Fire! Meet the 5 best battleships to ever sail

What you need to know: Before aircraft carriers dominated naval warfare, battleships were the most powerful forces at sea, influencing major conflicts and turning points in history. The five standout ships include the USS New Jersey, the most decorated U.S. battleship that served from World War II to the War on Terror.

-The USS Texas, launched in 1912, was one of the most powerful weapons of its time and became America’s first floating museum. The German Bismarck gained fame by sinking HMS Hood before she herself was sunk. The USS Washington achieved the only one-on-one kill of a battleship in World War II.

– Finally, the Japanese Yamato, the largest battleship ever built, represented a formidable naval power before she was sunk in 1945.

The Five Greatest Battleships in History: Legends of the Seas

Before the advent of aircraft carriers, battleships were the most powerful asset of any navy.

Over the years, dozens of these weapons-filled ships sailed the seas, and their missions marked the turning point of world wars and other major conflicts.

Five battleships stand out among them.

USS New Jersey

USS New Jersey is the most decorated battleship in United States history. They served and earned awards in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and even the War on Terror New Jersey The story spanned more than half of the last century.

The impressive ship was often referred to as “Big J” at the time. It was officially launched in the early 1940s as one of the Navy’s Iowa-class fast battleships. New Jersey shelled targets on Okinawa and Guam during World War II, participated in raids during the Korean War, and was sent to Vietnam to support U.S. troops before being reactivated to take part in more modern battles.

Her arsenal of nine 16″/50 caliber Mark 7 guns, twenty 5″/38 caliber guns mounted in dual-function two-gun turrets, and a number of Oerlikon 20mm and Bofors anti-aircraft guns helped her to accomplish these achievements.

USS Texas

As the USS Texas Launched in 1912, the battleship immediately became one of the most powerful weapons in the world.

This New York-class battleship served the Navy for more than three decades and received a total of five battle stars for its service in World War II.

USS Texas made history when it was one of the first American battleships to carry anti-aircraft guns and was the first to launch an airframe and test radar.

During World War II, she shelled Vichy French forces on German-held beaches during the Normandy landings before being deployed to the Pacific, where she took part in the Battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

After their decommissioning Texas became America’s first permanent floating museum.

The Bismarck

The German battleship Bismarck gained notoriety when she sank the Royal Navy’s HMS hood Battlecruiser in 1941. Built as the first ship of Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine class, Bismarck and her sister ship were the largest battleships ever to sail for Germany.

Both ships of this class were equipped with a main battery of eight 38-centimeter guns capable of firing 800-kilogram shells. In addition, the Bismarck ships had a secondary battery with twelve 15 cm guns as well as a number of anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes.

Although Bismarck Eventually sunk in a bitter battle with the Royal Navy, this class became a symbol of German naval power during the war and helped increase the Nazi regime’s propaganda efforts.

USS Washington

During World War II, the USS Washington scored the only one-on-one kill on a battleship (as the Bismarck received help from the Prinz Eugen in sinking the HMS Hood).

This North Carolina-class battlewagon also inflicted lethal damage on the Japanese destroyer Ayanami and the battleship Kirishima during the war, while avoiding damage itself.

Notably, the Washington and her sister ships were the first of their kind to be built under the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited the size and displacement of the battleships’ main armament.

Yamato

Imperial Japan Yamato The battleship, along with her sister ship Musashi, were the largest battleships ever built. Yamato was equipped with nine 46 cm Type 94 main guns, which also made her the most heavily armed battleship to ever sail the seas.

This heavy battleship could displace 72,000 tons at full load, a specification that greatly feared the United States during World War II. After being commissioned just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Yamato became the flagship of Japan’s combined fleet.

As she sailed to attack U.S. forces on Midway Island, Yamato expected victory.

However, the American codebreakers knew the battleship’s intentions and Japan suffered heavily during this battle. Yamato was ultimately sunk by American aerial torpedoes in 1945, killing more than 3,000 sailors.

About the Author: Maya Carlin

Maya CarlinNational security writer at The National Interest, is an analyst at the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She is featured in many publications including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

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