The biggest battleship in the world. The biggest battleship of World War II

Back in the 17th century, the first battleships appeared. For a certain time, they were significantly inferior in technical terms and armament to slow-moving battleships. But already in the 20 th century, countries that want to strengthen their fleet, began to create battleships that would not have equal in firepower. But not all states could afford to build such a ship. The super-ships had a huge 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 never saw any active combat operations. The exception is only the Senegalese operation of 1940. In 1968, Richelieu, named after the French cardinal, was scrapped. 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. 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 biggest battleship in the world, so let's go further.

German "Tirpitz" and the Japanese "Yamato"

Of course, Tirpitz is not the biggest 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 fighting. The water 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 combat battles. To this ship, the Japanese were very careful, so he did not take part in hostilities until the year 44, although this opportunity was not lost once. The water was released in 1941. The length of the ship is 263 meters. On board there were constantly 2,5 thousand crewmen. In April 1945, as a result of an attack by the American fleet, the battleship Yamato received 23 direct hits by torpedoes. As a result, the nasal compartment exploded and the ship went to the bottom. According to rough estimates, more than 3,000 people died and only 268 managed to escape as a result of the shipwreck.

Another tragic story

Japanese battleships during the Second World War did not carry on the battlefield. It is difficult to name the exact reason. It was concluded in the technical part or the whole commander's fault, this will remain a mystery. Nevertheless, after the "Yamato" was built another giant - "Musashi". It was 263 meters long with a displacement of 72,000 tons. It was first launched in 1942. But this ship awaited the tragic fate of its predecessor. The first sea battle was over, we can say, successfully. After the attack of the American submarine Musashi got a serious hole in the bow, but safely left the battlefield. But after some time in the sea of Sibuyan the ship was attacked by American aircraft. The main blow fell on this battleship.

As a result of 30 direct hits by bombs the ship sank. Then more than 1000 crew members and the ship's captain were killed. In 2015, Musashi was discovered by an American millionaire at a depth of 1.5 kilometers.

Who owned the dominance in the ocean?

Here you can unequivocally say - America. The fact is that the largest battleship in the world was built there. Moreover, during the war, the USA had more than 10 combat-capable supercarriers, while Germany is all about 5. The USSR did not have any. Although today we know about the project called "The Soviet Union". It was developed during the war, and the ship was already built on 20%, but no more.

The world's largest battleship of war, which was written off later by everyone - Wisconsin. He went to the parking lot at the port of Norflok in 2006, where he is today as a museum exhibit. This giant was a length of 270 meters with a displacement of 55 thousand tons. During the war he took an active part 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" is a linear American ship with a length of 270 meters with a displacement of 58 thousand tons. This is one of the most outstanding ships of the United States, even if it is not the largest ship in the world. The battleship "Iowa" was first launched in 1943 and took part in a variety of sea battles. Actively used as an escort for aircraft carriers, also used to support ground forces. In 2012 he was sent to Los Angeles, where he is now in the capacity of a museum.

But almost every American knows about the "black dragon". "New Jersey" was nicknamed so for having terrified 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 in its type was similar to the ship "Iowa". The length of the vessel was 270.5 meters. This is a real veteran of the sea battles, which in 1991 was sent to the port of the city of Camden. There it 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 ship "Missouri". He was not only the largest representative (271 meters in length), but he was the last American battleship. This vessel is known for the most part because it was on its board that the Japan surrender treaty was signed. But at the same time, "Missouri" took an active part in the fighting. Dispatched from the shipyard was back in 1944 and was used to escort carrier groups and support various special operations. His last shot was made in the Persian Gulf. In 1992, he was decommissioned from the reserves of the US Navy and went to the parking lot in Pearl Harbor.

It is one of the most famous ships of America and the whole world. More than one documentary film has been filmed. By the way, millions of dollars are spent every year in the United States to support the working condition of already decommissioned battleships, because this is a historical value.

Hopes did not come true

Even the world's largest battleship did not live up to its expectations. A striking example is the Japanese giants, which were destroyed by American bombers and did not have time to answer the main calibres. All this indicated a low effectiveness against aviation.

Nevertheless, the firepower of battleships was simply amazing. For example, the "Yamato" installed artillery pieces 460-mm weight of almost 3 tons each. In total there were about 9 such guns on board. True, the designers imposed a ban on a simultaneous volley, 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 units and assemblies of the ship and had to provide it with buoyancy in any situation. The main gun had a mask of 630-mm. It would not have penetrated any weapon in the world, even when firing at close range. But still it did not save the battleship from destruction.

He was attacked by American ground-attack planes almost the whole day. The total number of aircraft that took part in the special operation reached 150 vehicles. After the first breakdowns in the case, the situation was not yet critical, when there were 5 more torpedoes, there was a roll of 15 degrees, it was reduced to 5 degrees by anti-flood. But already at this time there were huge losses of personnel. When the roll reached 60 degrees, there was a monstrous explosion. It was a base-grave stockpile, about 500 tons of explosives. So the world's largest battleship, the photo of which you can see in this article, was sunk.

Let's sum up the results

Today, any ship, even the world's largest battleship, has a significant technical gap. The guns do not allow for effective target fire due to insufficient vertical and horizontal alignment angles. A huge mass does not allow you to gain high speed. All this, along with large dimensions, makes battleships easy prey for aviation, especially if there is no support from the air and cover for destroyers.