Foreword
Battleship is the abbreviated name for a ship of the line. The battleship is the largest, most powerful and balanced in all respects warship among the ships of other classes of its day. The battleship was the striking force of the navy from the 17th century to the middle of the 20th century.
The ship got its name from the initial tactics of using battleships. The squadrons of the opposing sides approached each other in a wake formation, i.e. lined up in one line, after which a hot artillery duel began. Initially, the battleships' weapons were artillery. Subsequently, with the progress in the field of naval weapons systems, the artillery armament of battleships was supplemented with torpedo and mine weapons.
In the course of its evolution, the battleship class consisted of many different subclasses. However, all these types of warships are still battleships. In this article, we will analyze all the main stages in the development of a battleship, and also try to find out at what stage their evolution suddenly switched to those rails that ultimately led to the fact that battleships have completely disappeared from all military navies of the world. Someone may object: the battleships were destroyed not by their supposedly incorrectly chosen appearance, but by the rapid development of naval weapons systems. In particular, submarines and mine and torpedo weapons, naval aviation and aviation weapons, guided missile weapons. There is something to answer to this seemingly obvious argument. Ships of other classes - minesweepers, minelayers, landing ships, destroyers, cruisers, etc. - have not gone anywhere and quite coexist with these modern types of naval weapons, although they are an order of magnitude more vulnerable to them in comparison with even outdated battleships of the 19th century. So what killed the battleships? We will try to find an answer to this question. To some, this article may seem delusional, but someone, obviously, will be able to find a rational grain in it. To begin with, we will consider the stages of the main classes of the battleship.
Sailing ship of the line
They appeared in the 17th century. Wooden three-masted ships with a displacement of 500 to 5000 tons. As a rule, these ships structurally had three battery decks (from which they were called three-deck), which housed from 30 to 130 muzzle-loading guns of various calibers. The guns fired through the gun ports - special holes in the side. In a non-combat situation, the guns were usually moved inside the hull, and the ports were closed with special half-pads. Protection was provided by very thick wooden sides. The quarters for the commanding officers were concentrated in the stern of the ship. Below the battery decks were cargo holds, which contained supplies of water, provisions, as well as gunpowder and ammunition. The sailing ship of the line was set in motion by means of sails located on three masts. Naturally, he could only move in the presence of wind. With sufficient seaworthiness and autonomy, the speed capabilities of the sailing battleship left much to be desired. A typical example of sailing battleships is the HMS Viktory, Admiral Nelson's flagship, which is still carefully preserved in Portsmouth. The most powerful sailing battleship is considered to be the Russian ship "Twelve Apostles".
Battery battleship
They were a further development of sailing ships of the line and differed little from them in their architecture. Ships with a displacement of 2000-10000 tons and a length of 60 to 100 m. Their design was either combined or purely metal. In the case of the combined design, the base of the ship's hull was wooden, and steel armor plates were hung on top of the wooden side in the most threatened zones. In the case of the metal structure, the entire hull of the ship was made of metal, and the armor plates were an integral part of its still quite simple design. The ships had one battery deck, on which, by analogy with sailing battleships, artillery was located - up to 40 breech-loading or muzzle-loading guns of caliber usually no more than 203 mm. At that stage, the composition of the naval artillery was rather chaotic and did not have any logic in the issue of its tactical use. The composition of the armor was also quite primitive, and its thickness was about 100 mm. The power plant is a coal-powered single-shaft piston steam engine. Allowed battery battleships to develop speeds from 8 to 14 knots. In addition, there were still masts with sailing rigs as a backup propulsion device. A good idea of this type of battleship is provided by HMS "Warrior" docked in Portsmouth.
Battery battleship "Warrior". Dimensions: 9358 t and 127x17.7 m. Armament: ten 179 mm (7 ") guns, twenty eight 68 pounder guns, four 120 mm (4.7") guns. Reservation: board - 114 mm. Mobility: 1x5267 hp PM and 14 knots (26 km / h). On sails - up to 13 knots. (24 km / h). This ship differed from its combined wood-metal counterparts with an all-steel hull, divided into 35 double-bottomed compartments. Also, this ship was of normal size to ensure proper seaworthiness and autonomy and to accommodate the necessary weapons and mechanisms.
