Warships in the two World Wars. Warships in the nuclear age

Warships in the two world wars. Battleships were the most powerful warships during World War 1 (1914-1918). However, the German Navy proved that submarines were also highly effective warships. German submarines, called U-boats, sank thousands of Allied merchant ships. These deadly attacks soon led to the development of various antisubmarine ships. After the war, sonar detection equipment was introduced.

Radar was perfected shortly before World War II began in 1939. It enabled warships to locate enemy aircraft and ships at night, through clouds, and at great distances. Improved gun directors were developed at about the same time. They quickly tracked moving aircraft and directed gunfire at them. Gun directors were used with proximity fuzes, which exploded a shell as it neared its target and eliminated the need for a direct hit.

Aircraft became the most effective military weapons of World War II. The importance of battleships declined, and navies began to concentrate on building aircraft carriers. They also built large numbers of cruisers and destroyers to protect the carriers and installed antiaircraft weapons on ail warships.

The U.S. Navy built thousands of amphibious warfare ships during World War II. One type, the landing ship-tank (LST), carried tanks and landed them on enemy beaches. Other amphibious warfare ships carried troops, landing craft, and military supplies. Still others used guns, mortars, and rockets to bombard enemy beaches before invasions.

Warships in the nuclear age. After World War II ended in 1945, the U.S. Navy began to develop nuclear- powered warships. It launched the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, in 1954. The Nautilus could travel much faster than the diesel-powered sub- marines then in use. Its nuclear power system also enabled the submarine to travel hundreds of thousands of miles underwater without refueling. Shortly after the Nautilus went to sea, the Soviet Union completed its first nuclear submarine. The navies of Great Britain, France, and China have also built nuclear submarines.

Powerful, long-range guided missiles also increased the capabilities of warships. These missiles can be launched from almost every kind of warship. In the late 1950's, the United States Navy developed the first submarine that could launch ballistic missiles while submerged.

During the 1 960's, the U.S. Navy built the first nuclear-powered surface ships. In the 1970's, U.S. warships began to use gas turbine engines. These engines operated almost as effectively in surface ships as did nuclear power systems, and they cost much less. In the 1980's, the U.S. Navy modernized and reactivated several World War II battleships. All of these ships were decommissioned during the 1990's.

The development of warships. Ships have been used in battle since ancient times. But warships and cargo ships were almost identical until the 1600’s, when navies began to build vessels designed only for combat. Today, large navies have many kinds of warships. Each type performs specific functions in battle. These illustrations show the development of some major warships from the 200’s B.C. to modern times.