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'''Battleship''' refers to a type of heavily-armored [[warship]] bearing the largest caliber of [[firearm|guns]] afloat, specifically those warships built between the 1890s through the 1940s.

'''Battleship''' refers to a type of heavily-armored [[warship]] bearing the largest caliber of [[firearm|guns]] afloat, specifically those warships built between the 1890s through the 1940s.

Thre sinking of the battleship [[Battleship Maine|U.S.S. Maine]], an American warship on a peaceful visit to Havana, Cuba, on February 15, 1898, seized American attention in the days leading to the [[Spanish-American War]], though it was never certain who or what caused the explosion.   

The sinking of the battleship [[Battleship Maine|U.S.S. Maine]], an American warship on a peaceful visit to Havana, Cuba, on February 15, 1898, seized American attention in the days leading to the [[Spanish-American War]], though it was never certain who or what caused the explosion.   

==Dreadnaught==

==Dreadnought==

The decisive event in the history of the battleship was the launching of the ''Dreadnaught'' by the British Royal Navy in 1906. It had much better guns, armor and speed than any competitor--it renfdered obsolete all other navies and started a new naval arms race. In a departure from Britain's previous reactive response to innovation in naval technology, Admiral [[John Fisher]]'s (1841-1920) dreadnought policy introduced radically new capital ship designs, despite the technical risks inherent in their all-big-gun armament and turbine propulsion. Yet, early in 1905, Britain's strategic position was strong and improving further: only America was, rather slowly, working toward a small all-big-gun battleship, while Germany would not consider designs with more than four 11-inch guns until after news of ''Dreadnought'' was received. Fisher's policy had some successes, but some historians argue it was risky, insufficiently considered, based on inaccurate intelligence, and unnecessary.<ref>John Brooks, "'Dreadnought:' Blunder, or Stroke of Genius?" ''War in History'' 2007 14(2): 157-178, argues for blunder; in [{EBSCO]]  

The decisive event in the history of the battleship was the launching of the ''Dreadnought'' by the British Royal Navy in 1906. Powered by turbines, the ships had no cluttered array of small-caliber weapons and concentrated all firepower around 13.5-inch guns. It had much better armor and speed than any competitor--it rendered obsolete all other navies and started a new naval arms race. In a departure from Britain's previous reactive response to innovation in naval technology, Admiral [[John Fisher]]'s (1841-1920) dreadnought policy introduced radically new capital ship designs, despite the technical risks inherent in their all-big-gun armament and turbine propulsion. Yet, early in 1905, Britain's strategic position was strong and improving further: only America was, rather slowly, working toward a small all-big-gun battleship, while Germany would not consider designs with more than four 11-inch guns until after news of ''Dreadnought'' was received. Fisher's policy had some successes, but some historians argue it was risky, insufficiently considered, based on inaccurate intelligence, and unnecessary.<ref>John Brooks, "'Dreadnought:' Blunder, or Stroke of Genius?" ''War in History'' 2007 14(2): 157-178, argues for blunder; in [{EBSCO]]  

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==World War I==

==World War I==

==World War II==

==World War II==

===Atlantic===

===Atlantic===

In December 1939 at the start of the war German's small ("pocket") battleship ''Graf Spee'' sank numerous merchant ships in the South Atlantic. On December 13 three British cruisers found it along the coast of Uruguay, defeated it in a running fight, and forced it into Montevideo harbor, where it was scuttled by its crew. In October 1940, the pocket battleship ''Scheer'' broke out into the Atlantic via the Danish Straits. It attacked an Allied convoy of 36 ships on November 5; the the armed merchant ship ''Jervis Bay'' defended the convoy and enabled 31 ships of the convoy to escape. On May 22, 1941, the battleship ''Bismarck'' ventured into the North Atlantic to attack British commerce. A Royal Navy (British) task force intercepted it between Iceland and Greenland. The ''Bismarck''  sank the battle cruiser ''Hood'' with one salvo and damaged the battleship ''Prince of Wales''. The ''Bosmark'' was hit too and made for home waters, pursued by a pack of British destroyers. The aircraft carrier ''Ark Royal'' gave chase, and the ''Bismarck'' was hit by torpedo planes and bombers. Finally two large British battleships joined the hunt; the ''Bismarck'' lost its rudder controls; a torpedo finally sank it, ending the era of German surface raiders in the open Atlantic. A solitary battleship undefended by air or by destroyers was proven helpless, as the British discovered when their two Asian battleships were sunk by Japanese air power in December 1941.

