Figure 1.--

Britain was threatened in the early 19th century by a combined French and Spanish fleet which Napoleon had built to support an invasion. This threat was ended by Adm. Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar (1805). The British Government after the Napoleonic Wars (1800-15) adopted an informal standard of maintaining a fleet at least equal to the combined strength of the next two largest navies. This standard was not always met during the 19th century, but there was no real challenge to British control of the sea. Parliament began to become concerned about British naval superiority (late-1880s). By this time the all metal battleship was taking form as the capital ship to replace the ship-of-the-line. It would be the battleship that would be the ship upon which naval power was based. Concern at the time was ion France and Russia, but Germany was unified as a result of the Franco-Prussian War (1871) and America was also emerging as a potent industrial power. Battleships were hugely expensive. Only highly industrialized nations could afford or build battle ship fleets to rival the Royal Navy. Parliament defeated the spending needed for new battleships, but there was firm popular support for it. Parliament passed the Naval Defense Act (1889). It officially adopted the 'two-power standard'. Subsequent authorization was provided for 10 battleships, 38 new cruisers, and other smaller ships. It is at this time that Wilhelm II became German Kaiser. And influenced by Adm. Tirpitz, the German Empire began building battleships. And soon after the United States initiated a naval expansion program. Britain shocked naval experts around the world when it launched HMS Dreadnought, an all big gun battleship. Dreadnought became the standard by which all national navies were compared. It also came at a time in which the Kaiser was building a blue water fleet to challenge the Royal Navy. And President Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world to show off Anerica's expanding naval power. The show down between Britain and Germany came at Jutland, a massive battle of battleships and battle cruisers (1916). The Germans were Desperate to break the deadlock on the Western front. The German High Seas Fleet came out. German gunnery scored important hits, but could not match the fire power of the much larger British Grand Fleet. The Germans would not come out again. After the War Britain was bankrupt and could not afford an arms race with the United States. The Washington Naval Conference agreed to limits on naval spending. America and Brattain were allowed the largest number of battleships. Italy, Japan, and France were allowed smaller numbers. Germany as part of the World War I settlement was not allowed to have battleships. The Japanese were outraged at the slight, but actually benefited from it because American and British construction was restricted. Aircraft carriers appeared (America, Britain, and Japan), but naval planning continued to emphasize battleships. Japan with drew from the Treaty limits and Germany with the rise if the NAZIs began naval expansion. Several cruisers and pocket battleships ere built, but a true battleship was not launched until Bismarck (1939). It was far beyond treaty limits. Japanese and German naval expansion resulted in renewed American and British construction leading to the fleets that would face off when Hitler and Stalin launched World War II (1939). Despite the emergence of the carrier, the Japanese devoted huge resources to build two super battleships--Yamato and Musashi. The Imperial Navy planned to build 13 of these massive ships. The Americans and Japanese in the Pacific had both planned war winning fleet action, all based primarily on their big-gun battleships. Both countries developed fleet air arms, but it was widely believed that the expected fleet action would be decided by battleships. The core of the Japanese battleship force was the massive Musashi and Yamato. Each with 18.1 inch guns which could out range the 16 inch guns of the American battleships. The importance of carriers was not understood before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Building massive ships with huge guns made sense before the rise of naval air power. With carriers, these huge ships simply became large targets and their construction meant that many more useful smaller ships were not built. This was a major mistake made by the Japanese given their limited industrial capacity.

America

And President Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world to show off Anerica's expanding naval power. After the War Britain was bankrupt and could not afford an arms race with the United States. And he United States had no sesire to particupate in a costly naval arms rce. The Washington Naval Conference agreed to limits on naval spending (1921-22). America and Brattain were allowed the largest number of battleships. This essentially fropze construction of new battlwships and why at the time of Pearl Harbor, American battlewhips were largely of World War I vintage. Italy, Japan, and France were allowed smaller numbers. At the time battleships were seen asthewar-winning capital ships. Carrers were still experimental and given ext to no consuderation at the Washington Naval Confrence. American Admirals insisted that aircraft coul not sink abttleship. When Cl. Billy Mitchellproved they could, the Navy dismissed the results of the trial bombng. Forward thinking naval officers challenged this doctrine, but at the ime of Pearl Harbor, the big gun club in all navies, including the U.S. Navy, dominated naval thinking. Japan leaned after the Washingto Naval Talks that the Americanshad broken teir secret codes. The Japanese invested in complicated new naval ciohers which they beleved has solved their secuity concrns. This battleship dominance did not chnge until Pearl Harbor (December 1941). The U.S. Nvy was the first to change, lrgely because the Pcific Fleet battle shipswere all sunk. Iy only had carres to work with as it attempted to control Japanese attacks. Japanese and German naval expansion befre Pearl Habor resulted in renewed American and British construction leading to the fleets that would face off when Hitler and Stalin launched World War II (1939). It was America hat had the capacity to build new ships in quantities no other country could match. In the 11930s with the rise of the NAZIs and rising Japanese miltarism, the Unied States began building naval vessels again. At first the number of vessels were small, but after the Fall of France the Two Oceans Navy Act was passed (1940). This authorized masive naval construction, invcluding battleships, carries and smaller vessels. But it takes time to build a large ship, especially a battleship. As a result, when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor only a few fast, modern battle ships were in service. At the time the U.S. Navy had 17 battleships in commission, but eight were sunk at Pearl, althogh thanks to them being at anchor only two were destroyed. This meant the Navy had only nine battleships and most importntly, only two were built after 1923. The Unmited states would eventually bring nine new battleships into service and refloat the six battleships damaged at Pearl. Actually this was only a fraction of what the United States could have done. Rather than battleships the empasis for consruction was placed on carriers. Contrary to expectations, battleship enggements were infrequent. During the Pacific War, American battleships were primarily used for shore bombardment and carrier protection. ################## The War wasconcluded on the deck of the USS Missour (September 1945). Missouri one of he new fast Iow class bttleships. At the time the U.S. Navy had 23 battle hips in commission. The only two lost were the twin Pearl Harbor vicims (Arizona and Oklahoma. The oldest classes of battleships that were in commission during World War were the Wyoming, New York and Nevada class ships. The Wyoming classwre the first American Dreadnoughts. The Wyoming class consisted of Wyoming (1912) and Arkansas (1912). Wyoming was converted t training (1931), but Akansas saw acton in he Atlantic. They had12 in guns and amaxiumn speed of 20.5 kbots.

