The most powerful battleship in the world. German battleships of World War II

First, some facts for thought.

In 1982, during the Falkland Islands conflict, two of the newest destroyers of the British Navy were sunk by Exocet anti-ship missiles, which did not even explode warheads. Relatively weak explosions, the remnants of unused fuel turned out to be quite enough to sink ships with a displacement of more than 4,500 tons, the basis of which were light, aluminum-magnesium alloys.

In the Persian Gulf in the mid-1980s, the American Oliver X. Perry-class Stark frigate was also hit by an Exocet anti-ship missile fired from an Iraqi fighter. This time, the warhead exploded, and the frigate received a huge hole in the side the size of a locomotive depot gate. Only absolute calm at sea and the fact that the missile hit the freeboard saved the frigate from death.

So, the most interesting thing is that armored or armored cruisers of the early 20th century, whose displacement and dimensions are not much larger than those of these ships, in all these cases would have gotten off with relatively small holes. And this makes us remember the ships, whose time, it would seem, has irretrievably gone. We are talking about battleships.

ABOUT THE SURVIVABILITY OF BATTLESHIPS

Someone will say that aviation during the Second World War and the subsequent appearance of nuclear weapons delivered a "sentence" to the battleships. However, not everything is as simple as it seemed twenty years ago.

Firstly, nuclear weapons tests showed that battleships turned out to be very resistant to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion and are guaranteed to be destroyed only when they are at a minimum distance from the epicenter. Moreover, there was no struggle for survivability on the "experimental" ships.

Secondly, in their time, even when they died, battleships demonstrated amazing resistance to combat damage.

Let's just give some examples. In May 1941, in the Atlantic, an English squadron led by the battleships King George V and Rodney met with the German battleship Bismarck. The artillery battle resulted in a genuine beating of the Bismarck, since the latter's fire control system was disabled by one of the very first volleys. Nevertheless, the British were only able to succeed when the Germans ran out of 381-mm ammunition and the Rodney began to shoot the German battleship almost point-blank, while at the same time the Bismarck was hit by cruisers and destroyers with torpedoes. But the battleship went under water only after the Germans themselves opened the kingstones and blew up explosive charges.

The Japanese battlecruiser "Hiei" in 1942 near the island of Guadalcanal, already abandoned by the crew, withstood several raids by carrier-based and base coastal aviation of the Americans. Having received four hits from heavy bombs and four torpedoes, she remained afloat and was flooded only by an emergency team that landed on her from Japanese destroyers.

In October 1944, the Musashi battleship was subjected to continuous attacks by many dozens of American carrier-based aircraft for several hours and sank, only getting hit by 20 (!) torpedoes and 17 (!) Air bombs weighing 454 and 908 kg.

And one more example. To sink the battleship Yamato, the Americans launched 226 (!) Bombers and torpedo bombers into the air. This is more than all aircraft of these types attacked all American battleships in Pearl Harbor!

Finally, thirdly, almost all known facts of the destruction of battleships by aviation relate either to cases of surprise attacks (Pearl Harbor), or to a situation where the sunken battleship did not have sufficient air defense systems, and one of the parties had overwhelming air superiority.

For example, the Japanese battleships "Yamato", "Musashi", "Hie" had a clearly unbalanced anti-aircraft artillery, since the relatively few 127 and 100 mm anti-aircraft guns were supplemented only with 25 mm machine guns, and there was no 37 or 40 mm artillery on these ships. There were also no naval anti-aircraft fire control systems associated with the radar.

The British battleship Prince of Wells and the battlecruiser Repulse, sunk in December 1941 in the South China Sea by Japanese base aircraft, also had unbalanced anti-aircraft weapons. On both ships, universal installations of 102 and 133 mm calibers were not sufficiently supplemented with small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft artillery (only two or three eight-barreled 40-mm pom-pons on each). As a consequence, both the Japanese battleships and the British ships were unable to repel the star-shaped raids by carrier-based or base coastal aviation.

In addition, the fate of the Prince of Wells battleship was affected by a tragic combination of circumstances - the explosion of a not very powerful aircraft torpedo tore off the propeller shaft from the mounts, which turned the side of the ship. Emergency diesel generators were flooded, which, due to a design error, were placed in one compartment in the aft. Therefore, the ship was left without bilge equipment, and also left without the energy of the installation of a universal 133-mm caliber.

BATTLESHIPS AGAINST AVIATION

On the other hand, if the battleship was properly armed, it could successfully stand up for itself in single combat with enemy aircraft. Striking results were demonstrated in the fall of 1942 by the American battleship South Dakota in the battles off the Santa Cruz Islands. The ship had ten 127-mm two-gun universal mounts, sixteen quad mounts of 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (64 barrels in total) and forty-nine 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns. The ammunition load of 127-mm guns included shells with radio fuses. In the battle, the battleship was attacked by a total of over 50 Japanese dive bombers and torpedo bombers. The ship shot down 26 enemy planes with anti-aircraft artillery fire. At the same time, the enemy managed to drop only one (!) bomb on him. "South Dakota" not only did not allow itself to be seriously damaged, but moreover, it covered the aircraft carrier "Enterprise" with itself, so that it did not receive serious damage. But the aircraft carrier Hornet, next to which there was no battleship, was sunk.

In total, the Japanese lost 100 aircraft in this battle. And in the air there were 233 Japanese aircraft and 171 American ones. That is, one battleship "South Dakota" destroyed 26 percent of all aircraft lost by the Japanese in this battle!

In the same way, during the landing operations of 1944-1945, when the Americans were faced with numerous Japanese base aircraft, the massive anti-aircraft artillery fire of their battleships thwarted all air attacks on these ships. Not one of the American ships received any serious damage, even if it turned out to be without carrier-based aviation cover. At the same time, two or three air bombs or one or two kamikaze hits on aircraft carriers put these ships out of action for a long time.

The experience of the war unambiguously showed that if there were numerous anti-aircraft and universal artillery on board the battleship with fire control systems associated with the radar, its sinking by aviation forces required the involvement of tens and hundreds, namely tens and hundreds, of aircraft. And it became possible only in conditions of absolute air supremacy of one of the parties. It is absolute dominance in the air!

REASONS FOR THE "SUNSET" OF THE BATTLESHIP CLASS

In fact, the era of battleships was considered gone when jet aircraft appeared. During the Second World War, only the Soviet Tu-2 dive bomber was capable of lifting two or three 1,000-kg bombs at once. All other deck and coastal dive bombers could lift one such bomb at most.

Jet fighter-bombers immediately began to carry as many large-caliber bombs as a World War II heavy bomber or even a flight of such aircraft carried. Four - six bombs up to 1,000 kg on the hardpoints of one aircraft became standard equipment for heavy jet attack aircraft and fighter-bombers. A link of four jet aircraft of these classes could bring down about 16-24 such bombs on a ship (for comparison, during the Second World War, such a number of bombs could be carried by the entire air group of a heavy aircraft carrier or coastal aviation regiment). The absence of automatic fire control systems on the battleships of that time did not allow them to successfully respond to the speeds of jet aircraft. Information about air targets was taken from the radar screens visually, then transmitted by voice via telephone or radio to the fire control post of anti-aircraft artillery, manually entered into anti-aircraft fire control devices, then transmitted via communication lines to the guns, and there the gunners manually worked out these settings on anti-aircraft guns. tools. Naturally, the reaction time to the movement of air targets was huge, anti-aircraft artillery was late, did not have time to track targets. At best, she led a barrage.