In December 1939 at the start of the war German's small ("pocket") battleship ''Graf Spee'' sank numerous merchant ships in the South Atlantic. On December 13 three British cruisers found it along the coast of Uruguay, defeated it in a running fight, and forced it into Montevideo harbor, where it was scuttled by its crew. In October 1940, the pocket battleship ''Scheer'' broke out into the Atlantic via the Danish Straits. It attacked an Allied convoy of 36 ships on November 5; the the armed merchant ship ''Jervis Bay'' defended the convoy and enabled 31 ships of the convoy to escape. On May 22, 1941, the battleship ''Bismarck'' ventured into the North Atlantic to attack British commerce. A Royal Navy (British) task force intercepted it between Iceland and Greenland. The ''Bismarck''  sank the battle cruiser ''Hood'' with one salvo and damaged the battleship ''Prince of Wales''. The ''Bismark'' was hit too and made for home waters, pursued by a pack of British destroyers. The aircraft carrier ''Ark Royal'' gave chase, and the ''Bismarck'' was hit by torpedo planes and bombers. Finally two large British battleships joined the hunt; the ''Bismarck'' lost its rudder controls; a torpedo finally sank it, ending the era of German surface raiders in the open Atlantic. A solitary battleship undefended by air or by destroyers was proven helpless, as the British discovered when their two Asian battleships were sunk by Japanese air power in December 1941.

===End of the battleships===

===End of the battleships===

The Royal Navy sank the Italian fleet in Nov. 1940 at the Battle of Taranto using warplanes  from [[aircraft carrier]]s.  The Japanese took note and at the [[Battle of Pearl Harbor]] (Dec. 7. 1941), sank nearly the entire American battleship fleet using carrier planes. Immediately the carrier replaced the battleship as the capital ship of seapower. The era of big-gun battles between fleets at 30,000 yards was (almost) over.

The Royal Navy sank the Italian fleet in Nov. 1940 at the Battle of Taranto using warplanes  from [[aircraft carrier]]s.  The Japanese took note and at the [[Battle of Pearl Harbor]] (Dec. 7. 1941), sank nearly the entire American battleship fleet using carrier planes. Immediately the carrier replaced the battleship as the capital ship of sea-power. The era of big-gun battles between fleets at 30,000 yards was (almost) over.

Within months after the Pearl Harbor the battleship component of the US Pacific Fleet was back stronger than ever and capable of fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific. But the battleship fleet, designated Task Force One, went largely unused. Initially, logistical problems played a large role in the failure to commit the battleships, but by late November 1942 considerations of operational capability and survivability were more important. Admiral [[William Halsey]], the South Pacific theater commander, believed the battleships were a liability, while Admiral [[Chester Nimitz]], commander of the Pacific Fleet, believed the benefit to be gained from using them was not worth the risk of losing them and their personnel in battle. As a result, the battleships were relegated to shore bombardment, but for combat were replaced by bombs delivered by air, and torpedoes (delivered by airplane, submarine, or destroyer) as the chief offensive weapons of naval warfare. The last battleship ever was built in 1945.<ref>David C. Fuquea, "Task Force One: the Wasted Assets of the United States Pacific Battleship Fleet, 1942." ''Journal of Military History'' 1997 61(4): 707-734. </ref>