Casemate battleship
These are battleships from the period when the era of steam and armor began to enter its mature age: the 70s of the 19th century. Casemate battleships differed from battery battleships in an improved design, a sharp increase in the number of on-board mechanisms, devices and instruments, as well as a radical complication of their design. And although their size and displacement (about 10,000 tons and up to 110 m in length) did not change much in comparison with the largest battery battleships, casemate battleships already completely surpassed them in their combat potential. The fundamental differences were as follows. Firstly, the caliber and the number of guns were standardized and began to have a clear classification in accordance with their performance characteristics and the purpose arising from these performance characteristics. On casemate battleships, all artillery has already been divided into main caliber (GK) and anti-mine caliber (PMK). The first was intended to destroy all types of surface targets and deliver artillery strikes against coastal targets, the second was designed to defeat attacking destroyers, destroyers, torpedo boats and other small high-speed targets that could not “catch” bulky main caliber artillery systems. 4-8 heavy breech-loading or muzzle-loading guns of caliber from 240 mm to 340 mm were used as the main caliber. As an anti-mine caliber, small-caliber guns with a caliber of up to 76 mm were used. Such a composition of artillery was less numerous than the artillery of battery battleships, but it was much more powerful and effective. The second innovation is the partial abandonment of the battery deck. The main battery guns were now housed in individual casemates and were separated from the neighboring ones by armored partitions. This significantly increased the survivability of such artillery in battle. Battery decks, if they were used now, were only used to accommodate secondary battery artillery. Part of the secondary battery artillery began to be placed on the upper deck in deck mounts of circular rotation. In addition, the gigantic size and weight of new large-caliber guns, as well as ammunition for them, required the introduction of partial or complete mechanization of the loading and guidance process of such a weapon. For example, the fighting compartment of the 340-mm main battery gun on the French casemate battleship Courbet resembled a small mechanical plant. All this made it possible to rightfully abandon the term "gun" at this stage, replacing it with the more correct term "gun mount" (AU) in this case. The gun ports of some casemate gun mounts began to receive splinter protection. There have been changes both in the design of the hull and in the elements of its protection. First, in order to increase survivability and unsinkability during combat and navigation damage, battleships of this period began to receive a double bottom. Secondly, in order to resist the super-heavy "suitcases" of the new large-caliber main-caliber guns, the armor began to be tightened into relatively narrow belts, the thickness of which quickly reached 300 mm or more. The rest of the corps either had no protection at all, or had purely symbolic protection. The power plant now included several steam piston engines operating on 1 or 2 shafts. Maximum travel speed - up to 15-16 knots. Seaworthiness became almost absolute (storm up to 11 points). In addition, some battleships of this type began to receive torpedo tubes with ammunition for torpedoes and barrage mines. Such weapons already made it possible to hit targets with artillery fire at a distance of up to 4-5 km and finally destroy them with torpedoes if the target still remained buoyant after shelling. The disadvantages of casemate battleships include very small firing angles of main battery gun mounts, their extremely low rate of fire (1 shot every 15-20 minutes), difficult use of artillery in fresh weather, and a primitive fire control system of the FCS. The most powerful battleships belonging to the casemate battleship category were the French battleships of the Courbet class.
Casemate battleship "Admiral Courbet" in 1881. Naked power. At the time of entry into service, it certainly caused a shudder among the lords of the British Admiralty. The side ended with an upper deck at a height of about the 4th floor of a multi-storey building, which made the seaworthiness of this imposing floating fortress almost absolute. Dimensions: 10450 t and 95x21, 3 m. Armament: four 340-mm / L21 (13.4 ") M1881 and four 279-mm / L20 (10.8") M1875 AU GK, six 140-mm (5.5”) M1881 AU SK, twelve 1-pounder secondary battery guns, five 356-mm TA. Reservation: board - up to 380 mm (wrought iron). Mobility: 2x4150 hp PM and 15, 5 knots. (29 km / h). Obviously, such equipment will not fall apart and drown from a couple of hits from the Exocet / Penguin / Otomat / Harpoon anti-ship missiles, etc., as it happens with modern high-tech warships, and it has overall dimensions about the same (even much smaller in length).
Tower battleship
The design flaws of the casemate battleships forced the designers to look for ways to increase the efficiency of using the already quite solid firepower of battleships. The solution was found - the creation of not casemate, but turret gun mounts of the main caliber, which were located on the upper deck and, as a result, had much larger firing angles. In addition, the turret gun mount is more protected than the casemate one, although it is heavier. One- and two-gun turret gun mounts of the main caliber with guns of caliber from 240 mm to 450 mm were created. On tower battleships, from one to three such installations were installed (rarely more). Artillery SK and PMK continued to remain in the battery deck, in casemate and deck installations. Since space was required on the upper deck to accommodate huge installations, the sailing equipment was finally abandoned. The battleships now carried one or two masts designed to accommodate observation posts, searchlights, small-caliber artillery and signaling equipment. Armor protection and power plant remained approximately at the level of the best casemate battleships. However, the number of auxiliary equipment for the control of new, complex tower installations has grown even more. Two ships claim the title of the best tower battleships: the Italian battleship of the Duilio class and the domestic battleship Peter the Great.
The battleship Duilio is an armored monster with a displacement of 11138 tons. The main armament of the battleship was two two-gun gun mounts, placed diagonally in the center of the ship's hull. Each gun mount had two 450 mm RML-17.72 muzzle-loading guns weighing 100 tons each. The drives for the loading and guidance mechanisms are hydraulic. They fired shells weighing almost a ton at a distance of 6 km and could penetrate 500 mm thick steel armor from a distance of 1800 m. Rate of fire - 1 volley in 15-20 minutes. The ship had three 120-mm gun mounts and several small cannons as artillery for the SK and the secondary battery. The picture was complemented by 3 torpedo tubes. In the stern was a dock chamber for a torpedo boat of the "Nomibio" type. The ship had a total mechanization of all work processes. The battleship "Peter the Great" anticipated the emergence of modern squadron battleships. Its architecture already corresponded to the canons, which shipbuilders adhere to at the present time. Main caliber artillery - two two-gun turret gun mounts with 305 mm / L20 guns. One installation was located at the bow, the second at the stern of the smooth-deck ship. This made it possible to use both gun mounts (all four guns) in an onboard salvo, as well as to act on the bow and stern with half of the artillery. In the center there was a superstructure with deckhouses, masts, pipes, combat posts and bridges. The ship's firepower was supplemented by two 229-mm mortars at the stern of the ship. As artillery secondary battery used six 87-mm deck guns. Armor up to 365 mm. The booking scheme has been improved. Speed up to 15 knots.