The appearance of anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) did not immediately solve the problem. The control systems of the air defense systems of the first and second generations made it possible to fire only one target from each launcher. At the same time, the launchers of the air defense system on the battleship, even considering its size, could have four to six, no more. The ship could be attacked by not one, not two or three, but ten or more aircraft and missiles at the same time. Even quite numerous air defense systems of the first or second generations were not able to cope with such an attack. And everyone decided that the time of armored giants was gone. Nevertheless, in the opinion of the author of these lines, such ships were clearly in a hurry to “write off”, which we will discuss in more detail later.

In the same way, in my opinion, the idea that battleships are very vulnerable to strikes from under water is untenable. Let's look again at examples from World War II. German submarines managed to sink two British battleships - Royal Oak and Barham, but five aircraft carriers were sunk by Nazi submarines, including two large British ones - Eagle and Coreijers. The loss ratio speaks for itself.

It's a paradox, but modern realities have saved battleships from their most terrible enemies in the air - dive bombers and torpedo bombers. The main weapon of modern aviation - anti-ship missiles - again brought to the fore the issues of ship security.

Let's look at the main components of the possible combat power of modern battleships: security, weapons, energy.

WHAT CAN BE THE LOOK OF A MODERN BATTLESHIP

Modern achievements in metallurgy in the field of high-alloy steels and titanium alloys will allow the battleship to have armor equivalent in terms of protection to 356 - 380-mm armor of the past, but with a smaller thickness and mass, which will make it possible to redistribute the released mass and volumes for armament. As a result, anti-ship missiles, deadly dangerous for ships made of light alloys, will no longer carry a deadly threat for a modern battleship, encased in a shell equivalent to 356-380 mm armor.

One of the most common anti-ship missiles in the West is the American Harpoon. It carries a warhead weighing 225 kg. In addition, this warhead is high-explosive, not suitable for penetrating thick armor. Thus, this missile is not able to penetrate inside the armored citadel of the ship, where the magazines of ammunition, below-deck missile launchers, boiler room and engine room are located, and, having exploded there, cause irreparable damage to it. On approaching a target at a distance of about 100 km, this missile is equivalent in mass to a 305-mm high-explosive projectile, and its approach speed is two times less than that of the same projectile at the end.

Most anti-ship missiles (ASMs) carry a combined inertial and active radar guidance system. The missile is guided by the reflected radio signal at the largest object or at the target captured first. Therefore, target selection by the point of impact on the target is not carried out. Therefore, from the point of view of probability theory, the most probable point of impact of anti-ship missiles is the middle part of the hull and superstructures. Namely, this part of the design is most protected in battleships.

In the case of using the "French" booking system, when the armor belt extends from bow to stern, the thickness of the armor can vary from the equivalent of armor protection 102 - 127 mm at the extremities to 356 - 380 mm in the "citadel" area. That is, the freeboard on all or more of its length will provide sufficiently reliable protection against anti-ship missiles.

And even the use of the “all or nothing” reservation scheme, when the “citadel” is armored to the maximum, and the extremities are covered with only minimal protection, provides a high degree of security in the case of anti-ship missiles. Since, we recall, the most likely point of impact - the middle part of the ship - is protected to the maximum.

Moreover, even if a missile makes a “hill” before hitting the target and hits the ship on the deck, not everything is as tragic for a battleship as it is for other types of ships. The fact is that it has an armored deck or even several decks with a total thickness of 127-180 mm, which makes them practically impervious to high-explosive anti-ship missile warheads.

Thus, to reliably destroy a battleship, it will be necessary to urgently develop missiles with a flight speed of the order of 650-700 m / s or more, with an armor-piercing warhead weighing 750-800 kg, which will entail (while maintaining a flight range of 120-180 km) a sharp an increase in the mass of anti-ship missiles (up to about 3-5 tons) and, accordingly, a decrease in the number of these missiles lifted by one carrier aircraft. It will also require serious improvements to the carriers of such anti-ship missiles. And if now, in order to hit a large surface target, it is enough to bring one or two carrier aircraft with two to four missiles on each of them to the launch line of anti-ship missiles, then to attack a battleship, you will have to lift an entire aviation group into the air, including heavy aircraft capable of carry 3 - 5-ton heavy rockets.

As for guided bombs or air-to-surface missiles with laser or television guidance, when it is possible to aim a missile or bomb at a vulnerable spot, in these cases, the carrier aircraft themselves find themselves in the battleship’s air defense zone and can be neutralized.

As a result, we come to a situation where a modern battleship needs to be attacked directly by aircraft in order to hit the deck with an armor-piercing bomb from a dive or hit it with a torpedo.

However, there remains a risk of failure of fire control systems, weapon guidance and detection of surface and air targets as a result of the destruction of superstructures. This problem can be solved on a battleship due to its size: it is possible to duplicate and triple control and detection systems, create both centralized and local decentralized fire and weapon control systems.

WEAPONS COMPLEX FOR A MODERN BATTLESHIP

A modern battleship with a displacement of 55-57 thousand tons will be able to carry the entire range of weapons: strike, air defense and anti-aircraft defense (anti-aircraft and anti-submarine),

IMPACT WEAPONS

If we start from domestic standards, then the strike armament of modern battleships can be represented by main caliber artillery (14-16 inches), universal caliber (130-mm installations), anti-ship missile systems (SCRK) of long and medium range (BD and SRD), cruise long-range missiles (CRBD). For example:

• 3 (with 16-inch guns) or 4 (with 14-inch guns) main battery turrets;
• up to 8 twin 130-mm gun mounts (4 mounts per board);
• below-deck vertical launch units (UVP) of the PKRK BD, armored launchers (PU) of the PKR SrD and KRBD on the deck and superstructures (or below-deck UVP for the PKR SrD and KRBD).

The modern development of information technologies provides high automation of fire control of the artillery of the main caliber of the battleship. In the same way, the modern development of mechanization and automation tools makes it possible to automate loading processes as much as possible. Cooling the barrels with outboard water will provide a significantly higher rate of fire for the main caliber guns compared to the predecessors of previous years. The 356-406-mm artillery caliber will make it possible to have guided projectiles in the ammunition load, which will provide a sharp increase in firing accuracy. Thus, it will be possible to achieve a significant reduction in the consumption of ammunition when performing fire missions to support landings on the coast occupied by the enemy.

As a result, a modern battleship will be able to perform the following tasks:

• strike with the main and universal artillery calibers at the enemy's defensive positions on the coast with the support of landings;
• to attack with cruise missiles objects in the depths of the mainland;
• strike at enemy ship formations with long and medium range SCRC, and when approaching - with artillery.

ANTI-AIR WEAPONS

Air defense systems can be represented by the following elements:

• anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) long-range (BD) and short-range (MD) located in the under-deck UVP;
• anti-aircraft missile and gun mounts (ZRPK), anti-aircraft artillery systems (ZAK), as well as a universal artillery caliber used to solve air defense tasks.

A multifunctional automated anti-aircraft weapon control system based on high-performance computers will provide airspace control, tracking and simultaneous engagement of a large number of targets - from ranges of hundreds of kilometers and to the immediate vicinity of the ship. And the large size of the battleship will make it possible to have a significant ammunition load for air defense systems.

Thus, the battleship will be able to solve the following air defense tasks:

• form the basis of the air defense orders of warships;
• to hit carriers of anti-ship missiles and high-precision weapons (HTO) at extreme ranges by means of air defense systems of the database or to prohibit their attacks;
• to directly hit the anti-ship missiles and weapons of the WTO when they approach the ship with the means of the MD, ZPRK and ZAK air defense systems;
• to hit attacking aircraft carrying free-falling bombs by means of air defense systems outside the zone of dropping their bomb load.