Within months after the Pearl Harbor the battleship component of the US Pacific Fleet was back stronger than ever and capable of fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific. But the battleship fleet, designated Task Force One, went largely unused. Initially, logistical problems played a large role in the failure to commit the battleships, but by late November 1942 considerations of operational capability and survivability were more important. Admiral [[William Halsey]], the South Pacific theater commander, believed the battleships were a liability, while Admiral [[Chester Nimitz]], commander of the Pacific Fleet, believed the benefit to be gained from using them was not worth the risk of losing them and their personnel in battle. As a result, the battleships were relegated to shore bombardment, but for combat were replaced by bombs delivered by air, and torpedoes (delivered by airplane, submarine, or destroyer) as the chief offensive weapons of naval warfare. The last battleship ever was built in 1945.<ref>David C. Fuquea, "Task Force One: the Wasted Assets of the United States Pacific Battleship Fleet, 1942." ''Journal of Military History'' 1997 61(4): 707-734. </ref>

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* Brown, David K. ''Eclipse of the Big Gun: The Warship 1906-45'' (1992)

* Brown, David K. ''Eclipse of the Big Gun: The Warship 1906-45'' (1992)

* Friedman, Norman, and A. D. Baker. ''Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnaught Era'' (2008)

* Friedman, Norman, and A. D. Baker. ''Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era'' (2008)

* Friedman, Norman. ''U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History'' (1985)

* Friedman, Norman. ''U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History'' (1985)

* Garcia Y Robertson, Rodrigo. "Failure of the Heavy Gun at Sea, 1898-1922." ''Technology and Culture'' 1987 28(3): 539-557. Issn: 0040-165x Fulltext: [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0040-165X(198707)28%3A3%3C539%3AFOTHGA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7 in Jstor]

* Garcia Y Robertson, Rodrigo. "Failure of the Heavy Gun at Sea, 1898-1922." ''Technology and Culture'' 1987 28(3): 539-557. Issn: 0040-165x Fulltext: [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0040-165X(198707)28%3A3%3C539%3AFOTHGA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7 in Jstor]

* Lambert, Nicholas A. ''Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Fishers-Revolution-Studies-Maritime-History/dp/1570034923/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203294993&sr=1-36 excerpt and text search]

* Lambert, Nicholas A. ''Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Fishers-Revolution-Studies-Maritime-History/dp/1570034923/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203294993&sr=1-36 excerpt and text search]

* McBride, William M. ''Technological Change and the United States Navy, 1865-1945'' (2000)  [http://www.amazon.com/Technological-1865-1945-Hopkins-Studies-Technology/dp/0801864860/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203293238&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]

* McBride, William M. ''Technological Change and the United States Navy, 1865-1945'' (2000)  [http://www.amazon.com/Technological-1865-1945-Hopkins-Studies-Technology/dp/0801864860/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203293238&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]

* Massie, Robert. ''Dreadnought'' (1992), 1040pp [http://www.amazon.com/Dreadnought-Robert-K-Massie/dp/0345375564 excerpt and text search] very popular history iof the naval race before World War I.

* Massie, Robert. ''Dreadnought'' (1992), 1040pp [http://www.amazon.com/Dreadnought-Robert-K-Massie/dp/0345375564 excerpt and text search] very popular history of the naval race before World War I.

* Morison, Samuel Loring, and Norman Polmar. ''The American Battleship'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/American-Battleship-Samuel-Loring-Morison/dp/0760309892/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229182991&sr=1-9 excerpt and text search]

* Morison, Samuel Loring, and Norman Polmar. ''The American Battleship'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/American-Battleship-Samuel-Loring-Morison/dp/0760309892/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229182991&sr=1-9 excerpt and text search]

* Muir, Malcolm. ''The Iowa Class Battleships: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri & Wisconsin'' (1991)

* Muir, Malcolm. ''The Iowa Class Battleships: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri & Wisconsin'' (1991)