For many years, battleships were considered the most powerful combat units of the world fleet of their time. They were called "sea monsters." And this is no coincidence. Huge, fearless, with big amount weapons on board - they carried out attack maneuvers and defended their sea borders. Dreadnoughts were highest degree development of battleships. And she only managed to show her superiority over them. These rulers of the oceans were powerless against airplanes. They were replaced. Nevertheless, battleships have left a big mark on history, participating in important battles for hundreds of years. Let us consider the stages of development of the vessels described, starting with the first wooden sailing model and ending with the steel armored dreadnought of the latest generation.
In order not to get confused in the terminology, let’s clarify.
- Battleships were called warships whose guns could fire a one-time salvo from one side;
- Dreadnought - the first super battleship in its class, released in 1906, it was distinguished by an all-metal hull and large-caliber rotating turrets; this name became a household name for all ships of this type;
- Battleship is the name of all super-armadillos with a metal hull.
Prerequisites for the creation of battleships
The seizure of territories and the expansion of trade zones became the basis for the financial development of many European powers. In the mid-16th century, Spain and Great Britain increasingly clashed off the coast of the New World - the struggle for territory forced them to improve the fleet, which had to not only transport valuable cargo, but also be able to protect its property. The turning point for England was the victory over the Armada in 1588. With development trade relations and colonization, it became clear that the sea is the source of the future wealth and power of the country, which must be protected.
Some merchant ships were converted into combat ships - guns and other weapons were installed on them. At this point, no one was holding to the same standards. Such heterogeneity had a negative effect during collisions on the high seas. The battle was won due to fortunate coincidences, and not as a result of planned tactical maneuvers. For unconditional victories it was necessary to improve naval forces.
The understanding that a warship can be more effective in conjunction with others led to more than just the creation of new tactics for conducting naval battles. But the ships themselves also changed, namely the location of the guns on them. Also a system of communication between ships, without which wake tactics are impossible.
Linear tactics at the Battle of Gabbard (1653)
First positive experience conducting linear combat was recorded in 1653. The wake arrangement of the English ships, one after the other, easily made it possible to repulse the first attack of the Netherlands, which also lost two ships. The next day, Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp again gave the order to advance. This became his fatal mistake; the fleet was destroyed. 6 ships were sunk, 11 were captured. England did not lose a single ship, and also gained control of the English Channel.
Wake column is a type of battle formation of ships in which the bow of the next ship looks exactly into the plane of the ship in front.
Battle of Beachy Head (1690)
In July 1690, a collision occurred between French and allied (England, Holland) ships. French Admiral Tourville led 70 battleships, which he placed in three rows:
- The first line - the vanguard, consisted of 22 battleships;
- The second is a corps de battle, 28 vessels;
- Third - rearguard, 20 battleships.
The enemy also lined up his weapons in three rows. It consisted of 57 battleships, which were many times greater than the French in terms of artillery. However, Tourville's tactics managed to achieve an undisputed victory without losing a single ship. The Allies lost 16 battleships, and another 28 were seriously damaged.
This battle allowed the French to take control of the English Channel, which threw the English fleet into confusion. A few days later they regained their maritime borders. The Battle of Beachy Head went down in history as one of the largest battles of sailing battleships.
Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
During Napoleon's reign, the French-Spanish fleet met fierce resistance from the British naval forces. Not far from Cape Trafalgar in the Atlantic Ocean, the Allies lined up ships in a linear pattern - in three rows. However, bad weather and the beginning of the storm did not allow fighting at a long distance. Having analyzed the situation, the English Admiral Nelson, who was on board the battleship Victoria, ordered the ships to be grouped into two columns.
Further battle tactics of the British Royal Navy turned out to be more successful. None of the ships were sunk, although many were seriously damaged. The Allies lost 18 sailing ships, 17 of which were captured. The commander of the English fleet was wounded. On the first day of the battle, a French gunner on the battleship Redoutable fired a musket. The bullet hit him in the shoulder. Nelson was taken to the infirmary, but he could not be cured.
The advantages of this tactic became obvious. All ships form a living wall with high fire potential. When approaching the enemy, the first ship in the column attacks the target, as does each subsequent battleship. Thus, the enemy comes under a strong onslaught, which is no longer interrupted by reloading the guns as was the case before.
Wake column during a review on the Black Sea, 1849
The first battleships
The predecessors of battleships were galleons - large multi-deck merchant ships with artillery on board. In 1510, England built the first artillery ship, called "". Despite a large number of guns were still considered the main type of fighting. The Mary Rose was equipped with special nets that prevented enemy penetration on deck. This was a period when, at the time of a naval battle, ships were positioned haphazardly, as a result of which the artillery could not fully demonstrate its capabilities. Cannons from distant ships could even hit their own ships. Often the main weapon against a similar heap of enemy naval forces became an old ship, which was filled with explosive substances, set on fire and sent towards the enemy.
At the end of the 16th century, during another battle, the ships first lined up in a wake column - one after another. It took about 100 years for the world fleet to recognize this arrangement of warships as the most optimal. Each combat unit at this moment could use its artillery for its intended purpose. However, the variety of ships, most of them converted from merchant ships, did not make it possible to create an ideal line. There were always vulnerable ships in the row, as a result of which the battle could be lost.
HMS Prince Royal 1610
In 1610, the first three-decker was built in Great Britain battleship HMS Prince Royal, which had 55 guns on board. A few decades later, another similar one appeared in service with England. fighting machine, already including 100 units of artillery. In 1636, France commissioned the "" with 72 guns. A naval arms race has begun between European countries. The main indicators of combat effectiveness were the number of weapons, speed and ability to maneuver operationally.
"La Couronne" 1636
The new ships were shorter than their galleon predecessors and lighter. This means that they could quickly get into line, turning sideways towards the enemy to launch an attack. Such tactics created an advantage against the backdrop of random firing from the enemy. With the development of military shipbuilding, the firepower of a combat vessel also increased. The artillery increased its number and impact force.
Over time, new combat units began to be divided into classes that differed in the number of weapons:
- Vessels with up to 50 pieces of artillery located on two closed gun decks were not included in combat squadrons for conducting linear battles. They served as an escort during the convoy.
- Double-decker ships, with up to 90 units of fire equipment on board, formed the basis of the majority of the military forces of maritime powers.
- Three- and four-decker ships, including from 98 to 144 guns, served as flagships.
The first Russian battleship
Tsar Peter I made a great contribution to the development of Russia, especially in the field of naval forces. Under him, the construction of the first Russian warships began. After studying shipbuilding in Europe, he went to the Voronezh shipyard and began building a battleship, later named Goto Predestination. The sailing ship was equipped with 58 cannons and was similar in design to its British counterparts. Distinctive feature there was a slightly shorter hull and a reduced draft. This was due to the fact that “Goto Predestination” was intended for service in the shallow Azov Sea.
In 2014, an exact copy of a battleship from the time of Peter I was built in Voronezh; today it is used as a floating museum.
Arms race
Along with the development of shipbuilding, smooth-bore artillery also evolved. It was necessary to increase the size of the cores and create new types of exploding projectiles. Increasing the flight range helped position their ships at a safe distance. Accuracy and rate of fire contributed to a faster and more successful completion of the battle.
The 17th century was marked by the emergence of standardization of naval weapons in caliber and barrel length. Gun ports - special holes in the sides, allowed the use of powerful guns, which, if positioned correctly, did not interfere with the stability of the ship. The main task of such equipment was to inflict maximum damage on the crew. After this, the ship was boarded.
It was almost impossible to sink a wooden ship. Only in the 19th century did the production of new heavy shells begin, carrying large amounts of explosives. These innovations changed battle tactics. Now the target was not people, but the ship itself. There was a possibility of its sinking. At the same time, wear and tear on equipment (artillery) was still very rapid, and repairs were expensive. The need to create more modern weapons increased.