At the same time, air defense is echeloned. Having broken through the zone of destruction of long-range air defense systems, attacking aircraft and weapons find themselves in the zone of fire of 130-mm guns and air defense systems MD. Finally, the last frontier is the 30-mm ZAK and ZPRK. A breakthrough through such a layered air defense will be associated with significant losses.

ANTI-SUB WEAPON

A modern battleship can be equipped with sufficiently effective anti-aircraft defense systems, primarily a helicopter, as well as anti-submarine guided missiles (PLUR) and torpedoes in universal rocket-torpedo launchers (URTPU), rocket launchers (RBU). This will make it possible to hit enemy submarines (submarines) both at a great distance and if they are detected in the immediate vicinity of the ship. The presence of a significant ammunition load of PLURs, anti-submarine torpedoes and reactive depth charges will make it possible to fight enemy submarines actively, offensively, until the enemy is destroyed, and not be satisfied with just disrupting an attack by an enemy submarine.

IN A nutshell - ABOUT ENERGY

The experience of operating nuclear surface and submarine ships unambiguously indicates that the most promising for a modern battleship is a nuclear power plant. It will not only reduce the cost of maintaining the daily activities of the ship, but also provide an unlimited range.

However, if the battleship will be created for operations not so much in the ocean as in coastal waters, which implies frequent calls to ports, then, of course, it would be more appropriate to use a conventional power plant.

ON THE ADVANTAGE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN BATTLESHIPS

First of all, together with the escort ships, the battleship forms a powerful naval strike group capable of solving a wide range of tasks. The high combat stability of the battleship will make it necessary to attract large forces not only of ships and carrier-based aircraft, but also coastal-based aircraft to counter it. This will weaken the influence of the latter on other forces of the fleet, and this will ensure greater freedom of action.

But even in ocean theaters, the presence of battleships can significantly increase the combat potential, especially of airborne landing formations. Thus, during the first Iraqi war (early 1990s), there was an enormous psychological impact on Iraqi soldiers of artillery fire from 16-inch guns of the main caliber of American battleships. The introduction of guided projectiles into the ammunition load of the main caliber made it possible to achieve the highest firing accuracy.

The battleship, like no other ship, is suitable for displaying the flag. An aircraft carrier, for all its impressiveness, does not have the opportunity to anchor in view of the coast of the state where undesirable processes are taking place, since even one battery of six-inch howitzers, secretly exposed to direct fire, can cause irreparable damage to the “master of the seas”. And not only six-inch howitzers - even a single tank with a 100-mm cannon, with a good combination of circumstances, can deliver a fatal blow to an aircraft carrier. Similarly, modern cruisers and destroyers close to shore are highly vulnerable to artillery fire.

The armored giant, on the other hand, is able not only to withstand shelling with artillery up to and including 203.2 mm caliber without much damage, but also to give a crushing rebuff almost instantly. And the impressive size of the ship and the caliber of its guns can make many hotheads cool down and not take things to extremes.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Of course, the opponent may object to all these arguments, taking as an example the same United States, where they refuse their Iowa-class battleships.

However, the fact is that, firstly, these battleships were built during the Second World War and they could not be adapted to modern weapons systems, primarily air defense systems. In addition, it was not possible to replace 127-mm twin gun mounts with Mk38 guns with modern 127-mm automatic mounts with water-cooled barrels without serious and costly design improvements. Secondly, after the collapse of the USSR, the Americans adopted the concept of the so-called "non-contact war" as the basis of their strategy. This strategy is based on the defeat of the enemy by the forces of the Air Force, carrier-based aircraft and cruise missiles in conditions of absolute superiority in forces and absolute air supremacy. Landing from the sea is supposed only after the complete suppression of enemy defenses on the coast.

The examples of Iraq and Yugoslavia are just such cases, the war was waged against states exhausted by the blockade. In recent years, it has not been necessary to face an adversary more or less equivalent to the United States. But if such a collision is simulated, it will immediately become clear that relying only on air and missile strikes is futile. It is no coincidence that the United States is by no means in a hurry to launch a war against Iran or North Korea, since it is not sure that it will not receive an adequate rebuff. As well as in the fact that it will be possible to avoid the destruction of their ships by means of enemy weapons, primarily anti-ship missiles. That is, their ship groups can be inflicted with the so-called "unacceptable damage."

In addition, it is worth looking closely at the cost-effectiveness criterion. Which option is more effective: to make two hundred - two hundred and fifty sorties of carrier-based aircraft, or to fire 800-900 shells from 356-mm or 406-mm guns, including 200-300 guided ones, with the same effectiveness of hitting targets? The answer suggests itself.

In addition, exploratory R&D is being carried out in the United States to create the so-called "ships - carriers of weapons." These are ships of large displacement, with powerful protection, carrying a large number of various weapons - artillery and missiles. So far, due to the lack of an urgent need, their creation has not been translated into a practical plane. However, in case of threats, preliminary developments can be quickly transferred to the stage of direct implementation.

Therefore, do not rush to reject the idea of ​​reviving the class of battleships on the move. It is possible that the renaissance of this class of ships is yet to come.

(A. Lobanov, "Soldier of Fortune")

World War II was the golden age of battleships. The powers that claimed dominance at sea, in the pre-war years and the first few war years, laid on the stocks several dozen giant armored ships with powerful main-caliber guns. As the practice of the combat use of “steel monsters” has shown, battleships acted very effectively against formations of enemy warships, even being in the numerical minority, capable of terrifying convoys from cargo ships, but they can practically oppose nothing to aircraft that, with several hits of torpedoes and bombs, can let multi-ton giants to the bottom. During the Second World War, the Germans and Japanese preferred not to risk battleships, keeping them away from the main naval battles, throwing them into battle only at critical moments, using them very inefficiently. In turn, the Americans mainly used battleships to cover aircraft carrier groups and amphibious landings in the Pacific Ocean. Meet the ten biggest battleships of World War II.

10. Richelieu, France

Battleship "Richelieu" of the same class, has a weight of 47,500 tons and a length of 247 meters, eight guns of the main caliber of 380 mm caliber placed in two towers. The ships of this class were created by the French to counter the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean. The ship was launched in 1939 and was adopted by the French Navy a year later. The Richelieu did not actually take part in the Second World War, except for a collision with a British aircraft carrier group in 1941, during an American operation against Vichy forces in Africa. In the post-war period, the battleship was involved in the war in Indochina, covering naval convoys and supporting French troops with fire during landing operations. The battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and decommissioned in 1967.

9. Jean Bar, France

The French battleship "Jean Bar", class "Richelieu", was launched in 1940, but by the beginning of the Second World War, it was never put into the fleet. At the time of the German attack on France, the ship was 75% ready (only one main battery turret was installed), the battleship was able to get from Europe to the Moroccan port of Casablanca under its own power. Despite the absence of part of the weapons, the Jean Bar managed to take part in the hostilities on the side of the Axis countries, repelling the attacks of the US-British forces during the Allied landing in Morocco. After several hits by the main caliber guns of American battleships and aerial bombs, the ship sank on November 10, 1942. In 1944, "Jean Bar" was raised and sent to the shipyards for repairs and rearmament. The ship became part of the French Navy only in 1949, never took part in any military operation. In 1961, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and sent for scrap.

8. Tirpitz, Germany

The German battleship Tirpitz of the Bismarck class, launched in 1939 and put into service in 1940, had a displacement of 40,153 tons and a length of 251 meters. Eight main guns with a caliber of 380 millimeters were placed in four towers. Vessels of this class were intended for raider operations against the enemy merchant fleet. During the Second World War, after the loss of the battleship Bismarck, the German command preferred not to use heavy ships in the maritime theater of operations, in order to avoid their loss. Tirpitz spent most of the war in the fortified Norwegian fjords, taking part in only three operations to intercept convoys and support landings on the islands. The battleship sank on November 14, 1944 during a raid by British bombers, after being hit by three aerial bombs.