The turret battleship Dandolo is one of the Duililo-class battleships. It looks rather ugly, but in terms of the number of innovative technical solutions, the caliber of the main battery guns and the level of mechanization, at one time it was far ahead of the rest of the planet. Its disadvantages are poor seaworthiness and not very successful arrangement of weapons and control posts. Dimensions: 11138 tons and 109, 2x19, 8 m. Armament: 2x2-450-mm / L20.5 (17, 7 "- fired shells weighing 908kg) RML-17.72 AU GK, three 120-mm (4, 7") AU SK and several small secondary guns, three 356-mm TA, a torpedo boat of the "Nomibio" type in the inner dock (on the "Duilio"). Reservations: side - up to 550 mm, deck - 50 mm. Mobility: 2х3855 hp PM and 15 knots (28 km / h). "Dreadnought" type of protection "all or nothing" of this ship made it possible to hold well the heavy single blows of large-caliber "suitcases", but did not provide almost any protection against heavy fire from the SC and secondary battery from small and medium distances.
Barbette battleship
Structurally, they repeated the type of a tower battleship, but instead of towers they had barbets. The barbet was a structure built into the ship's hull in the form of a well made of armor rings, in which the guns were located along with all the necessary mechanisms and devices. The guns towering over the barbet were not a big target, and it was decided not to protect them. From above, such a structure was also not protected. Then the rotating part of the barbette gun mount received a light tower-like anti-splinter cover. In the course of evolution, the tower and the barbet gradually merged into a single structure, in which the barbet is a fixed part of the gun mount, and the tower with tools crowning it is a movable rotating part. Domestic Black Sea battleships of the Ekaterina II type were among the most powerful barbet battleships in the world.
Monumental appearance of the Russian barbet battleship "George the Victorious" - one of a series of battleships of the "Ekaterina II" class (four ships). What is recognized in the photo as a classic turret gun mount is actually a two-gun barbette gun of the main caliber with a light anti-splinter cover. The first step towards merging the turret and barbette artillery deployment scheme. Dimensions: 11032 tons and 103, 5x21 m. Armament: 3x2-305-mm / L35 (12 ") AU GK, seven 152-mm / L35 (6") AU SK, eight 47-mm and ten 37-mm AU PMK, 7 - 381 mm TA. Reservations: side - up to 406 mm, deck - up to 63 mm (steel). Mobility: 2х4922 hp PM and 16, 5 knots. (31 km / h).
Monitor
A variant of a flat-bottomed turret battleship for operations in shallow water. They had a flat hull with a minimum draft and a very low freeboard. Add-ons are kept to a minimum. As the main armament - one or two turret gun mounts. The caliber of their guns could reach 305 mm and even more. As a rule, there were no other weapons, although several small cannons could still be present. The power plant made it possible to gain speed of 10-12 knots. Such ships were conditionally seaworthy and were intended for operations maximum in the near sea zone, rivers and lakes.
Squadron battleship
Ships of the heyday of the era of "steam and armor" and the beginning of the period of rapid development of electrical engineering and instrument making. This time from the 80s of the XIX century to the end of the first decade of the XX century. Squadron battleships are powerful and versatile warships capable of operating in any area of the world's oceans. Their displacement was 10,000-16,000 tons. The length was from 100 to 130 m. These ships had powerful multi-row armor made from the best brands of armor steel, and not from ordinary steel, like the first battleships. The thickness of multi-row armor barriers reached 400 mm and more. Domestic and local booking has appeared. The anti-torpedo protection (PTZ) has been strengthened. Progress in the development of electrical engineering and instrumentation made it possible to equip squadron battleships with optical instruments, sights, horizontal base rangefinders, a centralized fire control system and radio stations. Progress in the field of naval weapons systems, gunpowder and explosives made it possible to equip them with the most modern artillery, torpedo and mine weapons in terms of performance characteristics, utterly superior to similar systems used ten years earlier. Artillery armament was clearly systematized. The development of new varieties of gunpowder, new projectiles and the latest long-barreled artillery systems made it possible to equalize the effectiveness of 305-mm guns with the previous 406-450-mm. In most cases, two turret gun mounts began to be used as the main caliber on battleships, each with a pair of 305-mm guns. Like Peter the Great, one gun mount was located at the bow, the other at the stern. There were also exceptions: on some domestic and British squadron battleships there was only one main gun bow artillery mount. On the German Brandenburg-class battleships, the main battery artillery, among three two-gun 283-mm gun mounts, was placed in the same way as it was later done on dreadnoughts: all three mounts were placed in a row along the ship's diametrical plane, which made it possible to achieve the maximum side salvo. On domestic battleships of the Sinop type (ships fall under the definition of both squadron and barbet battleships), three paired 305-mm gun mounts were placed in a triangle around a massive central superstructure. Medium artillery and anti-mine caliber secondary battery were located in casemate and deck mounts, as well as on tops of foremast and main masts. In addition, given the large area of unarmored sections, as well as the large number