parking lot in Pearl Harbor.
This is one of the most famous ships of America and the whole world. About him filmed more than one documentary. By the way, millions of dollars are spent annually in the United States to support the operational status of battleships already written off, because this is a historical value.
Hopes did not materialize
Even the world's largest battleship of the war did not live up to its expectations. A vivid example of this is the Japanese giants, which were destroyed by American bombers and did not have time to respond with basic calibers. All this spoke of low efficiency against aviation.
Nevertheless, the firepower of the battleships was simply amazing. For example, a 460 mm artillery gun weighing almost 3 tons each was installed on the Yamato. In total, there were about 9 of these guns on board. True, the designers introduced a ban on simultaneous salvo, as this would inevitably lead to mechanical damage to the ship.
An important aspect was protection. Armor plates of various thicknesses protected the most important components and assemblies of the ship and should have provided him with buoyancy in any situation. The main gun had a 630 mm mask. Not a single gun in the world would have pierced it, even when firing almost point blank. But still this did not save the battleship from death.
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 critical yet, when another 5 torpedoes hit it, a roll of 15 degrees appeared, it was reduced to 5 degrees with the help of anti-flooding. But already at that time there were huge losses of personnel. When the roll reached 60 degrees, a monstrous explosion thundered. These were the base stocks of the main caliber, approximately 500 tons of explosives. So the world's largest battleship, the photo of which you can see in this article, was sunk.
To summarize
Today, any ship, even the world's largest battleship, has a significant lag from a technical point of view. The guns do not allow effective aimed fire due to insufficient angles of vertical and horizontal aiming. The huge mass does not allow to gain high speed. All this, along with large dimensions, makes battleships easy prey for aviation, especially if there is no air support and cover for destroyers.