7. Bismarck, Germany

The battleship Bismarck, commissioned in 1940, is the only ship on this list to take part in a truly epic naval battle. For three days, the Bismarck, in the North Sea and the Atlantic, stood alone against almost the entire British fleet. The battleship was able to sink the pride of the British fleet, the cruiser Hood, in battle, and seriously damaged several ships. After numerous hits by shells and torpedoes, the battleship went under water on May 27, 1941.

6. Wisconsin, USA

The American battleship "Wisconsin", class "Iowa", with a displacement of 55,710 tons, has a length of 270 meters, on board, which has three turrets with nine 406 mm main battery guns. The ship was launched in 1943 and entered service in 1944. In 1991, the ship was withdrawn from the fleet, but remained in the US Navy reserve until 2006, becoming the last battleship in the US Navy reserve. During World War II, the ship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, support amphibious operations, and bombard the coastal fortifications of the Japanese army. In the post-war period, he participated in the Persian Gulf War.

5. New Jersey, USA

The Iowa-class battleship New Jersey was launched in 1942 and entered service in 1943. The ship went through several major upgrades, and was eventually decommissioned from the fleet in 1991. During the Second World War, it was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, but did not really participate in any serious naval battle. For the next 46 years, she participated in the Korean, Vietnamese and Libyan wars as a support ship.

4. Missouri, USA

The Iowa-class battleship Missouri was launched in 1944 and commissioned into the Pacific Fleet the same year. The ship was withdrawn from the fleet in 1992, and turned into a floating museum ship, which is now available for anyone to visit. During the Second World War, the battleship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups and support amphibious landings, and did not participate in any serious naval battle. It was on board the Missouri that the Japanese surrender pact was signed, which put an end to World War II. In the post-war period, the battleship participated in only one major military operation, namely the Gulf War, during which the Missouri provided fire support to the multinational forces from the sea.

3. Iowa, USA

The Iowa battleship, class of the same name, was launched in 1942 and was put into service a year later, fought on all oceanic fronts of World War II. At first, he patrolled the northern latitudes of the US Atlantic coast, after which he was transferred to the Pacific Ocean, where he covered aircraft carrier groups, supported landing forces, attacked enemy coastal fortifications, and participated in several naval operations to intercept strike groups of the Japanese fleet. During the Korean War, she provided artillery fire support for ground forces from the sea. In 1990, the Iowa was decommissioned and turned into a museum ship.

2. Yamato, Japan

The pride of the Japanese Imperial Navy, the Yamato battleship had a length of 247 meters, weighed 47,500 tons, had three turrets with 9 460 mm main caliber guns on board. The ship was launched in 1939, but was ready to go to sea on a military campaign only in 1942. For the entire duration of the war, the battleship took part in only three real battles, of which only in one was it able to fire on enemy ships from main battery guns. Yamato was sunk on 7 April 1945 by enemy aircraft after being hit by 13 torpedoes and 13 bombs. Today, the Yamato-class ships are considered the largest battleships in the world.

1. Musashi, Japan

"Musashi" is the younger brother of the battleship "Yamato", has similar technical characteristics and armament. The ship was launched in 1940, was put into service in 1942, but was ready to go on a military campaign only in 1943. The battleship participated in only one serious naval battle, trying to prevent the Allies from landing troops in the Philippines. On October 24, 1944, after a 16-hour battle, Musashi sank in the Sibuyan Sea, after being hit by several torpedoes and aerial bombs. Musashi, along with her brother Yamato, is considered the largest battleship in the world.

Richelieu Length 247.9 m

The French giant opens the rating of the largest battleships in the world " Richelieu» 247.9 meters long and with a displacement of 47 thousand tons. The ship is named after the famous statesman of France, Cardinal Richelieu. A battleship was built to counter the Italian navy. The battleship Richelieu did not conduct active hostilities, except for participation in the Senegal operation in 1940. In 1968, the supership was scrapped. One of his guns was erected as a monument in the port of Brest.

9

Bismarck Length 251 m

Legendary German ship Bismarck"ranks 9th among the largest battleships in the world. The length of the vessel is 251 meters, the displacement is 51 thousand tons. The Bismarck left the shipyard in 1939. The Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler, was present at its launch. One of the most famous ships of the Second World War was sunk in May 1941 after prolonged fighting by British ships and torpedo bombers in retaliation for the destruction of the British flagship, the cruiser Hood, by a German battleship.

8

TirpitzShip 253.6 m

On the 8th place in the list of the largest battleships is the German " Tirpitz". The length of the vessel was 253.6 meters, displacement - 53 thousand tons. After the death of the "big brother", "Bismarck", the second of the most powerful German battleships practically failed to take part in naval battles. Launched in 1939, the Tirpitz was destroyed in 1944 by torpedo bombers.

7

Yamato Length 263 m

« Yamato"- one of the largest battleships in the world and the largest warship in history ever sunk in a sea battle.

"Yamato" (in translation, the name of the ship means the ancient name of the Land of the Rising Sun) was the pride of the Japanese navy, although due to the fact that the huge ship was protected, the attitude of ordinary sailors towards it was ambiguous.

The Yamato entered service in 1941. The length of the battleship was 263 meters, displacement - 72 thousand tons. Crew - 2500 people. Until October 1944, the largest ship in Japan practically did not participate in the battles. In Leyte Gulf, the Yamato opened fire on American ships for the first time. As it turned out later, none of the main calibers hit the target.

Japan's last pride hike

On April 6, 1945, the Yamato went on its last campaign. American troops landed on Okinawa, and the remnants of the Japanese fleet were tasked with destroying enemy forces and supply ships. The Yamato and the rest of the ships of the formation were attacked by 227 American deck ships for a two-hour period. Japan's largest battleship went out of action, having received about 23 hits from aerial bombs and torpedoes. As a result of the explosion of the bow compartment, the ship sank. Of the crew, 269 people survived, 3 thousand sailors died.

6

Musashi Length 263 m

The largest battleships in the world include " Musashi"With a hull length of 263 meters and a displacement of 72 thousand tons. This is the second giant battleship built by Japan during World War II. The ship entered service in 1942. The fate of "Musashi" was tragic. The first campaign ended with a hole in the bow, resulting from a torpedo attack by an American submarine. In October 1944, Japan's two largest battleships finally came into serious combat. In the Sibuyan Sea, they were attacked by American aircraft. Coincidentally, the enemy's main attack was on the Musashi. The ship sank after being hit by about 30 torpedoes and bombs. Together with the ship, its captain and more than a thousand crew members died.

On March 4, 2015, 70 years after the sinking, the Musashi was discovered by American millionaire Paul Allen. It is located in the Sibuyan Sea at a depth of one and a half kilometers. "Musashi" takes 6th place in the list of the largest battleships in the world.

5

Soviet Union Length 269 m

Incredibly, not a single super battleship was built by the Soviet Union. In 1938, the battleship " Soviet Union". The length of the ship was to be 269 meters, and the displacement - 65 thousand tons. By the beginning of World War II, the battleship was built at 19%. It was not possible to complete the ship, which could become one of the largest battleships in the world.

4

Wisconsin Length 270 m

American battleship " Wisconsin"is located in 4th place in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world. It was 270 meters long and had a displacement of 55,000 tons. He entered service in 1944. During World War II, he accompanied aircraft carrier groups and supported amphibious operations. Served during the Gulf War. The Wisconsin is one of the last battleships in the US Navy Reserve. Was decommissioned in 2006. Now the ship is in the parking lot in the city of Norfolk.

