|
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for war. Warships are usually built in a completely different way than merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually both faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, a warship typically only carries weapons, ammunition and supplies for its own crew (rather than merchant cargo). Warships usually belong to a navy, though they have sometimes been operated by individuals or companies. In wartime, the distinction between warships and merchant ships is often blurred. In war, merchant ships are often armed and used as auxiliary warships, such as the Q-ships of World War I and the armed merchant cruisers of World War II. Until the 17th century it was common for merchant ships to be pressed into naval service and not unusual for more than half a fleet to be composed of merchant ships. Until the threat of piracy subsided in the 19th century, it was normal practice to arm larger merchant ships such as Galleons. Warships have also often been used as troop carriers or supply ships, such as by the French Navy in the 18th century or the Japanese Navy during World War II.
The age of galleys
The age of sail Naval artillery was redeveloped in the 14th century, but cannon did not become common at sea until the guns were capable of being reloaded quickly enough to be reused in the same battle. The size of a ship required to carry a large number of cannons made oar-based propulsion impossible, and warships came to rely primarily on sails. The sailing man-of-war began to emerge during the 16th century. By the middle of the 17th century, warships were carrying increasing numbers of cannon on their broadsides and tactics evolved to bring each ship's firepower to bear in a line of battle. The man of war now evolved into the ship of the line. In the 18th century, the frigate and sloop-of-war – too small to stand in the line of battle – evolved to convoy trade, scout for enemy ships and blockade enemy coasts. Steel, steam and shellfire
The Dreadnought era Another revolution in warship design began shortly after the turn of the century, when Britain launched the all-big-gun battleship ''Dreadnought'' in 1906. Powered by steam turbines, she was bigger, faster and more heavily gunned than all existing battleships, which she immediately rendered obsolete. She was rapidly followed by similar ships in other countries. Britain also developed the first battlecruisers. Mounting the same heavy guns as the Dreadnoughts on an even larger hull, battlecruisers sacrificed armour protection for speed. Battlecruisers were faster and more powerful than all existing cruisers, which they made obsolete. But battlecruisers proved to be much more vulnerable than contemporary battleships. The torpedo-boat destroyer was developed at the same time as the Dreadnoughts. Bigger, faster and more heavily gunned than the torpedo boat, the destroyer evolved to protect the capital ships from the menace of the torpedo boat. WW2 During the lead-up to the Second World War, Germany and Great Britain once again emerged as the two dominant Atlantic sea powers. Germany, under the Treaty of Versailles, had had its navy limited to only a few minor surface ships. But clever names, such as "pocket battleships" deceived the English and French commands. They were rudely surprised when ships such as the Admiral Graf Spee, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau constantly raided the Allied supply lines. The greatest threat though, was the introduction of the Kriegsmarine's most lethal weapons, the Bismarck and Tirpitz. The Bismarck was sunk in a wild, short series of sea battles in the north Atlantic, while the Tirpitz caused a bit of a stir before being knocked out by the RAF. The Royal Navy gained dominance of the European theatre by 1943. Development of the submarine The first practical submarines were developed in the late 19th century, but it was only after the development of the torpedo that submarines became truly dangerous (and hence useful). By the end of World War I submarines had proved their potential. During World War II the German Navy's submarine fleet of U-boats almost starved Britain into submission and inflicted huge losses on US coastal shipping. The success of submarines led to the development of new anti-submarine convoy escorts during the First and Second World Wars, such as the destroyer escort. Confusingly, many of these new types adopted the names of the smaller warships from the age of sail, such as corvette, sloop and frigate. Development of the aircraft carrier A major shift in naval warfare occurred with the introduction of the aircraft carrier. First at Taranto and then at Pearl Harbor, the aircraft carrier demonstrated its ability to strike decisively at enemy ships out of sight and range of surface vessels. By the end of World War II, the carrier had become the dominant warship. Modern warships Modern warships are generally divided into six main categories, which are: aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, submarines and amphibious assault ships. Battleships encompass a seventh category, but are not in current service with any navy in the world. Only the deactivated American Iowa-Class Battleship still exist as potential combatants, and battleships in general are unlikely to re-emerge as ship class without redefinition. The Destroyer is generally regarded as the dominant surface-combat vessel of most modern blue water navies. However, it must be noted that the once distinct roles and appearances of cruisers, destroyers and frigates have blurred almost to the point being mere semantics. Most vessels have come to be armed with a mix of anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons. Class designations no longer reliably indicate a displacement hierarchy. The size of all vessel types have grown beyond the definitions used earlier in the 20th century. Most navies also include many types of support and auxiliary vessels, such as minesweepers and patrol boats. Types of warship | ||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||
 |
|
| |