of superstructures, bridges and wheelhouses, on which numerous equipment and combat posts were located, necessary to control the ship and its firing, the squadron battleships decided to dramatically strengthen the so-called rapid-fire artillery or medium-caliber artillery mounts. …These artillery mounts, rather large by land standards, caliber (120 mm, 140 mm and 152 mm), nevertheless, allowed the possibility of manual loading and therefore had a rate of fire at the level of 5-8 rounds per minute. Squadron battleships had from 8 to 16 such guns. They threw out a huge amount of metal in a minute and performed colossal devastation on the upper superstructures of enemy ships, which are almost impossible to reliably protect. What happens in this case with the still quite, in general, combat-ready battleship, was shown very well, for example, by the night battle at Guadalcanal in 1942. The capabilities of the updated artillery of the main caliber allowed the squadron battleships to conduct artillery fire at targets located at a distance of 13-18 km, but the effective fire range according to the capabilities of the MSA was limited to about 10 km. At such a distance, the medium caliber artillery of the battleships was more than effective. As a rule, it was located in the side casemate or deck gun mounts. The most high-tech squadron battleships had SK artillery, located in the same way as the main battery, in turret deck gun mounts with full mechanization and large firing angles. This further increased the effectiveness of medium-caliber artillery and allowed it to fully support the main caliber in battle. Also, medium-caliber artillery was used to repel mine attacks and therefore was quite versatile. The capacity of two- and four-shaft triple expansion steam engines reached 15000-18000 hp. which allowed the best squadron battleships to reach speeds of 16-19 knots. with a long cruising range and almost absolute seaworthiness. Some squadron battleships also carried the so-called "intermediate" caliber. These are several guns of caliber 203 mm - 229 mm - 234 mm. They were located in casemate gun mounts (less often in tower ones) and served to enhance firepower. Tactically, it was the main caliber artillery. Such guns could not be loaded manually, and therefore their rate of fire was not much higher than that of 305-mm main battery guns, with a much lower fire power. It is still not known whether such a technical solution was justified. Bursts from 12 "and 9" shells were poorly distinguished, which confused spotters and made it difficult to control fire. And the reserve of displacement and space for these installations could well be directed to strengthening the main or medium caliber itself, as well as armor protection and driving performance. Domestic battleships of the Borodino type and their prototype "Tsesarevich" are considered to be one of the best classic battleships in the world. Real floating tanks, armored from head to toe, with a displacement of about 14,000 tons and a length of 120 m, these ships were distinguished by their perfect design and excellent performance characteristics. All their main long-range artillery was housed in twin turret gun mounts at high altitudes. Total electric drives and complete mechanization of everything and everyone. Highly efficient system for centralized fire control of artillery and torpedo weapons from a single post. A very complex design of the armored hull at the level of battleships of the Second World War. The total reduced thickness of the armor of multi-row armored barriers is more than 300 mm vertically and up to 150 mm horizontally. Protection of both vital and auxiliary parts of the ship. Powerful PTZ. Speed up to 18 knots.
This floating tank under the proud name "Eagle" is one of five battleships of the "Borodino" series. The concept of a squadron battleship in these ships was pushed to the limit of its perfection. The most complex scheme of protection at the level of battleships of the 2nd World War. Ships of this series today are an excellent combat platform for installing the latest missile-torpedo and artillery combat systems. Dimensions: 14400 t and 121, 2x23, 2 m. Armament: 2x2-305-mm / L40 (12 ") AU GK, 6x2-152-mm / L45 (6"), twenty 75-mm and twenty 47-mm AU PMK, ten 7, 62-mm P, four 381 -mm TA, 20 min of the barrage. Equipment: CSUO mod. 1899 (2 - VTsN at sighting posts, two 1, 2-meter rangefinders, optical sights in AU), radio station. Reservations: board (reduced, total) - up to 314 mm (Krupp's armor), deck (total) - up to 142 mm. Mobility: 2х7900 hp PM and 17, 8 knots. (33 km / h). They had optimal dimensions from the point of view of efficiency / cost / mass, which made it possible to produce them in large quantities. This significantly expanded the operational possibilities of connecting such ships, since even the Yamato is not able to be in two places at the same time.
Coastal defense battleship
Ships built according to all the canons of squadron battleships, but their displacement is three times smaller, at the level of 4000 tons. They are intended for conducting hostilities near their shores in the coastal defense system. As the main caliber, they had one or two gun mounts with guns of caliber from 203 mm to 254 mm. Sometimes they were equipped with 305-mm gun mounts from the "big brothers". They were built in small series until World War II.
Battleship class 2
Ships built according to all the canons of squadron battleships, but their displacement is approximately 1.5 times less, - 8000-10000 tons. Main caliber artillery - guns 254 mm - 305 mm. Designed both for a general battle and for carrying out patrol and patrol service on communications and guarding convoys. They were built in small series.
