A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Cyclopaedia or A Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences ( folio, 2 vols A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size The ComBat was an Aluminium Cricket bat and the subject of an incident that occurred at the WACA cricket ground in Perth in December 1979. Warships are usually built in a completely different way than merchant ships. A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of Ship or vessel that carries Cargo, goods and materials from one port to another As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually 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. Armed Merchantmen has come to mean merchant ships equipped with guns usually for defensive purposes either by design or after the fact Mystery Ship redirects here For the 1917 film serial see The Mystery Ship. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including 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. A fleet, or naval fleet is a large formation of Warships, and the largest formation in any Navy. Until the threat of piracy subsided in the 19th century, it was normal practice to arm larger merchant ships such as Galleons. A galleon was a large multi-decked Sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries 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 French Navy, officially the Marine nationale ( National Navy) and often called La Royale ( The Royal Navy) is the maritime arm For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article
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Evolution of warships
The age of galleys
In the time of Ancient Persia, Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, the most common type of warship was the galley (such as biremes, triremes and quinqueremes), a long, narrow vessel powered by banks of oarsmen and designed to ram and sink enemy vessels, or come alongside the enemy so its occupants could be attacked hand-to-hand. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial A galley (from Greek γαλέα - galea is an ancient Ship which can be propelled entirely by human oarsmen, used for Warfare A bireme is a ship probably invented by the Phoenicians whose best known use was as an Ancient greek Naval ship that was 80 feet (24 metres long with a Trireme ( τριήρης sing τριήρεις pl triremis sing A quinquereme (Latin or penteres (Greek is a type of ancient oar-propelled warship that was used by the Greeks of the Hellenistic period and later by the Carthaginians However with the development of catapults in the 4th century BC and the subsequent refinement of its technology enabled the first fleets of artillery equipped warships by the Hellenistic age. With the political unification of the Mediterranean Sea in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, naval artillery fell out of use. The Battle of Actium was the last major sea battle in the Mediterranean with shipborne artillery until the early modern age. The Battle of Actium was the decisive engagement in the Final War of the Roman Republic between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony
Throughout late antiquity and the Middle Ages until the 16th century, naval warfare relied on the ship itself, used as a ram, the swords of the crew, and various missiles such as bows and arrows and bolts from heavy crossbows fixed on a ship's bulwarks. Late Antiquity (c 300-600 is a Periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in Naval warfare is Combat in and on Seas Oceans or any other major bodies of water such as large Lakes and wide Rivers History A crossbow is a Weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles often called bolts Naval warfare primarily involved ramming and boarding actions, so warships did not need to be particularly specialized.
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. | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural 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. A man-of-war (also man of war, man-o'-war or simply man) is an armed naval vessel
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. A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century to take part in the the naval tactic known as the Line of battle A broadside is the side of a Ship; the battery of Cannon on one side of a Warship; or their simultaneous (or near simultaneous fire in Naval tactics in the Age of Sail were used from the early 1600s onward when Sailing ships replaced oared Galleys These were used until the 1860s In Naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end-to-end The man-of-war now evolved into the ship of the line. A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century to take part in the the naval tactic known as the Line of battle 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. For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship In the 18th and the earlier part of the 19th centuries a sloop-of-war was a small sailing Warship (also known as one of the Escort types with a single gun deck A convoy is a group of Vehicles (of any type but usually motor vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force
Steel, steam and shellfire
During the 19th century a revolution took place in the means of propulsion, armament and construction of warships. Steam engines were introduced, at first as an auxiliary force, in the second quarter of the 19th century. Uses A Steam engine uses the expansion of steam in order to drive a Piston or Turbine to perform Mechanical work. The Crimean War gave a great stimulus to the development of guns. The Crimean War, also known in Russia as the Eastern War (Восточная война Vostochnaya Vojna) (March 1854–February 1856 was fought The introduction of explosive shells soon led to the introduction of iron, and later steel, armour for the sides and decks of larger warships. A shell is a payload-carrying Projectile, which as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling though modern usage includes large solid projectiles Armour (or armor) is protective covering most commonly manufactured from metals to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact The first ironclad warships, the French Gloire and British Warrior, made wooden vessels obsolete. An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates See also French ship ''Gloire'' for eponymous ships Design and construction News of the highly-secretive designs for La Gloire reached the British Admiralty in May 1858 Metal soon entirely replaced wood as the main material for warship construction.
