Battleship

:This article is about the type of warship. See also Battleship (game).

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In naval warfare, battleships were the most heavily armed and armored warships afloat. They were designed to engage enemy warships with direct or indirect fire from an arsenal of main guns. As a secondary role, they were capable of bombarding targets on and near an enemy coast to support infantry assaults. In the mid-20th century they became obsolete by the greater range and striking power of the aircraft carrier, although some continued to be used for shore bombardment and as missile platforms until the late 1990s.

Related Topics:
Naval warfare - Warship - 20th century - Aircraft carrier - Missile - 1990s

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After the development of the line of battle tactic in the mid 17th Century, ships expected to form part of this line were called ships of the line of battle or line of battle ships - battleships for short. Eventually these were divided into first-, second- and third-rates. Fourth and fifth-rates were frigates, and sixth-rates were sloops (strictly "sloops-of-war"). These vessels were used for communications and reconnaissance and did not usually fight in fleet encounters. Although this scheme worked well in the 18th Century, from the middle of the 19th Century, the terminology became confused by the introduction of large steam-powered armoured single-deck ships with a small number of very powerful guns. These were technically frigates because they had a single gundeck, but were designed to fight as ships of the line.

Related Topics:
Line of battle - Ships of the line - First- - Second- - Third-rate - Frigate - Sloops - 18th Century - 19th Century

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