The production of rifled artillery in the 19th century marked another leap in the field of naval armament. It had the following advantages:
- Shooting accuracy has improved;
- The range of the projectiles increased, which marked the prospect of combat over long distances;
- It became possible to use heavier projectiles that contained explosives inside.
It should be noted that before the advent of electronic guidance systems, artillery still had low accuracy, since mechanical devices had many errors and inaccuracies.
The weapons were used not only for firing at enemy ships. Before launching an assault on the enemy coast, the battleships carried out artillery preparation - this is how they ensured the safe exit of their soldiers to foreign soil.
The first battleship - metal hull plating
An increase in the firing power of naval artillery forced shipbuilders to strengthen the hull of a combat vessel. High quality wood, usually oak, was used for production. Before use, it was dried and stood for several years. To ensure strength, the ship's plating consisted of two layers - external and internal. The underwater part of the hull was additionally covered with a soft layer of wood, protecting the main structure from rotting. This layer was updated periodically. Subsequently, the bottoms of wooden ships began to be lined with copper.
H.M.S. « Victory » 1765
A striking representative of an 18th century battleship with a metal sheathed underwater part is the British battleship Victoria (HMS). Due to England's participation in the Seven Years' War, its construction was delayed for many years. But this period contributed to the production of high-quality raw materials for construction - wood began to have excellent characteristics. The underwater part of the ship was lined with copper plates attached to wood with iron nails.
Any ship of that period had a significant drawback - no matter how well the bottom of the ship was made, water still seeped inside, rotting occurred, which gave off an unpleasant odor. Therefore, from time to time the captain of the Victoria sent sailors to the lower part of the hull to pump out water.
Over the years of service, weapons changed their number and size several times. At the beginning of the 19th century it included 104 guns of various calibers. Each gun was assigned 7 people to ensure the operation of the equipment.
"Victoria" took part in most of the naval battles that took place during her years of service. One of the most striking was the Battle of Trafalgar. It was on this ship that the commander of the British fleet, Vice Admiral Nelson, was mortally wounded.
It is noteworthy that this ship can still be seen today. In 1922 it was restored and installed in Portsmouth as a museum.
Steam propulsion
Further development of battleships required improved seaworthiness. Sailing ships gradually became obsolete, because they could only move with a good wind. In addition, increased artillery power made sailing equipment more vulnerable. The period of steam engines powered by coal began. The first samples were equipped with paddle wheels, which, although they provided the movement of the vessel, their speed was very low and was suitable for river navigation or at sea in absolute calm. However, the new installation attracted the interest of the military forces of many countries. Testing of steam engines began.
Replacing paddle wheels with propellers helped increase the speed of steamships. Now even a ship with a steam engine, small in size and armament, was superior to a huge sailing ship of the line. The first one could swim up from any direction, regardless of the strength and direction of the wind, and launch an attack. At this time, the second continued to intensively fight natural phenomena.
They tried to equip ships built after the 40s of the 19th century with steam engines. Among the first countries to begin building military ships with heavy artillery on board were the USA, Great Britain and France.
In 1852, France built its first screw-driven ship of the line, but retained the sailing system. Equipping with a steam engine forced the number of artillery to be reduced to 90 guns. But this was justified due to improved seaworthiness - the speed reached 13.5 knots, which was considered a very high figure. Over the next 10 years, about 100 similar ships were built around the world.
Armadillos
The appearance of shells filled with explosives required an urgent renewal of the ship's personnel. There was a risk of major damage and burnout of a significant part of the wooden body. After a couple of dozen successful hits, the ship sank under the water. In addition, the installation of steam engines on the ship increased the risk of immobilization and subsequent flooding if at least one enemy shell hit the engine room. It was necessary to protect the most vulnerable parts of the hull with steel sheets. Later, the entire ship began to be made of metal, which required a complete redesign. The armor took up a significant portion of the vessel's displacement. In order to maintain the same amount of artillery, it was necessary to increase the size of the battleship.
A further development of battleships were squadron battleships with an all-metal hull, which became widespread at the end of the 19th century. They had a powerful armor belt that protected them from enemy shells. Armament included 305 mm, 234 mm and 152 mm artillery. It was assumed that such a variety of equipment would have a positive effect during combat. Experience has shown that such a statement was erroneous. Simultaneous control of guns of different calibers caused many difficulties, especially when adjusting the fire.
First battleship - Dreadnought
The crown of all previous types of battleships was the super-battleship Dreadnought, built by Great Britain in 1906. He became the founder of a new class of battleships. It was the first ship in the world to carry a large number of heavy weapons. The rule “all-big-gun” was followed - “only big guns”.
There were 10 units of 305 mm artillery on board. The steam turbine system, installed for the first time on a battleship, made it possible to increase the speed to 21 knots - incredible figures in those years. The hull's protection was inferior to that of the Lord Nelson-class battleships that preceded it, but all other innovations created a real sensation.
Battleships built after 1906 on the “all-big-gun” principle began to be called dreadnoughts. They played important role during the First World War. Each maritime power sought to have at least one dreadnought-type ship in service. The USA and Great Britain have become the undisputed leaders in the number of such vessels. However, the 40s of the 20th century and naval battles involving aviation showed the vulnerability of sea giants.
Battle of Jutland (1916)
The most famous battle involving dreadnoughts took place off the coast of the Jutland Peninsula. For two days, German and British battleships tested their strength and capabilities. As a result, each side declared victory. Germany argued that whoever had the heaviest losses lost. The Royal Navy believed that the winner was the country that did not withdraw from the battlefield.
Regardless of the outcome, this battle became a huge experience, which was later studied in detail. The construction of all subsequent world dreadnoughts was based on it. All shortcomings were taken into account, the most vulnerable places on the ship were recorded, in which the reservation should be strengthened. Also, the knowledge gained forced the designers to change the location of the main caliber turrets. Despite the fact that a large number of weapons were involved in the battle, this clash did not in any way affect the outcome of the First World War.
The end of the battleship era
The attack of the Imperial Japanese Navy on the American base of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 showed the unviability of battleships. Huge, clumsy and vulnerable to attack from the air - their heavy weapons, which hit tens of kilometers, became useless. The sinking of several pieces of equipment blocked the possibility of other warships going to sea. As a result of this, a significant part of modern battleships was lost.
The end of World War II marked the final end of the era of battleships. Last years battles showed that these ships cannot defend themselves against submarines. They were replaced by even more powerful and gigantic ones, carrying dozens of aircraft.
At the same time, the dreadnoughts were not immediately written off; their gradual replacement was necessary. Thus, in 1991, the last American battleships Missouri and Wisconsin, built during the Second World War, made a trip to the Persian Gulf, where they fired Tomahawk cruise missiles. In 1992, the Missouri was withdrawn from service. In 2006, the last dreadnought in the world, the Wisconsin, also left service.
"Sevastopol" - a battleship of the Russian Navy, the lead ship of the class of ships of the same name. Named after the city of Sevastopol, located on the Black Sea coast. The ship participated in the First and Second World Wars. After the Kronstadt mutiny on March 31, 1921, the battleship was renamed "Paris Commune".
Design
After the Russo-Japanese War, in which Russia lost almost all of its Baltic and Pacific battleships, the task of reviving the battle fleet arose. In this regard, in 1906, the Main Naval Staff developed a task for designing a new battleship for the Baltic Sea. For this purpose, nine pre-draft designs of ships with a displacement of up to 20,000 tons, with a speed of up to 22 knots and an armament of eight to nine 305-mm main caliber guns were prepared. The 1906 projects did not receive further development due to the uncertainty of the tasks of the Baltic Fleet and the uncertainty regarding the financing of the future shipbuilding program. As these tasks were resolved, the Main Naval Staff began to develop updated requirements. So, after the “Tsushima” experience, views on the concept of booking changed dramatically. During the war, the Japanese used high-explosive rather than armor-piercing shells, which were especially effective against lightly armored and unarmored targets. Hence the need arose for continuous armoring of the surface part of the side.