From the 1850s, the sailing ships of the line were replaced by steam-powered battleships, while the sailing frigates were replaced by steam-powered cruisers. Uses A Steam engine uses the expansion of steam in order to drive a Piston or Turbine to perform Mechanical work. A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship A cruiser is a large type of Warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The armament of warships also changed with the invention of the rotating barbettes and turrets, which allowed the guns to be aimed independently of the direction of the ship and allowed a smaller number of larger guns to be carried. For the early 20th Century female impersonator see Barbette (performer A barbette is a protective circular armor feature around a Cannon A gun turret is a device that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions
The final innovation during the 19th century was the development of the torpedo and development of the torpedo boat. The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval Ship designed to carry Torpedoes into battle Small, fast torpedo boats seemed to offer an alternative to building expensive fleets of battleships.
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. A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were Genesis Battleships of the era typically carried four large guns mounted fore and aft in twin turrets with a number of smaller-calibre guns ranged along the sides of the Powered by steam turbines, she was bigger, faster and more heavily gunned than all existing battleships, which she immediately rendered obsolete. A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts Thermal energy from pressurized Steam, and converts it into useful mechanical work She was rapidly followed by similar ships in other countries.
Britain also developed the first battlecruisers. Battlecruisers were large Warships in the first half of the 20th century that were first introduced by the British Royal Navy. 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. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy 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. A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval Ship designed to carry Torpedoes into battle The capital ships of a Navy are its "important" warships the ones with the heaviest Firepower and Armor.
World War II
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. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. But clever names, such as "pocket battleships" deceived the British and French commands. They were rudely surprised when ships such as the Admiral Graf Spee, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau constantly raided the Allied supply lines. Description Admiral Graf Spee was a Deutschland class cruiser. For the German armoured cruiser commissioned in 1907 see SMS Scharnhorst The sisters - Scharnhorst and Gneisenau The Construction She was laid down in February 1934 at Deutsche Werke Kiel. The greatest threat though, was the introduction of the Kriegsmarine's most lethal weapons, the Bismarck and Tirpitz. The Kriegsmarine (English "War navy" was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945 during the Nazi regime superseding the Background Design of the ship started in the early 1930s following on from Germany's development of the ''Deutschland'' class cruisers and the ''Scharnhorst'' class Operational history This battleship was launched on 1 April 1939 and she was planned to be deployed in a manner similar to the ''Bismarck'', as a Commerce raider 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). A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below By the end of World War I submarines had proved their potential. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All 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. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Kriegsmarine (English "War navy" was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945 during the Nazi regime superseding the U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word, itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot ( undersea boat) and refers The Second Happy Time was the informal name for a phase in the Second Battle of the Atlantic during which Axis Submarines attacked Merchant 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. A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability An anti-submarine weapon is any one of a range of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew to destroy (sink the vessel or to destroy or reduce its capability A convoy is a group of Vehicles (of any type but usually motor vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support A Destroyer Escort (DE is the classification for a small relatively slow Warship (when compared to first-rate Naval fleet vessels designed to be used to 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. The Age of Sail was the period in which International trade and Naval warfare were dominated by Sailing Ships lasting from the 16th to the mid A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project. For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship
Development of the aircraft carrier
A major shift in naval warfare occurred with the introduction of the aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with 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. The naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11 November 1940 &ndash 12 November 1940 during World War II Pearl Harbor is a Harbor on the Island of O{{okina}}ahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. By the end of World War II, the carrier had become the dominant warship.
