Once I came across a rating of the 10 best ships of the twentieth century, compiled by the Military Channel. On many points, it is difficult to disagree with the conclusions of American experts, but what was unpleasantly surprised, there was not a single Russian (Soviet) ship in the rating.
What is the meaning of such a rating, you ask. What practical value does it have for a real Navy? A colorful show with boats for the layman, nothing more.
No, everything is much more serious. Firstly, the creators of those "ships" will not agree with you. The fact that it was their ships that were chosen among thousands of other designs is a recognition of the work of their team, and often the main achievement of their entire life. Secondly, these original standards show in which direction progress is moving, which forces of the navy are the most effective. And thirdly, such a rating is a hymn to the achievements of Mankind, because many of the warships presented in the list are masterpieces of naval engineering. In today's article, I will try to correct some, in my opinion, erroneous conclusions of the Military Channel experts, or better, let's discuss together in the form of such a somewhat informative and entertaining dispute on the topic of the 10 best warships of the twentieth century.
Now the most important point is the evaluation criteria. As you can see, I deliberately do not use the phrases "largest", "fastest" or "most powerful" … Only the type of ship that has brought the maximum benefit to its country, while remaining interesting from a technical point of view, is recognized as the best. Combat experience is extremely valuable. Tactical and technical characteristics are of great importance, as well as such invisible, at first glance, parameters as the number of series units and the active service life in the fleet's combat composition. Plus a drop of common sense. For example, the Yamato is the largest battleship ever built by man, the most powerful battleship of its time. Was he the best? Of course no. The creation of the Yamato-class battleships was a colossal failure of the Imperial Navy in terms of cost / efficiency; its presence did more harm than good. The Yamato was late, the time of the dreadnoughts was over.
Well, now, in fact, the list itself:
10th place - a series of frigates "Oliver Hazard Perry"
One of the most common types of modern warships. The number of units built in the series is 71 frigates. For 35 years they have been in service with the naval forces of 8 countries of the world.
Full displacement - 4200 tons
The main armament is the Mk13 launcher for launching the "Standard" missile defense system and the "Harpoon" anti-ship missile system (ammunition load - 40 missiles).
There is a hangar for 2 LAMPS helicopters and 76-mm artillery.
The main goal of the Oliver H. Perry program was the creation of inexpensive URO escort frigates, hence the transoceanic cruising range: 4500 nautical miles at 20 knots.
Why is such a wonderful frigate in last place? The answer is simple: little combat experience. The clash with Iraqi aviation did not work out in favor of the frigate - USS "Stark" barely crawled out of the Gulf of Hormuz alive, having received two "Exocets" on board. Earth - in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Korea, in the Taiwan Strait …
9th place - Nuclear cruiser "Long Beach"
USS "Long Beach" (CGN-9) became the world's first missile cruiser, as well as the first nuclear-powered cruiser. The quintessence of advanced technical solutions of the 60s: phased array radars, digital CIUS and 3 newest rocket systems. Created for joint operations with the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Enterprise". By design, it was a classic escort cruiser (which did not prevent it from equipping it with Tomahawks during modernization).
For several years (launched in 1960) he honestly "cut circles" around the Earth, setting records and amusing the audience. Then he took up more serious things - until 1995 he went through all the wars from Vietnam to Desert Storm. For several years he was on the front line in the Gulf of Tonkin, controlling the airspace over North Vietnam, shot down 2 MiGs. Conducted electronic reconnaissance, covered ships from air raids from the DRV, rescued downed pilots from the water.
The ship that started the new nuclear missile Age of the fleet has the right to be on this list.
8th place - "Bismarck"
The pride of the Kriegsmarine. The most perfect ship of the line at the time of launch. Distinguished in the first military campaign, sending the flagship of the Royal Navy "Hood" to the bottom. Took battle with the entire British squadron and died without lowering the flag. Of the 2,200 team members, only 115 survived.
The second ship of the series - "Tirpitz", during the war years did not fire a single salvo, but with its mere presence fettered the huge forces of the allies in the North Atlantic. British pilots and sailors made dozens of attempts to destroy the battleship, losing a huge number of people and equipment.
7th place - the battleship "Marat"
The only dreadnoughts of the Russian Empire - 4 battleships of the Sevastopol class - became the cradle of the October Revolution. They passed with dignity through the whirlwinds of the First World War and the Civil War, and then played their role in the Great Patriotic War. The Marat (formerly Petropavlovsk, launched in 1911), the only Soviet battleship that took part in a naval battle, distinguished itself especially. Participant of the Ice hike. In the summer of 1919 he suppressed the uprising in the Kronstadt fortified area with his fire. The first ship in the world on which the magnetic mine protection system was tested. Took part in the Finnish War.