Dreadnought
Ships dramatically increased in size and displacement compared to battleships. The first representative of this class of battleships was the famous HMS "Dreadnought", which entered service with the British fleet in 1906. Its displacement was increased to 20,000 tons, and its length was up to 160 m. The number of 305-mm artillery mounts of the main battery was increased from two to five, and the artillery mounts of the SC were abandoned, leaving only the secondary artillery. In addition, a four-shaft steam turbine was used as a power plant, which made it possible to reach speeds of 21-22 knots. All other dreadnoughts were built on this principle. The number of main-caliber barrels reached 12 and even 14. They decided to return to medium-caliber artillery, since, among other things, it also served as a secondary battery, but they began to place it as on the first squadron battleships - in onboard casemate installations. The place of the secondary battery on the decks and superstructures was taken by anti-aircraft artillery (ZA). On some dreadnoughts, piston steam engines continued to be installed, since they were more economical in comparison with turbines. The MSA continued to improve, as a result of which the range of effective artillery fire increased to 15 km, and the maximum one to 20 km. Again, it is not known if dreadnoughts were specifically more effective than battleships. If at long distances the advantage of dreadnoughts is obvious, then at medium and small distances everything could be exactly the opposite. Such experiments were not carried out: all naval battles of squadron battleships against dreadnoughts in World War I took place at the maximum possible distances. The only exception, perhaps, was the first battle at Cape Sarych, where, due to bad weather (there was fog), the German battle cruiser Goeben ran into the Russian battleship Efstafiy, establishing visual contact with it at a distance of only 38 cables (about 7 km). The short and furious firefight did not reveal the winner: Efstathius received four 283-mm shells (301 kg each), two of which hit at random and did not cause much harm. "Goeben" also received four hits: one 305-mm projectile (331, 7 kg), one 203-mm (112, 2-139, 2 kg) and two 152-mm (41, 5 kg). According to other sources, there were 14 hits on the German ship, which led to gigantic casualties and forced the Goeben to hastily leave the battlefield. Sources of the opposite side claim that there were only one hits, and "Goeben" fled because of the danger of the approach of the rest of the Russian battleships and the transformation of the battle with "Goeben" into his beating. How it was there in reality, now it is hardly possible to establish (there are no living witnesses), but the fact that "Goeben" then fled is an indisputable fact.
In general, the comparison of an individual dreadnought and a squadron battleship is rather meaningless, since.there were no classic squadron battleships with a displacement of 20,000-30,000 tons, although dreadnoughts with a displacement of 16,000 tons were. The most powerful classic dreadnoughts are German dreadnoughts of the "Koenig" type and domestic dreadnoughts of the "Alexander-III" type (Black Sea Fleet). The German had heavy-duty protection. Ours is a highly effective artillery complex.
The battleship "Alexander III" had the classic angular appearance of the first dreadnoughts with greatly reduced superstructures. Subsequently, in the course of numerous upgrades, for the normal control of the ship, as well as the placement of all the necessary equipment and combat posts, the superstructures were again developed, and the dreadnoughts (rather, already superdreadnoughts and battleships) began to resemble enlarged battleships with a powerful island of superstructures in the center of the hull. … Dimensions: 23400 t and 168x27, 3 m. Armament: 4x3-305-mm / L52 (12 ") MK-3-12 AU GK, twenty 130-mm / L50 (5, 1") AU SK / PMK, four 75 -mm ZAU, four 457-mm TA. Reservations: board (reduced, total) - up to 336 mm (Krupp armor), deck (total) - 87 mm. Equipment: TsSUO (two 6-meter DM-6 rangefinders, optical sights in the AU), 2 radio stations (2 and 10 kW). Mobility: 4х8300 hp PT and 21 knots (39 km / h). In terms of the artillery system of the main caliber, battleships of this type were the leaders among dreadnoughts with 305-mm guns. The rest of the characteristics were also up to par.
Dodreadnought, or Transitional Battleship
They were built simultaneously with the first dreadnoughts. Ships with a displacement of 16,000-18,000 tons and a length of 130-150 m. The design of the hull did not differ from the battleships of the squadron, but there were changes in the composition of the artillery. The place of rapid-fire medium-caliber gun mounts on such ships was mostly or entirely taken by intermediate-caliber artillery of 203 mm, 234 mm, 240 mm or 254 mm. Despite the fact that fire control of such a motley, but close in performance characteristics, artillery was not an easy matter, lighter artillery mounts of intermediate caliber were more numerous, and therefore many battleships of this type were quite powerful combat units, quite capable of overpowering the first dreadnoughts in artillery combat. In general, the term "dreadnought" refers to any battleship of the squadron, but is usually associated with just such ships. Transitional battleships include Russian battleships of the Andrey Pervozvanny type (four 305 mm + fourteen 203 mm), the French Danton (four 305 mm + twelve 240 mm), British Agamemnon type (four 305 mm + ten 234-mm), Austro-Hungarian type "Radetsky" (four 305-mm + eight 240-mm), etc.