In December 1907, the final requirements for the ship were approved, the number of 305 mm guns reached 12, 120 mm - 16. At the end of 1907, an international competition was announced for the best design of a battleship for Russian fleet. The first place was taken by the work of the Baltic Shipyard.
At the end of October, at the request of the Main Naval Staff, changes were made to the project. We increased the maximum speed to 23 knots and strengthened the armor of the lower and upper zones. To ensure economic progress, diesel engines appeared as part of the power plant, although they were later abandoned.
On April 9, 1909, a technical project was prepared in the technical bureau of the Baltic Shipyard, and in May a decision was made to begin construction of battleships, and the lead ship was given the name “Sevastopol.” A total of four ships of this class were built: "Sevastopol", « » , « » And « » .
Design
The Sevastopol class battleships had a “monitor” hull with a minimized freeboard area and an icebreaker-shaped stem. The number of add-ons has been minimized. Distinctive feature of this project there was almost complete freeboard reservation. The main caliber guns were placed in four three-gun main caliber turrets located in a linear plane. Unlike Italian class battleships « », they were not linearly elevated.
The length of the ship at the waterline was 180.1 m, and the total was 181.2 m. The beam of the hull was 26.9 m, and the draft was 9.1 m. The standard displacement was 23,300 tons, and the gross displacement was 26,400 tons. The ship's crew consisted of 1,125 officers and sailors.
Engines
The power plant of the battleships consisted of ten steam turbines of the Parsons system with a total power of 32,000 hp. The turbines drove four propeller shafts and were located in three engine rooms. Two compartments were onboard and contained two turbines operating on one shaft. The third compartment was the middle one, shifted aft from the main caliber turret No. 3; it contained six turbines operating on two shafts.
Steam for the turbines was produced by twenty-five steam boilers of the “Yarrow” system, located in four boiler rooms. Sixteen of them operated on mixed heating, and nine operated on oil heating. The normal fuel supply on board was 816 tons of coal and 200 tons of oil, and the maximum was 1500 tons of coal and 700 tons of oil. The cruising range was 3,500 miles at 13 knots. The maximum speed was 21.75 knots.
Armament
Main caliber armament of class battleships "Sevastopol" consisted of twelve 305-mm 52-caliber guns located in four three-gun turrets. The towers were located in a linear plane, one at the bow and stern and two in the middle part of the hull. Elevation angles ranged from -5 to 25 degrees. The firing rate of the guns was 1.5-2 rounds per minute. These guns could fire 470.9 kg armor-piercing and high-explosive shells, as well as 331.7 kg shrapnel shells. In 1928, lightweight 314-kg high-explosive shells entered service. The maximum firing range when firing 470.9 kg projectiles was 24,400 m, and when using a 314 kg high-explosive projectile - 34,400 m. However, when firing a shrapnel projectile, the maximum firing range was 22,200 m.
The ammunition load was 100 shells for each gun. The shells were located in the cellars under the main caliber turrets. At the same time, the magazines of the bow and stern guns did not accommodate all the ammunition, so some of the shells were placed in spare magazines. Because of this, the rate of fire of the bow and stern guns was reduced.
The anti-mine armament consisted of sixteen 120 mm 50 caliber guns. They were housed in casemates on the middle deck. The elevation angles ranged from -10 to 20 degrees (other sources contain data that the elevation angle ranged from -10 to 25 degrees). These guns could fire high-explosive, shrapnel and illumination shells. The battleship had three high-explosive shells: 29.48 kg model 1907, 28.97 kg model 1911 and 26.3 kg model 1928. Depending on the projectile, the maximum firing range varied: 10,400 m, 13,900 m and 17,000 m respectively. Shrapnel shells were only 20.7 kg and had a maximum firing range of 10,600 m. Firing range is given at an elevation angle of 20 degrees. The rate of fire of the guns was seven rounds per minute. The ammunition supply was 300 shells for each gun.
The situation with anti-aircraft weapons on battleships is not clear. According to the information given in the magazine “The First Battleships of the Red Fleet,” according to the project, the anti-aircraft armament of the battleships was to consist of eight 47-mm guns, placed four each on the roofs of the main caliber towers No. 1 and No. 4. However, due to the lack of these guns, at the time of entry into service on battleships « » And « » two 63.5 mm guns and one 47 mm gun were installed, and on the battleships "Sevastopol" And « » - two 75 mm guns and one 47 mm gun. However, judging by the surviving photographs of battleships from the period 1914 - 1916, there were no anti-aircraft weapons on the main caliber end towers.
The battleships were also armed with four underwater traverse 450-mm torpedo tubes. The torpedo tubes were intended for the self-defense of the battleship when the artillery failed.
Booking
The main armor belt had a height of 5.06 m; during design it was assumed that it should have risen 3.06 m above the water, but due to the overload of the ship, the armor belt went under the water an extra meter, which caused a decrease in its effectiveness. In the area of the citadel, in the area between the end towers, its thickness was 225 mm. In this section of the armor the belt ended with traverses. The bow beam had a thickness of 50 mm, and the stern one - 125 mm. From the traverses at the ends, which reached the very bow and almost to the stern, the thickness decreased to 125 mm.
The upper armor belt, 2.26 m high, ran above and extended from the beam of the main caliber turret No. 4 to the bow of the ship. In the area between the bow and stern beams its thickness was 125 mm. At the bow end, the thickness of the belt decreased to 75 mm; in the area of the stern end, the upper belt was absent.
In addition, the vertical protection of the battleships included longitudinal armored bulkheads that ran along the entire length of the citadel at a distance of 3.4 m from the side and were intended to protect the interior from shell fragments that pierced the main or upper armor belt. Between the lower and middle decks the bulkheads were 50 mm thick, and between the middle and upper decks they were 37.5 mm thick.
The horizontal armor of the battleships consisted of three armored decks. The upper armored deck in the area of the citadel and the bow had a thickness of 37.5 mm, and in the aft end - 6 mm. Below was the middle armored deck, which in the area of the citadel and the bow had a thickness of 25 mm, and in the space between the sides and longitudinal bulkheads its thickness was 19 mm. At the aft end, the thickness of the middle deck was 37.5 mm, with the exception of the area above the tiller compartment, where the thickness decreased to 19 mm. The last was the lower armored deck, which in the citadel area had a thickness of 12 mm, and in the inter-side space it turned into 50 mm bevels. At the aft end, the lower deck was horizontal across the entire width of the hull with a thickness of 25 mm.
The thickness of the front and side plates of the main caliber towers was 203 mm, and the rear wall, which acted as a counterweight, was 305 mm. The roof of the tower had 76 mm thick armor. The barbettes of the towers had different armor, so the part above the upper deck had a thickness of 150 mm, and the lower part, reaching the middle deck, had a thickness of 75 mm. The exception was the end towers, in which the barbettes served as part of the armored traverses. The lower part of the barbettes of the main caliber towers No. 1 and No. 4 had a thickness of 125 mm, instead of 75 mm.
The armor of the walls of the main and auxiliary conning tower was 254 mm, the roof - 100 mm. The control drives were also protected by 70 mm casings. The chimneys at the base were protected by 75 mm armor, and in the rest - by 22 mm armor. The tiller reservation consisted of an armor casing with a thickness of 30 to 125 mm.