Modern warships
Modern warships are generally divided into seven main categories, which are: aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines and amphibious assault ships. The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Construction Anzac was laid down by Tenix Defence Systems at Williamstown Victoria on 5 November 1993 launched on 16 September 1994 and commissioned An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with A cruiser is a large type of Warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability An amphibious assault ship (also referred to as an amphibious assault carrier or commando carrier) is a type of Helicopter carrier employed to land
Battleships encompass an eighth category, but are not in current service with any navy in the world. Only the deactivated American Iowa-class battleships still exist as potential combatants, and battleships in general are unlikely to re-emerge as a ship class without redefinition. History The Iowa -class battleships were shaped by the Battle of Jutland, by naval treaties signed by various countries during the 1920s and 1930s and by the The destroyer is generally regarded as the dominant surface-combat vessel of most modern blue water navies. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy However, it must be noted that the once distinct roles and appearances of cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and corvettes have blurred. A cruiser is a large type of Warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many 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, and the size of all vessel types have grown beyond the definitions used earlier in the 20th century. Another key differentiation between older and modern vessels is that all modern warships are "soft," without the thick armor and bulging anti-torpedo protection of WWII and older designs.
Most navies also include many types of support and auxiliary vessels, such as minesweepers, patrol boats and offshore patrol vessels. A minesweeper is a Naval Warship designed to counter the threat posed by Naval mines The dedicated purpose-built minesweeper first appeared during A patrol boat is a small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties A patrol boat is a small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties
Types of warship
Indian Navy Destroyer INS Ranjit (D53). The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India.
A modern stealth Braunschweig class corvette (F 261) of the German Navy
A Sachsen class frigate, commissioned 2006
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- Armored cruiser
- Amphibious assault ship
- Aircraft carrier - A warship primarily armed with combat aircraft. Technical details They feature reduced radar and infrared signature (" stealth " beyond the Sachsen class frigate) and should have been equipped with The German Navy ( Deutsche Marine ( is the Navy of Germany and part of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces Images List of ships See also ''De Zeven Provinciën'' class frigate ''F125'' class frigate The armored cruiser, or armoured cruiser (see spelling differences) is a type of Cruiser, a naval warship. An amphibious assault ship (also referred to as an amphibious assault carrier or commando carrier) is a type of Helicopter carrier employed to land An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with
- Battlecruiser - A ship with battleship level armament and cruiser level armor; typically faster than a battleship because the reduction in armor allowed mounting of heavier propulsion machinery. Battlecruisers were large Warships in the first half of the 20th century that were first introduced by the British Royal Navy.
- Battleship - A large, heavily-armoured and heavily-gunned warship. A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were A term which generally post-dates sailing warships.
- Bireme - An ancient vessel, propelled by two banks of oars. A bireme is a ship probably invented by the Phoenicians whose best known use was as an Ancient greek Naval ship that was 80 feet (24 metres long with a
- Capital ship
- Commerce raider
- Corvette
- Cruiser - A fast independent warship. The capital ships of a Navy are its "important" warships the ones with the heaviest Firepower and Armor. Commerce raiding is to destroy the logistics (supplies of an enemy on the open sea rather than engaging the combatants themselves or enforcing a Blockade against them A corvette is a small maneuverable lightly armed Warship, originally smaller than a Frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft, although many A cruiser is a large type of Warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. Traditionally, cruisers were the smallest warships capable of independent action. Now virtually disappeared from the oceans, along with battleships and battlecruisers.