The battleship "Danton" is a typical representative of the transitional battleships. A powerful six-pipe handsome man. Dimensions: 19763 t and 146, 6x25, 8 m. Armament: 2-2x305-mm / L45 (12 ") Mle. 1906 AU GK, six 2x240-mm / L50 (9, 4") Mle. 1902 AU GK, sixteen 75 mm Mle. 1906 AU PMK, ten 47 mm AU PMK, two 457 mm TA. Reservations: board (total, reduced) - up to 366 mm, deck (total) - 95 mm. Equipment: CSUO (rangefinders, optical sights in AU), radio station. Mobility: 4x6625 hp PT and 19.5 knots (36 km / h).
Superdreadnought
The further evolution of the battleship gradually turned them into very expensive toys that they were very afraid of losing. Such a ship was already exerting a tangible burden on the economy of its country, and their number was limited. For example, the domestic military-industrial complex in its entire history has not been able to hand over a single ship of this class to the fleet, while it previously handed over dozens of battleships. The superdreadnought differed from the usual dreadnought by a further increase in size, displacement, enhanced protection and artillery of an even larger caliber, but less numerous, while the mobility characteristics remained at the level of dreadnoughts. Ships with a displacement of up to 30,000 tons and a length of 180-200 m had the most powerful armor up to 350-400 mm thick. Instead of main guns with 10-14 305 mm guns, two, three and even four-gun main guns with 8-9 343 mm guns (the first superdreadnoughts of the Orion type), 356 mm, 381 mm and even 406 mm began to be installed. They fired shells weighing from 700 kg to more than one ton at a distance of up to 30 km. The range of effective fire has long been determined by the horizon and still amounted to no more than 15 km. On these ships, they abandoned mine and torpedo weapons, making them not universal and weakening to some extent their combat potential. The most powerful superdreadnoughts are considered to be the British battleships of the Worspite and Royal Sovereign types, as well as American models.
Battle cruiser
The ships, which were the crown of the development of armored cruisers, but structurally and in tactical / operational-strategic terms, are battleships. They differed from their modern dreadnoughts and superdreadnoughts either by weakened armor (mainly on British models), or by weakened weapons (mainly on German models), due to which they could reach speeds of up to 28-32 knots. They were a high-speed wing with a squadron of dreadnoughts / superdreadnoughts, like the once armored cruisers with squadron battleships. They showed themselves as very large, expensive, but at the same time very vulnerable ships and therefore did not win special love from the sailors. A good example is the battle between the German battleship Bismarck and the British battle cruiser Hood, with fatal consequences for the latter. This despite the fact that "Hood" was considered the most powerful of all the known battle cruisers of that time. It was sometimes even called a "battleship-cruiser".
The idea of creating such ships, unbalanced to the point of absurdity, apparently belonged to Admiral Fischer. Some countries have picked it up, some have not. In our country, the battle cruisers of the "Izmail" class were laid, but they had only one name from the battle cruisers. In fact, the Ishmaels were typical superdreadnoughts, surpassing the previous series of Baltic and Black Sea battleships in all respects, except for cost and problems.
The battle cruiser Inflexible is the first representative of this class of battleships. It looks like a normal battleship, but a certain "harmony" in its appearance betrays its inferiority. Despite 8 305mm guns, in battle it is likely to yield to any battleship built after 1900. Dimensions: 18490 tons and 172, 8x24 m. Armament: 4x2-305 mm / L45 (12 ") Mark. X AU GK, 16 - 102 mm (4") Mk. III AU PMK, 5 - 457 mm TA … Reservations: board (total, reduced) - up to 318 mm, deck (total) - up to 63 mm. Equipment: CSUO (rangefinders, optical sights in AU), radio station. Mobility: 4x10250 hp and 25, 5 knots. (47 km / h).
Battleship or fast battleship
The crowning achievement of the battleship class. The architecture resembles a three-fold squadron battleship - in the center is a massive superstructure with pipes, wheelhouses, masts, control posts, medium (universal) caliber artillery and MZA. On the bow and stern, there are one or two, as a rule, triple main gun mounts with guns of caliber from 381 mm to 460 mm. The maximum range of artillery fire reached 40 km. The effective range of fire remained at the level of 15-20 km, but thanks to the presence of radar and night vision devices, the battleships became all-weather, i.e. got the opportunity to conduct effective fire at night, in fog and other adverse weather conditions. Medium-caliber artillery was intended to support main battery fire at accessible distances, to repel torpedo attacks and as an air defense system, and therefore became officially called universal. Many of these ships also had more than a hundred units of small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery MZA. Giants with a displacement of 40,000 to 70,000 tons. With the most powerful and complex armor protection up to 400 mm thick. Up to 270 m long - like several football fields. Able to reach speeds of 27-32 knots. As powerful as they are useless. By their mere presence, they ruin the economy of their own country. Quite few in number due to the gigantic cost of construction. In a one-on-one artillery duel, a battleship of the Second World War, of course, can easily overcome all the previous options, but how to "organize" such a duel in a modern war? Due to its size and small number, it is very attractive to various types of naval weapons - from torpedo bombers, bombers and corrected aerial bombs to submarines with their torpedoes, as well as mines. The most powerful battleships created in the history of mankind are the Japanese super-battleships Yamato and Musashi. Both of them were enormous costs. Both were created as the most powerful battleships in history. Both stood on the Hasir raid in Japan for almost the entire war. Both during the whole war never got into any enemy ship. Both died under the bombs and torpedoes of the American naval aviation, without firing a single shot at the American battleships, which they were called upon to destroy. The Japanese treasured these ships too much, which ultimately led to the useless death of both.