The battleships did not have special mine protection; its role was partially filled by a double bottom and side, which reached the edge of the main armor belt and longitudinal 9-mm bulkheads made of high-resistance steel.
Modernization
As we already wrote above, there is no exact information about the presence of anti-aircraft weapons on battleships. According to some sources, at the time the battleships entered service, they already had anti-aircraft guns installed on the roofs of the main caliber end towers. However, surviving photographs from the period 1914-1916 do not confirm it, since they do not show anti-aircraft weapons in the indicated places. According to the magazine “All Battleships of the Second World War,” it is known that during the radical modernization of the battleships, the anti-aircraft weapons consisted of six 76.2-mm Lander anti-aircraft guns located in threes on the roofs of the end towers, but there is no data on when they were installed. The earliest photographs showing anti-aircraft weapons in these places are dated March 1917 and from this we concluded that anti-aircraft weapons were installed during the First World War. However, it is impossible to say exactly which weapons were installed due to conflicting information.
In the mid-1920s, the question arose about the radical modernization of battleships of the class "Sevastopol" due to their obsolescence. On March 10, 1927, a “Special Meeting” was held, at which the main reasons for the obsolescence of battleships were substantiated and revealed promising directions their modernization. At the end of this year, the design bureau of the Baltic Shipyard developed technical documentation for the modernization of battleships.
Due to the relocation of the battleship "Sevastopol" to the Black Sea, the ship underwent an unscheduled partial modernization. It took place from October 1928 to May 1929. As a result of work on the battleship, the contours of the bow of the hull were changed to improve the ship's seaworthiness in stormy conditions. The bow chimney received a slight bend towards the stern to reduce smoke from the bow superstructure. Each main caliber turret was equipped with an autonomous rangefinder post. During the operation of the ship in the harsh conditions of the transition from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the unsuitability of the implemented project to improve seaworthiness was revealed.
In 1930 on a battleship "Sevastopol" installed a pneumatic catapult for launching aircraft on the main caliber turret No. 3.
From November 1933 to January 1938, the battleship underwent a radical modernization at the Sevastopol Marine Plant. During the work, the old boilers were replaced by twelve new steam boilers with oil heating, intended for battle cruisers of the class "Ishmael". Now two boilers were located in six boiler rooms. The cruise turbines from the middle engine room were removed. The power of the power plant increased to 57,500 hp. The fuel supply was 2,115 tons of oil, the cruising range was 2,500 miles at a speed of 14.2 knots.
The middle deck received reinforcement in the citadel area, and the thickness was increased to 75 mm. The elevation angle of the main caliber guns was increased to 40 degrees, which increased the maximum firing range to 29,800 m. The thickness of the turret roof armor was increased to 152 mm. The rate of fire of the main caliber guns was also increased by approximately 25%.
The battleship received new rangefinders. The old 76.2 mm Lander anti-aircraft guns were dismantled and replaced with new 76 mm 34-K guns located in threes on platforms above the conning towers. Anti-aircraft weapons were strengthened by the installation of six 45-mm 21-K semi-automatic guns, placed in threes on the roofs of the main caliber end towers. Twelve 12.7-mm DShK machine guns were also installed, located six at a time on the mast platforms. The torpedo armament was dismantled. The catapult, installed in 1930, was removed and later installed on the cruiser "Red Caucasus".
To maintain the stability of the ship, it was decided during the second stage of modernization to equip the hull with side boules, which were also supposed to improve anti-torpedo protection.
From November 1939 to February 1941, the battleship underwent the second stage of modernization. During the modernization, side boules were installed, which increased the width of the battleship to 32.5 m. The walls of the boule were 50 mm and rose to the level of the upper deck, increasing the total thickness of the armor to 275 - 175 mm. The depth of the anti-torpedo protection increased to 6.1 m. According to calculations, the anti-torpedo protection was supposed to withstand the explosion of a torpedo with a 170 kg TNT warhead. As a result of modernization, the standard displacement increased to 27,060 tons, and the total displacement - 30,395 tons.
In April 1941, the 45-mm 21-K semi-automatic assault rifles were dismantled and twelve 37-mm 70-K automatic rifles were installed in their place, mounted in threes on the roofs of the main caliber turrets.
Between April and July 1942, the battleship underwent repairs in Poti, during which four 37-mm machine guns were installed. In August 1944 to the battleship "Sevastopol" installed an English radar system.
Service
In December 1914, the battleship "Sevastopol" entered service and was part of the 1st brigade of battleships, located in the inner roadstead of Helsingfors. The battleship as part of the 1st brigade was supposed to prevent German ships from breaking through into the Gulf of Finland. However, the German fleet made no such attempts. Therefore, in October 1914, the 1st Brigade received an order to prepare for an oncoming battle. However, new battleships were prohibited from operating further than the Gulf of Finland.
In the spring of 1915, battleships: "Sevastopol", « » , « » And « » began intensive combat training. According to the battle plan, the fleet forces were divided into six maneuver groups. Battleships "Sevastopol" And « » were part of the 2nd maneuver group reinforced by a cruiser "Russia". The battleships were supposed to fire with their main caliber guns at the main enemy forces, and with anti-mine caliber guns at the minesweepers.
In August 1915, German forces made two attempts to break into the Gulf of Riga, although the second attempt was successful, the Germans still had to leave the gulf. As a result, the battles showed the weakness of Russian forces in the Gulf of Riga, the command allowed the use of battleships of the class "Sevastopol" in the Baltic Sea.
In April, the battleship went out to the open sea to cover destroyers restoring the minefield of the Irben Strait. Upon returning to base, during a strong storm, the battleship hit the ground three times, receiving significant damage. As a result, the ship went into dry dock for a month and a half in Kronstadt.
On October 17, while loading ammunition, a metal case with a 305-mm half-charge fell onto the magazine deck and ignited. The fire was quickly extinguished, but one person died and four were injured due to the incident.
Throughout 1916-1917, the ships were inactive and stood in the Helsingfors roadstead. At the end of February 1917, red flags were raised on the Sevastopol class battleships. During Germany's capture of the Moonsund Islands, the battleships of the 1st Brigade were in a state of combat readiness, but did not go to sea. The war is already over for their crews.
Under the terms of the Brest Peace Treaty, the Soviet government undertook to withdraw its ships from the ports of Finland. The first detachment of the 1st brigade left on March 12, 1918. The brigade included the following battleships: "Sevastopol", " », « », « », cruisers: "Rurik", "Admiral Makarov" And "Bogatyr". Under escort of icebreakers "Ermak" And "Volynets". The brigade arrived in Kronstadt on March 17. Subsequently, the battleship was inactive throughout 1918.
In the fall of 1919, the battleship was included in the Active Detachment of the Baltic Sea Naval Forces. When repelling the White advance on Petrograd, the battleship "Sevastopol" was in a firing position in the area of Gutuyevsky Island, and on October 20, 1919, fired at units of the White Guards on the line Krasnoe Selo - Detskoe Selo - Pavlovsk with main-caliber guns. With the support of naval artillery, the Red troops launched a successful offensive on October 21.
Subsequently, the battleship was in Kronstadt, not attracting attention until the end of February 1921. On February 28, the Kronstadt mutiny began on the battleship. During the suppression of the mutiny from March 7 to 17, battleships "Sevastopol" And « » were fired upon by the guns of the Krasnoflotsky and Advanced forts, as well as by field artillery. Responding to fire "Sevastopol" expended 375 305 mm shells and 875 120 mm shells. After the storming of the city, on March 17, the battleship crews capitulated, and by noon the next day the mutiny was suppressed. March 31, 1921 battleship "Sevastopol" was renamed to "Paris Commune".