- Cutter
- Destroyer - A fast and highly maneuverable warship, traditionally incapable of independent action (originally developed to counter the threat of torpedo boats) but now the largest independent warship generally seen on the ocean. When used in a nautical sense a cutter is a small single-masted vessel Fore-and-aft rigged with two or more Headsails a Bowsprit, and In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval Ship designed to carry Torpedoes into battle
- Dreadnought - An early 20th century battleship, which set the pattern for all subsequent battleship construction. Genesis Battleships of the era typically carried four large guns mounted fore and aft in twin turrets with a number of smaller-calibre guns ranged along the sides of the
- Fast attack craft
- Fireship - A vessel of any sort, set on fire and sent into an anchorage with the aim of causing consternation and destruction. A Fast Attack Craft (FAC (Schnellboot is a small (100 to 400 Tonnes, fast (up to ca A fire ship, used in the days of wooden rowed or Sailing ships was a ship filled with combustibles deliberately set on fire and steered (or where possible allowed to drift The idea is generally that of forcing an enemy fleet to put to sea in a confused, therefore vulnerable state.
- Frigate
- Galleass - A sailing and rowing warship, equally well suited to sailing and rowing. For the bird see Frigatebird. A frigate /ˈfrɪgɪt/ is a warship A galley (from Greek γαλέα - galea is an ancient Ship which can be propelled entirely by human oarsmen, used for Warfare
- Galleon - A 16th century sailing warship. A galleon was a large multi-decked Sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries
- Galley - A warship propelled by oars with a sail for use in a favourable wind. A galley (from Greek γαλέα - galea is an ancient Ship which can be propelled entirely by human oarsmen, used for Warfare
- Gunnership
- Gunboat
- Heavy cruiser
- Helicopter carrier - an aircraft carrier especially suited to helicopters and amphibious assault. A gunboat is literally a Boat carrying one or more Guns The term is rather broad and the usual connotation has changed over the years (sometimes encompassing The heavy cruiser was a type of Cruiser, a naval Warship designed for long range high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 8in in calibre Helicopter carrier is a term for an Aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate Helicopters The term is sometimes used for both ASW carriers
- Ironclad - A wooden warship with external iron plating. An ironclad was a steam-propelled Warship of the later 19th century protected by Iron or Steel armor plates
- Longship - A Viking raiding ship. Longships, or longboats were ships primarily used by the Scandinavian Vikings and the Saxon people to raid coastal and inland settlements during the European
- Man-of-war - A sailing warship. A man-of-war (also man of war, man-o'-war or simply man) is an armed naval vessel
- Minesweeper
- Minehunter
- Missile Destroyer
- Monitor - A small, heavily gunned warship with shallow draft designed for land bombardment. A minesweeper is a Naval Warship designed to counter the threat posed by Naval mines The dedicated purpose-built minesweeper first appeared during Minehunters are mine countermeasure vessels that actively detect and destroy individual Naval mines Minesweepers on the other hand clear mined areas as a whole A monitor was a type of relatively small Warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns and was used by some navies
- Naval trawler
- Offshore patrol vessel
- Pocket battleship
- Pre-dreadnought battleship
- Protected cruiser
- Quinquereme - An ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars. A naval trawler is a boat built along the lines of a Commercial trawler but fitted out for Naval purposes A patrol boat is a small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defense duties Description German capital ships were restricted by the Treaty of Versailles to a displacement of 10000 tons for "armoured ships" Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea going Battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905 Protected cruisers were a type of naval Cruiser of the late 19th century so known because their deck armour offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused A quinquereme (Latin or penteres (Greek is a type of ancient oar-propelled warship that was used by the Greeks of the Hellenistic period and later by the Carthaginians On the upper row three rowers hold one oar, on the middle row - two rowers, and on the lower row - one man to an oar.
- Ship of the line - A sailing warship capable of standing in the line of battle. A ship-of-the-line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th century through the mid-19th century to take part in the the naval tactic known as the Line of battle In Naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end-to-end
- Sloop
- Submarine
- Supercarrier - an aircraft carrier of large tonnage
- Torpedo boat - A small, fast surface vessel designed for launching torpedoes. For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project. A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability This is about the warships For the television program see Supercarrier (TV series. A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval Ship designed to carry Torpedoes into battle
- Trireme - An ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars. Trireme ( τριήρης sing τριήρεις pl triremis sing