The mighty super-battleship Yamato is the most powerful battleship in the history of mankind. And probably the most useless one. In a duel artillery battle, he will defeat any other ship of any country. The Americans still somehow try to compare their "Iowa" with him, but the comparison, despite all the efforts, turns out to be not childishly naive. Dimensions: 72,810 tons and 262x38, 7 m. Armament: 3x3-460 mm / L45 (18, 1 ") 40-SK model 94 AU GK (fired shells weighing 1460 kg), 4x3-155 mm / L60 (6, 1”) AU SK / PMK, 6x2-127-mm UAU, 8x3-25-mm Type-96 MZA, 2x2-13-mm P, 7 LA6. Equipment: CSUO Type-98 (four 15-meter rangefinders, one 10-meter rangefinder, two 8-meter rangefinders, two directors, a target tracking device, a shot resolution device, a ballistic computer, radar7 21. Mod.3, 2 type radars -22, 2 Type-13 radar, noise direction-finding stations SHMS, optical and infrared day and night sights and sighting devices in AU and VP), radio stations. Reservations: board (reduced) - up to 436 mm, deck (reduced) - up to 232 mm. Mobility: 4x41250 hp TZA and 27 knots. (50 km / h).
Outcomes
Starting with primitive wooden sailing ships, the development of battleships stopped at the giant, state-of-the-art Yamato. After the end of the Second World War, only one ship of this class, the British Vanguard, was added to the navy. All other battleships were canceled. Domestic battleships of the Sovetsky Soyuz type were no exception, which, had they been completed, would have been inferior in power and size, perhaps, only to the Yamato. However, the navy didn't end there. The navies of developed countries were actively replenished by ships of other classes: aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines. Why did they abandon the ship of the line? There were several reasons for this. The golden age of battleships was from the 1880s to the First World War. At this time, they were already technically mature designs, and the ball on the battlefield was still ruled by artillery. Aviation at that time was still in its infancy, and submarines, due to their low performance characteristics, were dangerous for the merchant fleet, but for high-speed warships they were considered relatively harmless. Battleships of that time were powerful and versatile warships with excellent protection and combat survivability. Capable of solving any maritime and near-sea problems. The most combat and effective of them were the battleships of the squadron, which were massively built, took an active part in all conflicts (including the First World War). Squadron battleships were produced in huge numbers and constituted the striking force of the fleet of any naval power in the world. They did not hesitate to use them anywhere and did not particularly take care of them (you can still build them). In general, it was an effective military technique for a real war. In addition to World War I, battleships took an active part in the Sino-Japanese conflict, the Spanish-American conflict, and the Russo-Japanese war. In terms of their active use and "ubiquity," the battleships of the squadron roughly corresponded to the light cruisers of the Second World War or the corvettes / frigates / destroyers of our time.
With the advent of the dreadnoughts, everything began to change. The first signs of the collapse of the chosen strategy for the development of "sea tanks" appeared, which did not provide for anything new - in the pursuit of improving the performance characteristics, the dimensions, weight and cost inexorably increased. If battleships were built by almost the whole world, then only the most industrialized countries were able to massively build dreadnoughts: Britain, the USA, Germany and France. Russia, which hitherto quite regularly handed over the battleships of the latest design in the required quantity, was able to master the program of building only four dreadnoughts for the BF and four for the Black Sea Fleet. Almost all of these ships were long-term construction and entered service when superdreadnoughts had already appeared abroad, against which an ordinary dreadnought had even less chances than a squadron battleship against a dreadnought. Considering the number of dreadnoughts in the Russian Navy, we can say that the Russian dreadnought fleet was weaker than its own battleship fleet, which formed the basis of the strike power of the Russian fleet before the Russian-Japanese war (which showed the complete inadequacy of the country's military-political leadership). Other countries found themselves in the same position, with huge efforts and losses for the country's economy, rather for the sake of prestige, which built two, three or four dreadnoughts. With the funds for which the domestic shipyards built the Baltic and Black Sea dreadnoughts, it was possible to equip an entire army, which was so lacking for our ground forces. But when spending incredible funds on the fleet (also a necessary thing) one would expect that the new dreadnoughts, in order to justify the efforts expended on them, will at least use what is called “to the fullest”. Alas and ah - this did not happen. Dreadnoughts were actively used only by those countries that had the ability to mass produce them. Those countries for which the construction of even one dreadnought was worth a huge effort (our country is among them), used the dreadnoughts as they like: as a "scarecrow", as prestigious toys, as flagships at naval parades, but not for their intended purpose. The intended use was very cautious and therefore unproductive. For example, at the BF, dreadnoughts of the "Sevastopol" type never took part in any battle at all. Squadron battleships (reclassified as battleships in 1906) Slava (Borodino class) and Citizen (formerly Tsarevich) had to bear the brunt of the fierce battles with powerful German dreadnoughts in the Baltic. A squadron of Black Sea dreadnoughts also made up the main striking power in the hunt for the German battle cruiser Goeben and inflicted considerable damage on it. Dreadnoughts such as "Empress Mary" have not achieved much success. Roughly the same thing happened with the dreadnought fleet in other not too industrial countries. As for superdreadnoughts, domestic shipyards were never able to master a single such ship - the revolution prevented.