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IowaLength 270 m

Iowa With a length of 270 meters and a displacement of 58,000 tons, it ranks third in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world. The ship entered service in 1943. During the Second World War, "Iowa" actively participated in combat operations. In 2012, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet. Now the ship is in the port of Los Angeles as a museum.

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New Jersey Length 270.53 m

The second place in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world is occupied by an American ship. New Jersey or Black Dragon. Its length is 270.53 meters. Refers to the Iowa-class battleships. Left the shipyard in 1942. The New Jersey is a true veteran of naval battles and the only ship that took part in the Vietnam War. Here he played the role of supporting the army. After 21 years of service, it was withdrawn from the fleet in 1991 and received the status of a museum. Now the ship is parked in the city of Camden.

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Missouri Length 271 m

American ship of the line Missouri"tops the list of the largest battleships in the world. It is interesting not only for its impressive size (the length of the ship is 271 meters), but also for the fact that it is the last American battleship. In addition, the Missouri went down in history due to the fact that the surrender of Japan was signed on board in September 1945.

The supership was launched in 1944. Its main task was to escort Pacific aircraft carrier formations. Participated in the war in the Persian Gulf, where he opened fire for the last time. In 1992, he was withdrawn from the US Navy. Since 1998, the Missouri has had the status of a museum ship. The parking lot of the legendary ship is located in Pearl Harbor. Being one of the most famous warships in the world, it has been featured in documentaries and feature films more than once.

High hopes were placed on heavy-duty ships. Characteristically, they never justified themselves. Here is a good example of the largest battleships ever built by man - the Japanese battleships "Musashi" and "Yamato". Both of them were defeated by the attack of American bombers, without having time to fire at the enemy ships from their main calibers. However, if they met in battle, the advantage would still be on the side of the American fleet, equipped by that time with ten battleships against two Japanese giants.

09 Sep 2012

At the end of the 1930s, in several countries concerned with questions of naval power, the idea of ​​​​creating super-powerful battleships was born almost simultaneously, which would guarantee them superiority at sea. These battleships were supposed to surpass everything created before them. The first to start creating super battleships was in Japan, then in the USSR, Germany and, finally, in the USA. Interestingly, the mistress of the seas, Great Britain, not only did not create super battleships, but also tried to dissuade other great maritime powers from this. Only Japan completed the construction of super battleships.
On February 6, 1922, the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan concluded the Washington Agreement on the Limitation of Naval Arms. The agreement established a "naval vacation" for a period of 10 years, when no large ships were laid down. The agreement lasted until 1936, with the British tried to convince everyone to limit the size of new ships to 26 thousand tons of displacement and 305 mm of the main caliber. However, only the French agreed to this when building a pair of small battleships of the Dunkirk type, designed to counter the German pocket battleships of the Deutschland type, as well as the Germans themselves, who sought to somehow get out of the Versailles Treaty, and agreed to such restrictions. during the construction of ships of the Scharnhorst type, however, they did not keep their promises regarding displacement. After 1936, the naval arms race resumed, although formally the ships were still subject to the restrictions of the Washington Agreement. In 1940, already during the war, it was decided to raise the displacement limit to 45 thousand tons, although such a decision no longer played any role.
The ships became so expensive that the decision to build them became purely political and was often lobbied by industry to secure orders for heavy industry. The political leadership agreed to the construction of such ships, hoping to provide employment for workers in the shipbuilding and other industries during the years of the Great Depression and the subsequent economic recovery.
The military was in no hurry to abandon proven solutions and rely on aviation and submarines, believing that the use of the latest technological advances would allow new high-speed battleships to successfully perform their tasks in new conditions. The most noticeable novelties on the battleships were the gearbox installations introduced on the Nelson-class ships, which allowed the propellers to operate in the most favorable modes, and the use of steam with higher parameters made it possible to increase the power of one unit to 40-70 thousand hp. This made it possible to raise the speed of the new battleships to 27-30 knots.
Japan.
In 1934, the Japanese leadership made a secret decision to refuse to comply with the treaty limits (35,000 tons) and develop a project that is obviously superior to foreign ones. It was believed that the United States would not build battleships that were unable to pass the Panama Canal, and therefore, their displacement would be limited, according to Japanese experts, to 60,000 tons (in fact, as shown by the construction of battleships of the Montana type, which did not pass through the then parameters of the canal, this estimate is underestimated).
The Japanese admirals, who considered battleships to be the main striking force of the fleet, believed that ships of this type, if built in sufficient numbers, would provide the Imperial Navy with a decisive advantage in the proposed general battle with the US Pacific Fleet. Only the authoritative Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku was of the opinion about the decisive role of aircraft carriers and the insignificant potential of battleships.
Yamato was laid down on November 4, 1937 at the Navy shipyard in Kure. His "brother" "Musashi" was laid down on March 29, 1938 at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki. Construction was carried out in an atmosphere of unprecedented secrecy. The place of construction was closed on all sides by sheds of sisal mats; after the ships were launched, they were additionally covered with camouflage nets. Photos of all workers were placed in special albums and compared with them all entering and leaving. The work was organized in such a way that none of the engineers could get all the drawings and specifications. For the purpose of disinformation, all documents indicated the underestimated caliber of the main guns - 406 mm, and the construction budget was divided into different projects so that the huge cost was not striking. The preservation of the secret was eventually ensured - the true characteristics of the battleships were not known abroad until the very end of the war.

"Yamato" in completion. 1941

The costs and difficulties faced by the Japanese are in many ways reminiscent of the history of the construction of our battleships of the "Soviet Union" type. For the successful completion of such projects, significant efforts were required by the economy of the whole country, comparable to modern space programs, and a lot of tasks had to be solved that were not directly related to shipbuilding.
In particular, it was necessary to modernize metallurgical plants, create new floating cranes, tugboats, and build a special ship with a displacement of 13,800 tons to transport the main caliber towers. To ensure the further construction of the series, the Japanese began the construction of four large docks, but did not manage to fully complete the work.
Formally, having the thickest armor among battleships, the Yamato was not the most protected. Japanese metallurgy in the 1930s lagged behind that of the West, and deteriorating Anglo-Japanese relations made access to the latest technology impossible. The new Japanese armor type VH (Vickers Hardened) was developed on the basis of the British VC (Vickers Cemented), produced in Japan under license since 1910. According to American experts who studied this armor after the war, its protective effectiveness was estimated by a factor of 0.86 in relation to to American "A" class armor. Especially high-quality British CA armor was inferior to the Japanese model by almost a third, that is, for the equivalent of 410 mm VH, 300 mm CA was enough.

"Yamato", 1945. Auxiliary caliber side turrets replaced by 127 mm anti-aircraft guns. Scheme

The lag in the quality of armor material, combined with the huge size of the designed battleships, led the designers to the idea of ​​solving the problem of protection "on the forehead", that is, by increasing the thickness of the armor to the maximum. The Yamato-class battleships were armored according to the "all or nothing" scheme, which meant the creation of an armored citadel that protected the ship's vital centers, providing a reserve of buoyancy, but leaving everything else unprotected. The Yamato Citadel turned out to be the shortest among the battleships built in the 30s in relation to the length of the ship - only 53.5%.
The generalized assessment of the quality of armor and its assembly on the latest battleships in Japan leaves much to be desired. This is due, first of all, to the scale of the problems posed to the creators of the world's largest battleships ... the quality of the armor as a whole turned out to be mediocre, that is, worse than it could be with such large dimensions and armor thickness.
The already existing 410 mm guns were considered insufficiently powerful, and the decision was made in favor of the 460 mm. The development of these guns was started in 1934 and completed by 1939. In order to maintain secrecy, they were called "40-SK model 94". The design, by virtue of continuity from the development of the early 1920s, was a combination of modern bonded technology with archaic wire winding. The length of the barrel was 45 calibers, the weight of the barrel was 165 tons; a total of 27 barrels were produced. Loading was carried out at a fixed angle of + 3 °, the rate of fire, depending on the firing range, was one and a half - two shots per minute. Each of the three gun turrets weighed 2,510 tons.