After the mutiny was suppressed, the battleship suffered a number of damages, which began to be repaired by the crew in the spring of 1921, and already in 1922 it was included in the Training Detachment of the Baltic Sea Naval Forces. In 1923 he already took part in maneuvers. On September 17, 1924, after repairs by ship means, it went into operation. On November 5, the ship was transferred to Leningrad for repairs and upon completion, on April 4, 1925, she returned to Kronstadt and was assigned to the semi-brigade of battleships.
From 20 to 27 June 1925 battleships « » (battleship « » ) And "Paris Commune" together with six destroyers made the Great March to Kiel Bay. And on September 20, they took part in the maneuvers of the Baltic Sea Naval Forces in the Gulf of Finland and off the Moonsund Islands.
In the second half of the 1920s, in the summer, the battleship was engaged in intensive combat training, and in the winter, repair work was carried out on the ship, combined with limited modernization. From October 1928 to May 1929, the battleship underwent partial modernization before redeployment to the Black Sea.
November 22, 1929 battleship "Paris Commune" together with the cruiser "Profintern" left Kronstadt. During the transition, the detachment was caught in a strong storm, due to which the ships were damaged. The attachment installed on the battleship was almost completely destroyed, the main caliber towers No. 1 and No. 2, almost all the mine artillery and one of the boilers were disabled. Part of the premises and cellars of the 76-mm artillery were flooded. Due to the damage received, the detachment was forced to return to Brest on December 10. Some of the damage was critical, without which the detachment could not go to sea. The French government was paid $5,800 for the repair work.
After troubleshooting, the detachment set sail on November 26, 1929 and headed for the Mediterranean Sea. On January 1, 1930, the detachment anchored off the island of Sardinia, then the ships visited Naples and arrived in Sevastopol on January 18, after which they went into dry dock for repairs.
As we wrote above, in the same year the ship was equipped with a Heinkel pneumatic catapult to accommodate two KR-1 reconnaissance seaplanes.
In November 1933, the battleship « Paris Commune» embarked on a radical modernization of the dry dock at the Sevastopol Marine Plant. The work lasted until January 1938. During the summer campaigns of 1938-1939, the battleship conducted active combat training, and on November 3, 1939, the ship again went into dry dock for the second phase of modernization work.
On July 3, 1941, the battleship left dry dock, but the acceptance certificate was signed only on February 3, 1941. As a result of work on installing boules on the ship, the speed decreased by an average of 0.48 knots. Improving combat and technical means The battleship was accompanied by an increase in its crew, whose number in 1941 amounted to 1,730 people.
Despite the modernization carried out, battleships of the class "Sevastopol" still remained obsolete ships, suitable for naval combat with Finnish and Swedish coastal defense battleships or German class battleships "Deutschland" in the Baltic, and in the Black Sea - with a Turkish battle cruiser "Yavuz".
Beginning of World War II battleship "Paris Commune" met in Sevastopol, where on July 14, 1941 he conducted his first live firing at a Ju-88 aircraft, expending 12 76-mm shells. From July to September, the battleship opened fire on enemy aircraft four more times, expending 40 76-mm shells. In October 1941, a battleship stationed at the main base of the Black Sea Fleet was covered with a camouflage net made by the ship's crew. After which, the battleship from a height began to resemble a ledge of the coastline.
On the night of October 30-31, the battleship along with the cruiser "Molotov", leader "Tashkent" and a destroyer "Savvy" left the main base and went to Poti. 12 hours after the formation left, enemy aircraft launched a massive air raid on Sevastopol. After replenishing ammunition and taking on board 400 soldiers, on November 9 the battleship headed for Novorossiysk. Where on November 11 he repelled an enemy air raid, shooting down one He-111 bomber. During the air battle, it expended 189 76-mm and 320 37-mm shells. On the night of November 13, due to high enemy aviation activity over Novorossiysk, he left it. In the afternoon of the same day, enemy aircraft launched a massive attack on the area of the ports where the battleship was moored.
November 28, 1941 battleship "Paris Commune" together with a destroyer "Smart" arrived in the area of Cape Fiolent and fired from main-caliber guns at enemy concentrations in the villages of Baydary, Pavlovka and Tylovoe. In addition, he launched an artillery strike with anti-mine caliber guns against targets on the coastal flank of the front. During the transition, due to strong vibration, the outer plating sheet cracked, which led to the flooding of two trim compartments. On November 29, the battleship dropped anchor in the inner roadstead of Poti.
December 27, 1941 battleship accompanied by the leader "Tashkent" and a destroyer "Smart" left Poti to provide artillery support to the defenders of Sevastopol. On December 29, he arrived in the Southern Bay and for 14 hours fired at enemy positions in the Belbek Valley. During the shelling, he suppressed an enemy artillery battery that opened fire on the ship. The battleship did not receive any damage and, having taken on board more than a thousand wounded, went to Novorossiysk along with the cruiser "Molotov". Where the ships arrived on December 30. While on the roadstead in Novorossiysk, on January 4 and 5, 1942, he opened fire on enemy aircraft three times.
January 5, 1942 battleship together with a destroyer "glib" arrived in the area of the Kerch Peninsula to provide artillery support. On January 6, the battleship launched an artillery strike on concentrations of enemy equipment and manpower in the Old Crimea region. In 27 minutes, the battleship fired 165 305 mm shells. Returning to Novorossiysk, on January 6 and 7 he repelled two attacks by German aircraft, after which he left for Poti.
In the periods from January 10 to 13 and from January 15 to 17, he opened fire on enemy positions in the Old Crimea region. And in the period from January 17 to February 25, while in Poti and Novorossiysk, he opened fire on enemy aircraft seven times, shooting down one Ju-88 bomber.
February 26 battleship "Paris Commune" in guarding destroyers "glib" And "Vigilant", provided artillery support to the troops of the Crimean Front. Once again, the main caliber guns of the battleship unleashed all their might on the area of Old Crimea and the piers of the Feodosia port, firing 50 305-mm shells each. On February 28, a detachment of ships set off for Novorossiysk. While in port on March 18, the battleship repelled a group air attack, shooting down one German aircraft and damaging another.
March 20, 1942 battleship "Paris Commune" accompanied by a leader "Tashkent", destroyers: "glib", "Irreproachable" And "Vigilant" arrived on the shores of Crimea to launch an artillery strike on German positions in the Vladislavovka - Novo-Mikhailovka area. Despite heavy icing, the battleship fired about 300 305-mm shells at enemy positions and returned to Poti on March 23.
After returning to Poti, the battleship was in urgent need of repairs. On six main caliber guns, the barrels at the muzzles were cracked, and the life of the liners was completely spent. According to peacetime standards, six to eight months were allotted for their replacement, but in 1942 they gave 30 days for this operation, and completed it in 16 days. After replacing the barrels, the battleship was undergoing repairs; its activities were limited to repelling air attacks. Thus, during the period from April 30, 1942 to March 29, 1943, ten enemy air attacks were repelled, and one Ju-88 aircraft was shot down.
After the repairs were completed, 540 people were transferred from the battleship to marines. May 31, 1943 to the battleship "Paris Commune" returned the previous name "Sevastopol". On August 9, on the eve of the decisive battles for Novorossiysk, 120-mm guns were removed from the ship, which formed a 120-mm battery that fired 1,700 shells during the assault on the city. After which the guns were returned to the battleship. In August 1944, a new English-style radar station was installed on the ship. November 5, 1944 battleship "Sevastopol" together with other ships returned to the Main Base of the Black Sea Fleet. On July 8, 1945 the battleship was awarded the order Red Banner.