Britain

Britain was threatened in the early 19th century by a combined French and Spanish fleet which Napoleon had built to support an invasion. This threat was ended by Adm. Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar (1805). The British Government after the Napoleonic Wars (1800-15) adopted an informal standard of maintaining a fleet at least equal to the combined strength of the next two largest navies. This standard was not always met during the 19th century, but there was no real challenge to British control of the sea. Parliament began to become concerned about British naval superiority (late-1880s). By this time the all metal battleship was taking form as the capital ship to replace the ship-of-the-line. It would be the battleship that would be the ship upon which naval power was based. Concern at the time was ion France and Russia, but Germany was unified as a result of the Franco-Prussian War (1871) and America was also emerging as a potent industrial power. Battleships were hugely expensive. Only highly industrialized nations could afford or build battle ship fleets to rival the Royal Navy. Parliament defeated the spending needed for new battleships, but there was firm popular support for it. Parliament passed the Naval Defense Act (1889). It officially adopted the 'two-power standard'. Subsequent authorization was provided for 10 battleships, 38 new cruisers, and other smaller ships.

France

Germany

It is at this time that Wilhelm II became German Kaiser. And influenced by Adm. Tirpitz, the German Empire began building battleships. And soon after the United States initiated a naval expansion program. Britain shocked naval experts around the world when it launched HMS Dreadnought, an all big gun battleship. Dreadnought became the standard by which all national navies were compared. It also came at a time in which the Kaiser was building a blue water fleet to challenge the Royal Navy. The show down between Britain and Germany came at Jutland, a massive battle of battleships and battle cruisers (1916). The Germans were Desperate to break the deadlock on the Western front. The German High Seas Fleet came out. German gunnery scored important hits, but could not match the fire power of the much larger British Grand Fleet. The Germans would not come out again. After World War, Germany had to turn itscapital ships over to the Allies. In the end, few were actually turned over to the Allies because the Germns scuttled most of their ships in Scappa Flow, the huge British Naval Base in Scotland (1919). As part of the World War I settlement, the Germans were not allwed to have battleships. Germany with the rise if the NAZIs began naval expansion. Several cruisers and pocket battleships were built. Knowthey could not compete with the emmense Royal Navy, the Germans decided to build pocket battleships that could engage in commerce raiding. . These were lghtly armored vessels that were faster than any British battle ship, but more heabily armed than any cruisers that culd catch them. Whuchis precisely what happened in the Battle of the River Plate (December 1939). It was a poorly conceived plan, because vessels operating far from home prts as needed for commece raiding, would be lost even if only suffering modern damge. (Which aefell Bismarck (194). , but a true battleship was not launched until after the Anglo-German Naval Trerty (1935). The result was Bismarck (1939). And Tirpitz. They were far beyond agreed limits. THis was to be the foundation for a new Grandfleet. The German Navy Prepared Plan Z--entailng an emense building plan to achieve ariy with the Royakl Navy b(mif-1940s). Hitler assured Adminral Raeder there would be no war until. hen. Unfruntely for the German Navy, Hitler encunteriung uch weak opposition, advanced his war plan.

Italy

Japan

The Japanese were outraged with the post-World War I Washingon Naval Conference. It was preceived as a slight because they were relegated fewer battkeships than America and Britin. Thi actually benefited from Japan ecause American and British construction was restricted. Aircraft carriers appeared (America, Britain, and Japan), but naval planning continued to emphasize battleships. Japan withdrew from the Treaty limit. Despite the emergence of the carrier, the Japanese devoted huge resources to build two super battleships--Yamato and Musashi. The Imperial Navy planned to build 13 of these massive ships. The Americans and Japanese in the Pacific had both planned war winning fleet action, all based primarily on their big-gun battleships. Both countries developed fleet air arms, but it was widely believed that the expected fleet action would be decided by battleships. The core of the Japanese battleship force was the massive Musashi and Yamato. Each with 18.1 inch guns which could out range the 16 inch guns of the American battleships. The importance of carriers was not understood before the outbreak of the Pacific War. Building massive ships with huge guns made sense before the rise of naval air power. With carriers, these huge ships simply became large targets and their construction meant that many more useful smaller ships were not built. This was a major mistake made by the Japanese given their limited industrial capacity.

Soviet Union

Created: 3:47 AM 3/17/2025
Last updated: 3:47 AM 3/17/2025