"Yamato" on trials. 1941

The battleships' instrumentation was very sparse by Western standards when they entered service. In fact, the Yamato and Musashi had a set of radio stations common to Japanese ships, but with significantly increased power, which made it possible to use them as flagships. At the beginning of 1942, not a single ship of the Imperial Navy had a radar.
In general, the electronic equipment of Japanese ships was backward, which was especially evident in battles, which often took place in conditions of limited visibility or at night. This fact can be explained by underestimating the role of electronic equipment, since, if desired, ships could be equipped with very advanced German radars.
When commissioned, the Yamato crew consisted of 2,200 people, including 150 officers, but in reality it was much larger from the very beginning. "Musashi" went out to participate in the battle for the Philippines, with 2400 people on board; the Yamato crew in its last campaign exceeded 3000, which was due to an increase in the number of anti-aircraft artillery servants.
Living conditions on the Yamato, although they looked unsatisfactory by European and even more American standards, were significantly better than on earlier Japanese battleships: on the Yamato, each crew member had 3.2 cubic meters of living quarters, while on predecessors - from 2.2 to 2.6. The Yamato looked even more comfortable against the background of heavy cruisers (1.3-1.5 cubic meters), and even more so destroyers (1 cubic meter). It is not surprising that in the Japanese fleet, the Yamato and Musashi were nicknamed "hotels" - they even had large vats for bathing the crew, while on the vast majority of Japanese ships hygiene procedures were reduced to pouring water on the upper deck. However, the cockpits were still cramped, the aisles were narrow, and the galleys and plumbing fixtures were primitive. Japanese designers traditionally did not consider the amenities for the crew as their priority, believing that the sailors of the Imperial Navy should endure any difficulties.
In October 1944, the Japanese super battleships were finally thrown into serious combat. The Americans began landing in the Philippines, and if successful, the operation could destroy the Japanese defensive perimeter and cut off Japan from the main sources of raw materials and oil. The stake was too high, and the Japanese command decided to conduct a general battle. The “Se-Go” (“Victory”) plan drawn up by him was an outstanding achievement of operational art. Since the aircraft carrier forces of the Imperial Navy had fallen into decay by that time, the main role was assigned to large artillery ships.
On the morning of October 24, when Japanese ships were in the Sibuyan Sea, massive attacks by American carrier-based aircraft began. Due to coincidences, the main attacks of the Americans were aimed at Musashi. During the first three hours, the battleship received at least three torpedo and a number of bomb hits. The list was corrected by counter-flooding, but the ship had already taken on too much water, had a large trim on the bow and was gradually losing speed. After 15 hours, the battleship was again subjected to powerful attacks by torpedo bombers and dive bombers and received many torpedo and bomb hits. Although the attacks ended after 16 hours, the flooding of the battleship's interior was out of control.
At 19.36 the battleship capsized and sank. In total, Musashi received 11-19 hits from torpedoes and 10-17 bombs. 1023 crew members were killed, including its commander, Rear Admiral Inoguchi, who chose to die along with his ship. The losses of the Americans amounted to 18 aircraft out of 259 participating in the attacks.

"Musashi" under American bombs. Sea Sibuyan, 24 October 1944
On the Yamato, which became the flagship of the Japanese formation, they mistook the enemy for one of the high-speed aircraft carrier groups and believed that it included cruisers. Nevertheless, the Japanese entered the battle. "Yamato" for the first time in his career opened fire on a surface enemy at 6:58 from a distance of 27 km. The first volleys hit the aircraft carrier White Plains, and the gunners believed they had hit.
Subsequently, the battle was reduced to the pursuit by the Japanese of a slow-moving enemy, who responded with attacks by aircraft and destroyers. Over the next three hours, Japanese ships fired on numerous targets and considered several American aircraft carriers and cruisers sunk. Shooting was hampered by periodic rain squalls and smoke screens of the enemy. As a result of a large difference in speed (up to 10 knots), the Japanese connection was stretched out, and Admiral Kurita lost control of the battle. At 10:20, the 1st subversive formation disengaged and turned back, although the path to Leyte Gulf, where the American transports had gathered, was open.
It was like a last-minute reversal of a death sentence, although the Americans could not tell at the time whether it was a reversal of the sentence or only a stay of execution.
American losses in the Battle of Leyte Gulf amounted to 1 escort aircraft carrier, 2 destroyers and 1 escort destroyer. Despite the confidence of the Yamato gunners in the good results of their shooting, post-war studies showed that most likely the Yamato did not achieve a single hit with the main caliber, although a number of covers were recorded.
This was the only battle in history when battleships and cruisers kept their sights on aircraft carriers, and those in response took off their planes. The Japanese missed their chance, losing the final battle with a score of 1:3 (for one aircraft carrier they had to pay with the loss of three heavy cruisers). Such a result, despite all its illogicality (the confusion of the Japanese admiral determined too much), became quite symbolic - the aircraft armed with bombs and torpedoes turned out to be stronger than the most powerful artillery.
There is also a point of view that due to the large slowdown before the burst of Japanese shells, the shells of heavy Japanese guns pierced through the unarmored extremities of American ships and exploded far behind them, which led to low losses of Americans, despite the high percentage of covering.
On April 1, 1945, American troops landed on Okinawa. Since the garrison of the island had no chance to repel the landing, the Japanese command made the main bet on suicidal methods of struggle. The fleet also did not stand aside, proposing to use the Yamato to attack enemy landing craft, despite the enemy's dominance in the air and at sea.
On the morning of April 6, 1945, a unit consisting of Yamato, 1 light cruiser and 8 destroyers went to sea to participate in Operation Ten-ichi-go (Heaven-1).
The Japanese formation was discovered by the enemy in the early morning of April 7th. Starting from noon, the Yamato and its escort were subjected to powerful attacks by American carrier-based aircraft (227 vehicles in total). Two hours later, the battleship, having received up to 10 hits from torpedoes and 13 hits from aerial bombs, failed. At 14.23 local time, the bow cellar of the main caliber artillery exploded, after which the Yamato sank. Only 269 people were saved, 3061 crew members died. American losses amounted to 10 aircraft and 12 pilots.

"Yamato" in the Sibuyan Sea. October 24, 1944
Each weapon is only as good as it is used. In this regard, the Japanese admirals have nothing to boast of. All the decisive battles of the first half of the war took place without the participation of Yamato and Musashi. The Japanese command did not even use the opportunity to intimidate the enemy with the characteristics of the ships. As a result, super battleships were thrown into battle in a situation where their strengths were unclaimed. Speaking about the death of battleships, it makes no sense to talk about the lack of survivability or weakness of anti-aircraft weapons. Not a single ship would have survived under such attacks, and how long they managed to hold out under a hail of blows does credit to their builders.
Battleships of this type marked a peak and at the same time a dead end in the development of battleships. The role of the main striking force at sea was transferred to aircraft carriers.