Already in the summer of 1945, the battleship began to conduct intensive combat training. In 1948 the battleship "Sevastopol" included in the list of ships not subject to major repairs. Basically, regular repairs were carried out on the ships. During the course of which, radar stations and anti-aircraft weapons were mainly updated. On May 15, 1954, the battleship was included in the 46th division of training ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and on July 24, it was reclassified as a training ship.
type "Soviet Union"
The combat regulations of the Navy of the Red Army - 1930 (BU-30) recognized battleships as the main striking force of the fleet, and the course towards industrialization opened up real prospects for their creation. However, the matter was hampered not only by limited capabilities, but also by dogmatism and extremes in the development of naval theory. Leading theorists B.B. Zhreve and M.A. Petrov, who advocated a proportional ratio of different classes of ships in the fleet, at the turn of the 20-30s. labeled as apologists of the “bourgeois old school”; while M.A. Petrov, who brilliantly defended the fleet from its radical reduction in a heated debate with M.N. Tukhachevsky at a meeting of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, ended up in prison, where he later died.
Under the influence of the tempting idea of solving the problems of naval defense of the USSR through the mass construction of relatively cheap submarines, torpedo boats and seaplanes, the not always competent specialists of the so-called young school won the theoretical debate; Some of its representatives, for opportunistic reasons of undermining the authority of the “old specialists,” distorted the picture of the battle at sea during the First World War, idealizing the combat capabilities of “new weapons,” for example, submarines. Sometimes such one-sided concepts were shared by the leaders of the Red Army Naval Forces; Thus, in October 1933, the head of the USSR Navy (Namorsi) V.M. Orlov, at the suggestion of the most aggressive “theorist” A.P. Aleksandrova demanded “exposure in the press” and “withdrawal from circulation” of the book “Anglo-American Maritime Rivalry,” published by the Institute of World Economy and Politics; one of its authors is P.I. Smirnov, who held the position of deputy inspector of the Red Army Navy, dared to objectively show the place of battleships in the fleet, which A.P. Aleksandrov regarded it as “a shameless attack on the party line in naval construction, undermining the confidence of personnel in their weapons.”
It is noteworthy that even during the period of enthusiasm for mosquito forces (October 1931), a group of engineers from the design bureau of the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad seemed to have foreseen the immediate need for these ships; they presented a memorandum to the industry leadership, which contained proposals for starting preparatory work, selecting types, drawing up projects, strengthening the material base, design and working personnel. Many of those who signed this document participated in the design of Soviet battleships. The importance of building a swarm of large ships in the mid-30s. became obvious to Namorsi V.M. Orlov, his deputy I.M. Ludri and the head of the Main Ministry of Industry of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry R.A. Muklevich.
The greatest successes in 1935 were achieved by the Central Design Bureau of Special Shipbuilding of Glavmorprom (TsKBS-1), headed by V.L. Brzezinski. Among a number of promising projects, six variants of battleships with a standard displacement from 43,000 to 75,000 tons were studied. Based on the results of the work, the chief engineer of TsKBS-1 V.P. Rimsky-Kor-sakov (in the recent past - deputy head of the Naval Training and Construction Directorate) compiled a generalized set of technical specifications, which V.L. On December 24, 1935, Brzezinski reported to the leadership of the Naval Forces and Glavmorprom. The first order for the preliminary design of “Project No. 23 of the battleship for the Pacific Fleet” was issued by Glavmorprom to the Baltic Shipyard on February 21, 1936, but the assignment for this project was not approved and was adjusted according to the options of TsKBS-1. V.M. Orlov recognized the projects of battleships with a standard displacement of 55,000-57,000 and 35,000 tons (instead of the 43,000 tons option) as “interesting and relevant” for the Navy; On May 13, 1936, he gave instructions to I.M. Ludri on issuing “clear instructions” to the naval Research Institute of Military Shipbuilding (NIVK) and industry for the “final preliminary design of large ships” in the development of selected options. Preliminary tactical and technical specifications for the sketches, developed under the leadership of the Head of the Shipbuilding Department of the Naval Naval Forces, Flag Officer 2nd Rank B.E. Alyakritsky, approved on May 15, 1936 by I.M. Ludry.
The concept of building two types of battleships (larger and smaller displacement) was based on the differences in theaters of military operations - the open Pacific, limited Baltic and Black Sea. The compilers of the technical specifications proceeded from the optimal characteristics of the ships, determined by the level of technology and experience of the past war, and combat training. However, at the initial stage, the design was strongly influenced by foreign experience and contractual displacement restrictions provided for by the Washington (1922) and London (1930 and 1936) agreements, in which the USSR did not officially participate. V.M. Orlov was inclined to reduce the displacement and caliber of weapons of the first battleship of the Pacific Fleet, and for the second he chose the option of a relatively small but high-speed ship, embodied in the projects of the French Dunkirk and the German Scharnhorst. During the discussion of the sketches, the proposed placement of all three turrets of the main caliber of the “large” battleship in the bow of the hull (following the example of the English battleship “Nelson”), proposed by the Baltic Shipyard Design Bureau, did not pass. The design of TsKBS-1 was taken as a basis, in which two three-gun turrets were placed in the bow, and one in the stern. August 3, 1936 V.M. Orlov approved the TTZ for the preliminary design of battleships of types “A” (project 23) and “B” (project 25), proposed on a competitive basis by TsKBS-1 and the Baltic Shipyard Design Bureau.
In accordance with the special provision approved by V.M. Orlov and R.A. Muklevich on August 21, 1936, work on the projects was carried out in close cooperation between the heads of the design bureau and TsKBS-1 S.F. Stepanova and V.L. Brzezinski with representatives of the Navy who observed the design. The examination was entrusted to the heads of naval institutes under the general supervision of the head of the NIVK, flag engineer 2nd rank E.P. Libel.
In November 1936, materials from the preliminary designs of battleships “A” and “B”, together with reviews from observers and the NIVK, were reviewed in the Shipbuilding Department of the UVMS (chief - 2nd rank flagship engineer B.E. Alyakrinsky). To draw up the general technical design of the first of the battleships, they chose the most thoughtful version of the Baltic Shipyard design bureau (standard displacement 45,900 tons) with changes approved by V.M. Namorsi. Orlov November 26, 1936; displacement, for example, was allowed within 46-47 thousand tons with an increase in draft at full load to 10 m, and provision was made for strengthening the armor of the decks and bow. The development of the general technical design of the “B” type battleship was entrusted to the TsKBS in development of the draft one presented by him with a standard displacement of 30,900 tons (total 37,800).
Fulfilling the government decree of July 16, 1936, the Shipbuilding Department of the UVMS issued an order on December 3 to Glavmorprom for the construction of eight battleships with delivery to the fleet in 1941. In Leningrad it was planned to build two battleships of project 23 (Baltic Shipyard) and the same number of project 25, in Nikolaev - four projects 25. This decision actually meant another adjustment to the shipbuilding program of the second five-year plan (1933-1937), supplementing it with battleships that were not previously provided for. However, the implementation of new plans to strengthen the fleet encountered serious difficulties, some of which were determined by the huge volume of experimental work that could ensure the success of design and construction; This meant the manufacture of steam boilers, mine protection compartments, armor plates, life-size mock-ups of turbine and boiler rooms, testing the effects of bombs and shells on deck armor, irrigation systems, remote control, air conditioning, etc. The problems of creating artillery installations and high-power turbine mechanisms turned out to be especially difficult.
All these difficulties were overcome in an atmosphere of disorganization of fleet and industry management caused by the repressions of 1937-1938, when almost everyone who led the selection of types and the creation of future battleships became victims. The already disastrous situation with the availability of qualified command and engineering personnel worsened, as a result of which the laying down of ships in 1937 did not take place, and the design assignments themselves underwent serious changes. Project 25 was abandoned and later transformed into a heavy cruiser (Project 69, Kronstadt). In August-September of the same year, the new leadership of the Red Army Navy (Namorsi - flagship of the 2nd rank fleet L.M. Galler) revised the previously drawn up plan for the construction of ships, designed for ten years. This option provided for the future construction of 6 battleships of type “A” and 14 of type “B” instead of 8 and 16. However, such a truncated plan, presented to the Defense Committee by Marshal Soviet Union K.E. Voroshilov in September 1937, was never officially approved.