Summing up the dreadnoughts, we can conclude that they justified themselves only being part of the industrialized superpowers. In the "poor" fleets, ships of this type were no more than expensive toys, calculated more for moral pressure than for real combat. The first world war was left behind, the second began. The battleships turned into huge floating cities like the Yamato described above. By that time, only the United States, Britain and Japan could build such battleships and maintain their fleets. Germany and Italy also had line fleets, but more modest. This was the heyday of naval aviation and submarines. Battleships fought on all seas and oceans during World War II. And although during it there were many artillery battles in the old style, most of the dead ships of this type were destroyed by bombs and torpedoes of naval aviation based on aircraft carriers. The Second World War showed that the time of giants like the Yamato is over, and the reason is purely economic - to build and maintain such ships turned out to be too expensive even for the United States and Britain, not to mention other countries. During the Second World War, a huge number of cruisers, destroyers and other ships perished from the same weapon, but no one was going to abandon them. Even though they turned out to be an order of magnitude more vulnerable than battleships. The relative cheapness and mass production allowed these cardboard ships to occupy a niche, which was once occupied by an unlikely example of battleships of the "battleship" class, which were stronger both in armament and in protection.
One of the light cruisers of Project 68 bis. The ship with a displacement of 17,900 tons and a length of 214 m (!) With purely symbolic protection. Outwardly, it resembles an enlarged kayak, ready to break in half just on a big wave. With a length like a battleship of the Second World War, as the main armament, she had 12 "cannons" of 152 mm caliber (for comparison: the "Aurora" has almost the same 14) in four gun mounts, and for the same battleships of the "Borodino" type these twelve 152-mm guns were only an auxiliary universal caliber with a lower displacement. These absurd ships have replaced the compact and powerful naval tanks of the early 20th century. It's easy to guess about their real effectiveness. Where is his weaponry? Where is his booking? Where did you spend 17,900 tons? Is everything really at speed, which, after the war, with the advent of missile weapons, ceased to be a determining factor? Looking at this ship, you understand that the saying "Generals are preparing for the previous war" very often applies to the design bureau …
Today, the most massive warships are destroyers, frigates and corvettes. Ships with a length of 120-160 m, that is, about the size of a squadron battleship / dreadnought, and a displacement from 4,000 tons to 10,000 tons, that is, approximately like coastal defense battleships or class II battleships. The experience of their real combat use is summarized in a table, in which, for clarity, a similar experience of battleships of different generations is added.
As you can see from the table, all this modern technology is worthless. One Eagle of the same length withstood more than all of these frigates / destroyers put together. The question arises … Battleships like the Yamato cannot be built, since their construction and maintenance are too expensive. But, as practice shows, the construction of such cardboard boats also does not justify itself! Our shipbuilding industry barely gives birth to one such frigate for years, and in case of war, the Americans will sink them in five minutes! Someone will object: modern ships do not need armor, they have highly effective air defense / missile defense systems as part of air defense systems, ZAK, jammers, etc. As you can see from the table, this does not help. But you don't have to build giants like Yamato. As practice has shown, the most advanced and effective battleships in terms of quantity / quality are squadron battleships, the survivability of which is also several orders of magnitude higher than that of modern destroyers, and an order of magnitude higher than that of artillery cruisers of World War II.
The Russian Navy should seriously consider the issue of creating warships in the corps of battleships squadron of the early XX century. Of course, their armor will not protect against the P-700 Granit salvo, but they will fully withstand the same Exocet / Harpoon, and more than one. They will not explode from being hit by an RPG-7 grenade. The F1 "lemon" will not sink from the explosion and will not turn over from the explosion at the side of the motor boat with explosives. The requirements for such ships are approximately as follows.
Displacement: 10000-15000 tons.
Dimensions: length no more than 130 m, width no more than 25 m.
Reservations: common-citadel with domestic and local reservations. The total thickness of the "Chob-Ham" composite armor is up to 300 mm (side) and up to 150 mm (deck). The presence of a complex of built-in dynamic protection.
Mobility: maximum speed not less than 25 knots.
Armament: 1-2 heavy gun mounts with 203-305 mm guns. Active, active-rocket projectiles and anti-ship missiles launched through the barrels of these guns. 4-6 universal gun mounts, caliber 100-130 mm. The location of these gun mounts is onboard. A missile system for launching operational-tactical missiles with a nuclear warhead and their anti-ship variants. 4-6 torpedo tubes with homing torpedoes and missile-torpedo system. Anti-submarine defense complex. Anti-aircraft missile system.8-12 installations ZAK or ZRAK of the near zone of the air defense / missile defense. Necessary electronic equipment. One helicopter.
Using the example of the Borodino series battleships, it will look something like this:
And no matter how ridiculous this idea may seem, with the current boat fleet we are clearly not on the way. A large number of compact and powerful naval tanks are needed. Those that once made the hearts of Japanese samurai flutter and reckon with the British Grand Fleet.