Soviet Union.
Project 23 battleships (Soviet Union type)- a project of battleships built for the USSR Navy in the late 1930s - early 1940s as part of the construction program for the "Large Sea and Ocean Fleet". None of the laid down ships of the project could be completed and included in the Soviet fleet.
It was believed that the new battleships would be the largest and most powerful in the world. The unsinkability of the ship was ensured with the destroyed unarmored part of the ship and the simultaneous hit of two 21-inch torpedoes in the bottom or three torpedoes in the boules. Much attention was paid to the quality and strength of the connection of armor plates in various ways: on rivets in three rows in a checkerboard pattern, on dowels, etc. The possibility of using welding, which gradually became part of the practice of Soviet and foreign shipbuilding, was considered.
The planned cost of the first four ships of the project (1.18 billion rubles) was equal to almost a third of the country's annual naval budget in 1940.
The lead battleship "Soviet Union" was laid down in Leningrad at the Baltic Shipyard. In 1938-1939. three more battleships were laid down at two other enterprises: "Soviet Ukraine" in Nikolaev, "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Belarus" in Molotovsk. In October 1940, an order was given to suspend the construction of the Soviet Belorussia ship, which was 1% ready, and to concentrate the main efforts on the Soviet Union ship. Due to the start of the war, the construction of the remaining ships was stopped (the readiness of the "Soviet Union" was 19.44%, "Soviet Ukraine" - only 7%), and at the end of the war, the unfinished ships were dismantled.

Germany.
H-class battleships (also H-39)- a type of unrealized German battleship of the Second World War. The ambitious German shipbuilding program of 1939, also known as "Plan Z", called for the construction of six battleships under this project. The hulls of battleships were alphabetically numbered H, J, K, L, M, N. The German industry managed to lay the first two hulls before the start of World War II, the rest of the ships were not even laid down. In October 1939, the construction of the laid down ships was stopped.

USA.
Montana-class battleships- type of battleships of the US Navy. Further development of battleships of the "North Carolina" type, in many respects being their enlarged version. Laid down but not completed. The Montana battleship was planned as the lead ship in a series of five units.
On July 19, 1940, 5 Montana-class battleships were ordered, soon their construction was frozen for an indefinite period, until July 21, 1943 was finally canceled. The battleships were to be built at the New York Navy Yard, the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Model of the battleship "Montana".

Comparison of projects of actually laid down battleships with a standard displacement of more than 50,000 tons.

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The defeat in the First World War, it would seem, finally crossed out Germany from the contenders for naval dominance. According to the Treaty of Versailles, the Germans were allowed to have in service ships with a displacement of up to 10 thousand tons with guns with a caliber of no more than 11 inches. Therefore, they had to say goodbye to the hope of keeping even their very first dreadnoughts and be content with hopelessly outdated battleships of the Deutschland and Braunschweig types. When it became possible to replace the latter with ships of new projects (and this was allowed to be done no earlier than after 20 years of their being in service), it was these "Versailles" restrictions that led to the appearance of "capital" ships of the Deutschland type, unusual in all respects.

When it was created, the Germans proceeded from the fact that the new ship would primarily be used on enemy communications as a raider. The successful actions of Emden and Koenigsberg in 1914 against British shipping at the same time clearly showed that the weak armament of light cruisers leaves them no chance when a more serious enemy appears. Therefore, the "Deutschland" must be stronger than any enemy heavy cruiser and at the same time faster than any battleship. This idea, frankly, is not new, but previous attempts to implement it rarely led to the desired result. And only the Germans finally managed to embody it in metal as close as possible to the idea. "Deutschlands" with a very limited displacement received powerful weapons, decent (by cruising standards) protection and a huge cruising range. In the German Navy, the new ships were officially classified as battleships (panzerschiffe), in fact they were heavy cruisers, but because of the excessively powerful main battery artillery, they remained in the history of world shipbuilding as "pocket battleships".

Indeed, the armament of the "Deutschland" - two three-gun 11-inch towers and another 8 six-inch as a medium caliber - looked quite "battleship". The new 283-mm cannon (the Germans officially called it "28-cm", and therefore in the literature it is often listed as 280-mm) - with a barrel length of 52 calibers and an elevation angle of 40, it could fire 300-kg shells at a range of 42.5 km. To "shove" such artillery into cruising dimensions was made possible, firstly, by the all-round lightening of the hull due to the widespread introduction of electric welding and, secondly, by the use of fundamentally new engines - four twin diesel units with hydraulic transmission. As a result, the project left room for an armor belt with a thickness of 60-80 mm, and for anti-torpedo protection about 4.5 m wide (together with boules), ending with a 40-mm longitudinal bulkhead.

The entry into service of the lead "pocket battleship" coincided with Hitler's coming to power and resulted in a noisy propaganda campaign designed to instill in the layman that the revival of the German fleet began with the creation of "the best" ships in the world. In fact, these statements were far from the truth. For all their originality, the "Deutschland" and the "Admiral Scheer" and "Admiral Graf Spee" that followed it were by no means superior to all the "Washington" cruisers in terms of armor protection, and in speed they were inferior to everyone by an average of 4-5 knots. The seaworthiness of the "pocket battleships" at first turned out to be unimportant, because of which they had to urgently redo the bow of the hull. To top it all, it should be noted that their real standard displacement exceeded the declared one (10 thousand tons) by 17-25%, and the total displacement on the "Admiral Count Spee" generally reached 16020 tons!

The obvious limitations of the capabilities of "pocket battleships" in the light of the new naval doctrine announced by Hitler forced the construction of three more ships of the same type to be abandoned in favor of full-fledged battleships. In June 1935, an agreement was concluded in London, allowing Germany to have a fleet that was 35% of the British. Having won a diplomatic victory, the Germans could now build battleships quite legally.

The creation of ships went under the personal control of the Fuhrer. It is he who is considered to be the author of the new role assigned to the armored giants of the Kriegsmarine in the impending war. The fact is that, being unable to compete with the British fleet in a general battle, the Nazis intended to use their battleships as ocean raiders. It was in the actions of mighty ships against transport shipping that Hitler saw an opportunity to bring the "mistress of the seas" to her knees.

By the combination of parameters, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are often (and quite rightly) called battlecruisers. However, their continuity with their outstanding ancestors - "Derflinger" and "Mackensen" - is very arbitrary. The Scharnhorst project is largely descended from "pocket battleships". The only thing that the designers borrowed from the Kaiser battlecruisers was the armor scheme. Otherwise, the Scharnhorst is simply a Deutschland that has grown to normal size with a third 283-mm turret and a steam turbine plant.

The armor protection of the Scharnhorst according to the scheme was old-fashioned, but at the same time very powerful. A vertical belt of 350 mm cemented armor was mounted on the outside and could withstand 1016 kg 406 mm projectiles at ranges of more than 11 km. Above was an additional 45 mm belt. There were two armored decks: 50 mm upper and 80 mm (95 mm above the cellars) lower with 105 mm bevels. The total weight of the armor has reached a record value - 44% of the normal displacement! Anti-torpedo protection had an average width of 5.4 m on each side and was separated from the hull by an inclined 45-mm bulkhead.

The 283-mm guns of the SKC-34 model were somewhat improved compared to the previous model SKC-28: the barrel length increased to 54.5 calibers, which allowed the heavier 330-kg projectile to provide the same firing range - 42.5 km. True, Hitler was dissatisfied: he considered the German ships of the First World War period clearly underarmed and demanded that 380-mm guns be installed on the Scharnhorst. Only the unwillingness to delay the entry of battleships into service for a long time (and new weapons would delay their readiness for at least a year) forced him to compromise, postponing the rearmament of the ships at the time of their future upgrades.

The mixed placement of medium artillery in two-gun turrets and deck shield installations looks very strange. But this fact is explained very easily: the latter had already been ordered for the failed 4th and 5th "pocket battleships", and the Scharnhorst designers simply "disposed" them.

Already during the construction of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, it became clear that the attempts of the international community to limit the naval arms race had failed. The leading maritime powers immediately began designing super-battleships, and the Germans, of course, did not stand aside.