September 23, 1941 was fatal for the "Marat" - hit by German aviation, the battleship lost its entire bow and lay down on the ground. Seriously wounded, but not laying down arms, the battleship continued to defend Leningrad. In total, during the war years, the Marat fired 264 with the main caliber, firing 1371 305-mm projectiles, which made it one of the most “shooting” battleships in the world.
6 - type "Fletcher"
The best destroyers of the Second World War. Due to their manufacturability and simplicity of design, they were built in a huge series - 175 units (!)
Despite the relatively low speed, "Fletchers" had an ocean cruising range (6500 nautical miles at 15 knots) and solid armament, including five 127-mm guns and several dozen anti-aircraft artillery barrels.
During the hostilities, 23 ships were lost. In turn, the Fletchers shot down 1,500 Japanese aircraft.
After going through the post-war modernization, they retained their combat effectiveness for a long time, serving under the flags of 15 states. The last Fletcher was decommissioned in Mexico in 2006.
5th place - aircraft carriers of the "Essex" class
24 strike aircraft carriers of this type became the backbone of the US Navy during the war. They actively participated in all military operations in the Pacific theater of operations, traveled millions of miles, were a tasty target for kamikaze, but, nevertheless, not one of the "Essex" was lost in the battles.
Huge for their time ships (full displacement - 36,000 tons) had a powerful air wing on their decks, which made them the dominant force in the Pacific Ocean.
After the war, many of them underwent modernization, received a corner deck (type "Oriskani") and remained in the active composition of the fleet until the mid-70s.
4th place - "Dreadnought"
Built in just 1 year, a huge ship with a total displacement of 21,000 tons revolutionized world shipbuilding. One salvo of HMS "Deadnought" was equal to a salvo of the entire squadron of battleships during the Russo-Japanese War. For the first time, the piston steam engine was replaced by a turbine.
The only victory "Dreadnought" won on March 18, 1915, returning with a squadron of battleships to the base. Having received a message from the battleship "Marlboro" about a submarine in sight, he rammed it. For this victory, the captain of the Dreadnought, who allowed himself to fall out of the wake formation, received from the flagship the highest approval that a captain of the HMS in the English fleet can get: "Well done."
"Dreadnought" has become a household name, which allows in this paragraph to talk about all ships of this class. It was the "Dreadnoughts" that became the basis of the fleets of the advanced countries of the world, appearing in all naval battles of the First World War.
3rd place - destroyers of the "Orly Burke" class
For 2012, the US Navy has 61 Aegis destroyers, each year the fleet receives another 2-3 new units. Together with its clones - Japanese destroyers URO such as "Atago" and "Congo", "Orly Burke" is the most massive warship in history with a displacement of over 5,000 tons.
The most advanced destroyers to date are capable of striking any ground and surface targets, fighting submarines, aircraft and cruise missiles, and even shelling space satellites.
The destroyer's armament complex includes 90 vertical launchers, of which 7 "long" modules, which can accommodate up to 56 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
2nd place - battleships of the "Iowa" class
The standard of the battleship. The creators of "Iowa" managed to find the optimal combination of firepower, speed and security.
9 guns of 406 mm caliber
Main armor belt - 310 mm
Travel speed - over 33 knots
4 battleships of this type managed to take part in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War. Then there was a long respite. At this time, there was an active modernization of ships, modern air defense systems were installed, 32 "Tomahawks" further strengthened the strike potential of battleships. The complete set of artillery barrels and armor were left unchanged.
In 1980, off the coast of Lebanon, the giant New Jersey cannons spoke again. And then there was "Desert Storm", which finally put an end to the more than 50-year history of ships of this type.
Now "Iowa" are withdrawn from the combat strength of the fleet. Their repair and modernization were recognized as inexpedient, battleships have completely exhausted their resource for half a century. Three of them have been turned into museums, the fourth - "Wisconsin", is still quietly rusting as part of the "Reserve Fleet".
1st place - aircraft carriers of the "Nimitz" class
A series of 10 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, with a total displacement of 100,000 tons. The largest warships in the history of mankind. Recent events in Yugoslavia and Iraq have shown that ships of this type are capable of wiping out not the smallest countries in a matter of days, while the Nimitz themselves will remain immune to any anti-ship weapons, with the exception of nuclear warheads.
Only the Navy of the Soviet Union, at the cost of enormous efforts and costs, could withstand aircraft carrier strike groups using supersonic missiles with nuclear warheads and orbital groups of reconnaissance satellites. But even the most modern technologies did not guarantee accurate detection and destruction of such targets.
At the moment, the "Nimitz" are the full-fledged masters of the World Ocean. Regularly undergoing modernization, they will remain in the current composition of the fleet until the middle of the XXI century.