Despite the problematic implementation of the ten-year program, the government, by decision of August 13/15, 1937, determined the reworking of technical project 23 with an increase in the standard displacement to 55-57 thousand tons while optimizing armor and structural underwater protection and abandoning two stern 100 mm towers The increase in displacement, reflecting the objective need to combine powerful weapons, reliable protection and high speed, proved the validity of the initial assignments of 1936. At the same time, TsKB-17 received the 2nd rank flagship S.P. developed by the commission. Stavitsky tactical and technical
assignment for the design of a type B battleship (project 64) with 356 mm main caliber artillery. For projects 23 and 64, it was planned to unify the main turbo-gear units with a capacity of 67,000 hp. every ( technical assistance Swiss company "Brown-Boveri"), 152-, 100-mm turrets and quad 37-mm machine guns of domestic design.
The materials of technical project 23 (head of the Baltic Shipyard design bureau Grauerman, chief engineer B.G. Chilikin) were considered by the Shipbuilding Directorate (MC) of the Red Army Navy in November 1937. In December, head of TsKB-17 N.P. Dubinin and chief engineer V.A. Nikitin presented preliminary design 64 to the Criminal Code, but both of them were considered unsatisfactory. In Project 23 (standard displacement 57,825, total displacement - 63,900 tons) there were many unresolved issues related to the development of the main power plant, anti-mine and anti-aircraft artillery towers, bottom protection and a reservation system, which did not correspond to the results of the experimental bombing. The shortcomings of Project 64 were largely explained by the task itself, which involved the creation of a deliberately weak ship, designed to solve problems “in interaction with other means of connection.” Armament (nine 356-, twelve 152-, eight 100-, thirty-two 37-mm guns) and its characteristics (for the 356-mm, 750-kg shells were planned with an initial speed of 860-910 m/s) at a speed of 29 knots could not provide a type B battleship with tactical advantages in single combat with the same foreigners. The designers' desire to fulfill the strict requirements of technical specifications for ship protection led to an increase in the standard displacement to almost 50,000 tons. The wishes of the Navy Shipbuilding Department to reduce the displacement to 45,000 tons were never realized; in early 1938, battleship “B” was abandoned.
Battleship
Battleship
(battleship), 1) a large three-masted warship of the sailing fleet, which had strong artillery on its sides to destroy enemy ships. In this case, linear tactics were used (which is what the name is associated with): the battleships in battle order followed strictly one after another, without leaving the wake. They first appeared in England in 1637. The displacement of the last sailing battleships reached 5000 tons, armament up to 120–130 guns, crew up to 800 people. Replaced by steam armored ships - battleships.
2) A large warship that was part of the 1st floor. 20th century part of the navies of many states, equipped with powerful artillery and armor protection. Intended to destroy enemy warships and coastal targets. The first battleship of this type was the English Dreadnought (1906). In 1914, 4 Russian battleships of the Sevastopol type were built, which later became the only Soviet battleships. In the 1960s battleships have been withdrawn from fleets everywhere. In the USA alone there are 4 battleships (Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri and Wisconsin) built in 1943-44. returned to service after modernization (installation of missile weapons). However, they too in the 1990s. transferred to reserve. Battleships of this type had a displacement of 58,000 tons, a speed of 33 knots (61 km/h), a cruising range of 15,000 (27,800 km), and a crew of 1,588 people. Armament: cruise missiles (32) with a firing range of up to 3000 km, anti-ship missiles (16), 406 mm (19), 127 mm (12) and 20 mm (24) artillery mounts, helicopters (3).
Encyclopedia "Technology". - M.: Rosman. 2006 .
See what a “ship of the line” is in other dictionaries:
- (battleship) 1) two three-deck sailing ships of the late 17th century and the first half of the 19th century with powerful artillery weapons (up to 130 guns located along the sides in a line) for naval combat in accordance with linear tactics (hence the name). WITH… … Marine dictionary
- (battleship) 1) in the sailing navy 17 1st floor. 19th centuries a large three-masted warship with 2-3 decks; had from 60 to 130 guns and up to 800 crew. Intended for combat in the battle line (from here... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
SHIP OF THE LINE, military. a ship designed for battle in a line, i.e. in formation. Because the fate of a war at sea is usually decided by squadrons. battles, then L. to bl is the main one. military type fuck. Everything is left. auxiliary types. Like L. fuck... ... Military encyclopedia
battleship- (battleship) two three-deck sailing ships of the late 17th and first half of the 19th century with powerful artillery weapons (up to 130 guns located along the sides in a line) for naval combat in accordance with linear tactics (from here... ... Marine Biographical Dictionary
This term has other meanings, see Battleship (meanings). "Dreadnought" the ancestor of the class of battleships ... Wikipedia
BATTLESHIP- battleship. 1. In the sailing fleet ( end of XVII mid-19th century) the largest three-masted combat ship with strong artillery weapons (from 60 to 130 guns). Depending on the number of guns, Battleships were divided into ranks. Linear... ... Marine encyclopedic reference book
Battleship, 1) in the sailing navy of the 17th 1st half of the 19th centuries. a large three-masted warship with 2-3 artillery decks; had from 60 to 135 guns, mounted on the sides in a line, and up to 800 crew members.... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- (battleship), 1) in the sailing navy of the 17th and first half of the 19th centuries. a large three-masted warship with 2-3 decks; had from 60 to 130 guns and up to 800 crew. Intended for combat in the battle line (hence... encyclopedic Dictionary
Battleship, 1) in the steam fleet, the class of the largest art. surface ships (displacement up to 65 thousand tons), intended. for destruction at sea. combat of ships of all classes and the application of powerful artillery. strikes against enemy coastal targets. L.K. had an onboard... Big Encyclopedic Polytechnic Dictionary
Battleship "Arkhangelsk"- Battleship "Arkhangelsk" (before 05/30/1944 "Royal Sovereign") 1915 Built in Portsmouth (England). Laid down on January 15, 1914, launched on April 29, 1915, entered service in May 1916. Overhauled and modernized in 1928... Military encyclopedia
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Battleship
Battleship(abbreviated from “battleship”) - a class of armored artillery warships with a displacement of 20 to 70 thousand tons, a length of 150 to 280 m, armed with main caliber guns from 280 to 460 mm, with a crew of 1500-2800 people. Battleships were used in the 20th century to destroy enemy ships as part of a combat formation and provide artillery support for ground operations. It was an evolutionary development of armadillos of the second half of the 19th century.
origin of name
Battleship is short for "ship of the line." This is how a new type of ship was named in Russia in 1907 in memory of the ancient wooden sailing ships of the line. It was initially assumed that the new ships would revive linear tactics, but this was soon abandoned.
The English analogue of this term - battleship (literally: warship) - also originated from sailing battleships. In 1794, the term "line-of-battle ship" was abbreviated as "battle ship". Later it was used in relation to any warship. Since the late 1880s, it has most often been applied unofficially to squadron ironclads. In 1892, the reclassification of the British Navy named the class of super-heavy ships with the word “battleship”, which included several particularly heavy squadron battleships.
But the real revolution in shipbuilding, which marked a truly new class of ships, was made by the construction of the Dreadnought, completed in 1906.