In June 1936, the Bismarck and Tirpitz, the largest warships ever built in Germany, were laid down at the shipyards of Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven. Although it was officially announced that the displacement of the new battleships was 35 thousand tons, in reality this value was exceeded by almost one and a half times!

Structurally, the Bismarck largely repeated the Scharnhorst, but fundamentally differed primarily in the main caliber artillery. A 380 mm cannon with a barrel length of 52 calibers could fire 800 kg projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 820 m/s. True, by reducing the maximum elevation angle to 30, the firing range, compared with the 11-inch, decreased to 35.5 km. However, this value was also considered excessive, since it seemed impossible at that time to fight at such distances.

The armor differed from the Scharnhorst mainly by increasing the height of the main belt and thickening the upper belt to 145 mm. Deck armor, as well as the width of anti-torpedo protection, remained the same. Approximately the same can be said about the power plant (12 Wagner boilers and 3 four-casing turbo-gear units). The relative weight of the armor has decreased somewhat (up to 40% of the displacement), but this cannot be called a disadvantage, since the ratio between protection and armament has become more balanced.

But even such giants as Bismarck and Tirpitz could not satisfy the Fuhrer's growing ambitions. At the beginning of 1939, he approved the design of the "H" type battleship with a total displacement of over 62 thousand tons, armed with eight 406-mm guns. In total, it was supposed to have 6 such ships; two of them managed to lay in July-August. However, the outbreak of war crossed out the plans of the Nazis. Surface ship construction programs had to be curtailed, and in September 1939 Hitler could only oppose 22 English and French battleships and battlecruisers with the "11-inch" Scharnhorst and Gneisenau ("pocket battleships" do not count). The Germans had to rely only on new raider tactics.

The first joint corsair operation "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" was carried out in November 1939. It resulted in the sinking of the English auxiliary cruiser Rawalpindi, a former passenger liner armed with old cannons. The success was, to put it mildly, modest, although Goebbels' propaganda inflated this unequal duel to the scale of a major naval victory, and in the German Youth Library series they even published a separate book called The End of Rawalpindi.

In April 1940, both sisterships provided cover for the German invasion of Norway and for the first time engaged in battle with a worthy enemy - the battlecruiser Rinaun. The duel proceeded in conditions of poor visibility and continued intermittently for more than two hours. The Gneisenau scored two hits on the British, but also received two 381-mm shells, one of which silenced the rear turret. The Scharnhorst was not hit, but her forward turret was also out of action due to damage caused by the storm.

Soon another battle took place in Norwegian waters, which received a huge response in the navies of the whole world. On June 8, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau stumbled upon the British aircraft carrier Glories, escorted by the destroyers Ardent and Ekasta. Using radar, the Germans opened fire from a range of 25 km and quickly achieved hits that damaged the flight deck and prevented the aircraft from being lifted into the air. Glories caught fire, capsized and sank. Trying to save the aircraft carrier, the destroyers bravely rushed into a suicidal attack. Both were shot, but still one torpedo from the Ecasta hit the Scharnhorst. The battleship took in more than 2500 tons of water and received a roll of 5 to starboard; two artillery turrets - aft 283 mm and one 150 mm - were out of order; speed has dropped drastically. All this somewhat blurred the undoubted success of the operation.

The results of the first battle of battleships with an aircraft carrier inspired admirals with conservative views on naval warfare, but, alas, not for long. It soon became clear that the shooting of the Glories was just a tragic coincidence, an exception to the rule...

Finest hour "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" - their joint "ocean voyage" in January - March 1941. During two months of piracy in the Atlantic, they captured and sank 22 allied steamships with a total tonnage of over 115,000 tons and returned to Brest with impunity.

But then fortune turned away from the Germans. While in French ports, the battleships began to be subjected to massive air attacks. It was hardly possible to complete the repair of some damage, as the English bombs caused new ones. I had to take my feet. The breakthrough across the English Channel to Germany in February 1942 was the last joint operation of the Nazi super raiders.

On the night of February 27, the Gneisenau, which had just arrived in Kiel, was hit by a British 454-kg armor-piercing bomb in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe first tower. The explosion caused huge destruction and a fire (230 powder charges of the main caliber flared up at once). 112 sailors were killed and 21 wounded. The battleship was towed to Gotenhafen (Gdynia) for repairs. During the latter, by the way, it was planned to replace the main artillery with six 380-mm guns. Alas, these plans remained on paper. In January 1943, all work was stopped, and on March 27, 1945, the skeleton of the Gneisenau was flooded in order to block the entrance fairway.

The Scharnhorst, after a lengthy repair (and it was blown up by two mines during the English Channel breakthrough), moved to Norway, where it then mainly settled in the fjords. On December 26, 1943, under the flag of Admiral Erich Bey, while trying to attack the allied convoy JW-55B, he was intercepted by British cruisers. The very first hit from the Norfolk cruiser disabled the German radar, which in the conditions of the polar night led to fatal consequences. Soon the battleship Duke of York joined the cruisers, and the Scharnhorst's position became hopeless. After stubborn resistance, the raider, mutilated by heavy shells, was finished off by torpedoes from British destroyers. The British picked up 36 people from the water - the remaining 1932 crew members of the fascist battleship died.

Bismarck and Tirpitz entered service with the Kriegsmarine already during the war. The first combat campaign for the lead ship was the last. The beginning of the operation, it would seem, was going well: the unexpected death of the Hood in the eighth minute of the battle on May 24, 1941 shocked the British admirals. However, the Bismarck also received a fatal hit from a 356-mm projectile that dived under the armor belt. The ship received about 2 thousand tons of water, two steam boilers failed, the speed decreased by 3 knots. What follows is well known. Three days later, the Nazi battleship sank. Of the 2092 people on board, 115 escaped. Among the dead was Admiral Lutyens, a former hero of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau Atlantic raid.

"Tirpitz" after the death of the sistership, the Germans used extremely carefully. As a matter of fact, he also had only one combat operation on his account - an almost fruitless campaign to Svalbard in September 1942. The rest of the time, the super-linker hid in the Norwegian fjords and was methodically "beaten" by British aircraft. In addition, on September 11, 1943, he received a severe blow from under the water: the British midget submarines X-6 and X-7 blew up 4 two-ton mines under its bottom. The last Nazi battleship was no longer able to go out to sea under its own power:

It should be noted that in the maritime historical literature, Bismarck and Tirpitz are often referred to as almost the most powerful battleships in the world. There are several reasons for this. First, the Nazi propaganda said so. Secondly, the British played along with her in order to justify the not always successful actions of their fleet, which was many times superior in strength. Thirdly, Bismarck's rating was greatly increased, in general, by the accidental death of Hood. But in reality, against the background of their counterparts, the German super-battleships did not stand out for the better. In terms of armor, armament and anti-torpedo protection, they were inferior to the Richelieu, Littorio, and South Dakota, not to mention the Yamato. The weak points of the "Germans" were capricious energy, the "non-universality" of 150-mm artillery, and imperfect radar equipment.

As for Scharnhorst, it is usually criticized, which again is not entirely fair. Although it had the same drawbacks as the Bismarck (to which, at first, poor seaworthiness was added, which forced the bow of the hull to be rebuilt), it deserves a good rating due to its smaller size in accordance with the cost-effectiveness criterion. In addition, it should be borne in mind that it was the second in the world (after the Dunkirk) completed project of a high-speed battleship, which was ahead of its more powerful "class brothers" in time. And if the Scharnhorst could be rearmed with six 380-mm guns, then it could generally be considered a very successful battlecruiser, surpassing the British Repulse in almost all respects.