Dreadnoughts. "Big Guns Only"
The authorship of a new leap in the development of large artillery ships is attributed to the English Admiral Fisher. Back in 1899, while commanding the Mediterranean squadron, he noted that firing with the main caliber could be carried out over a much greater distance if one was guided by the splashes from falling shells. However, it was necessary to unify all artillery in order to avoid confusion in determining the bursts of main-caliber and medium-caliber artillery shells. Thus was born the concept of all-big-guns (only big guns), which formed the basis of a new type of ship. The effective firing range increased from 10-15 to 90-120 cables.
Other innovations that formed the basis of the new type of ship were centralized fire control from a single ship-wide post and the spread of electric drives, which speeded up the targeting of heavy guns. The guns themselves have also seriously changed, due to the transition to smokeless powder and new high-strength steels. Now only the lead ship could carry out zeroing, and those following in its wake were guided by the splashes of its shells. Thus, building in wake columns again made it possible in Russia in 1907 to return the term battleship. In the USA, England and France the term “battleship” was not revived, and new ships continued to be called “battleship” or “cuirassé”. In Russia, “battleship” remained the official term, but in practice the abbreviation battleship.
Battlecruiser Hood.
The naval public accepted the new class ships capital ambiguous, particular criticism was caused by weak and incomplete armor protection. However, the British Navy continued the development of this type, first building 3 Indifatiable-class cruisers. Indefatigable) - an improved version of the Invincible, and then moved on to building battlecruisers with 343 mm artillery. They were 3 Lion-class cruisers. Lion), as well as the “Tiger” built in a single copy (eng. Tiger) . These ships had already surpassed their contemporary battleships in size and were very fast, but their armor, although stronger in comparison with the Invincible, still did not meet the requirements of combat with a similarly armed enemy.
Already during the First World War, the British continued to build battlecruisers in accordance with the concept of Fisher, who returned to leadership - the highest possible speed combined with the most powerful weapons, but with weak armor. As a result, the Royal Navy received 2 battlecruisers of the Renown class, as well as 2 light battlecruisers of the Coreyes class and 1 Furies class, and the latter began to be rebuilt into a semi-aircraft carrier even before commissioning. The last British battlecruiser to be commissioned was Hood, and its design was significantly changed after the Battle of Jutland, which was unsuccessful for British battlecruisers. The ship's armor was sharply strengthened, and it actually became a battleship-cruiser.
Battlecruiser Goeben.
German shipbuilders demonstrated a noticeably different approach to the design of battlecruisers. To a certain extent, sacrificing seaworthiness, cruising range and even firepower, they paid great attention to the armor protection of their battle cruisers and ensuring their unsinkability. Already the first German battlecruiser "Von der Tann" (German. Von der Tann), inferior to the Invincible in the weight of the broadside, it was noticeably superior to its British counterparts in security.
Subsequently, developing a successful project, the Germans introduced battle cruisers of the Moltke type (German: Moltke) into their fleet. Moltke) (2 units) and their improved version - “Seydlitz” (German. Seydlitz). Then the German fleet was replenished with battlecruisers with 305 mm artillery, versus 280 mm on early ships. They became "Derflinger" (German. Derfflinger), "Lützow" (German. Lützow) and "Hindenburg" (German) Hindenburg) - according to experts, the most successful battlecruisers of the First World War.
Battlecruiser "Congo".
Already during the war, the Germans laid down 4 Mackensen-class battlecruisers (German. Mackensen) and 3 types "Ersatz York" (German. Ersatz York). The former carried 350-mm artillery, while the latter planned to install 380-mm guns. Both types were distinguished by powerful armor protection at a moderate speed, but none of the ships that were built entered service until the end of the war.
Japan and Russia also wished to have battlecruisers. Japanese fleet In 1913-1915, he received 4 units of the Kongo type (Japanese: 金剛) - powerfully armed, fast, but poorly protected. The Russian Imperial Navy built 4 units of the Izmail class, which were distinguished by very powerful weapons, decent speed and good protection, surpassing the Gangut class battleships in all respects. The first 3 ships were launched in 1915, but later, due to the difficulties of the war years, their construction slowed down sharply and was ultimately stopped.
World War I
During the First World War, the German "Hochseeflotte" - High Seas Fleet and the English "Grand Fleet" spent most of the time at their bases, since the strategic importance of the ships seemed too great to risk them in battle. The only military clash of battleship fleets in this war (the Battle of Jutland) took place on May 31, 1916. The German fleet intended to lure the English fleet out of its bases and smash it piece by piece, but the British, having figured out the plan, took their entire fleet out to sea. Faced with superior forces, the Germans were forced to retreat, escaping traps several times and losing several of their ships (11 to 14 British). However, after this, until the very end of the war, the High Seas Fleet was forced to remain off the coast of Germany.
In total, during the war, not a single battleship sank from artillery fire alone; only three British battlecruisers were lost due to weak defenses during the Battle of Jutland. The main damage (22 dead ships) to the battleships was caused by minefields and submarine torpedoes, anticipating the future importance of the submarine fleet.
Russian battleships in naval battles did not participate - in the Baltic they stood in harbors, bound by the threat of mines and torpedoes, and in the Black Sea they had no worthy rivals, and their role was reduced to artillery bombing. The exception is the battle between the battleship Empress Catherine the Great and the battle cruiser Goeben, during which the Goeben, having received damage from the fire of the Russian battleship, managed to maintain its advantage in speed and went into the Bosporus. The battleship "Empress Maria" was lost in 1916 from an explosion of ammunition in the harbor of Sevastopol for an unknown reason.
Washington Maritime Agreement
First World War did not put an end to the naval arms race, because the place of the European powers as the owners of the largest fleets was taken by America and Japan, which practically did not participate in the war. After the construction of the newest super-dreadnoughts of the Ise class, the Japanese finally believed in the capabilities of their shipbuilding industry and began to prepare their fleet to establish dominance in the region. A reflection of these aspirations was the ambitious “8+8” program, which provided for the construction of 8 new battleships and 8 equally powerful battlecruisers, with 410 mm and 460 mm guns. The first pair of ships of the Nagato class had already launched, two battlecruisers (with 5x2x410 mm) were on the slipways, when the Americans, concerned about this, adopted a response program to build 10 new battleships and 6 battlecruisers, not counting smaller ships. England, devastated by the war, also did not want to lag behind and planned the construction of ships of the “G-3” and “N-3” types, although it could no longer maintain the “double standard”. However, such a burden on the budgets of world powers was extremely undesirable in the post-war situation, and everyone was ready to make concessions in order to maintain the existing situation.
To counter the ever-increasing underwater threat on ships, the size of anti-torpedo protection zones was increasingly increasing. To protect against shells coming from afar, therefore, at a large angle, as well as from aerial bombs, the thickness of the armored decks was increasingly increased (up to 160-200mm), which received a spaced design. The widespread use of electric welding made it possible to make the structure not only more durable, but also provided significant savings in weight. Mine-caliber artillery moved from the side sponsons to the towers, where it had large firing angles. The number of anti-aircraft artillery was constantly increasing, divided into large-caliber and small-caliber, to repel attacks at long and short distances, respectively. Large-caliber and then small-caliber artillery received separate guidance posts. The idea of a universal caliber was tested, which was high-speed, large-caliber guns with large aiming angles, suitable for repelling attacks by destroyers and high-altitude bombers.
All ships were equipped with onboard reconnaissance seaplanes with catapults, and in the second half of the 1930s the British began installing the first radars on their ships.
The military also had at its disposal many ships from the end of the “super-dreadnought” era, which were being modernized to meet new requirements. They received new machine installations to replace the old ones, more powerful and compact. However, their speed did not increase, and often even fell, due to the fact that the ships received large side attachments in the underwater part - boules - designed to improve resistance to underwater explosions. The main caliber turrets received new, enlarged embrasures, which made it possible to increase the firing range; thus, the firing range of the 15-inch guns of the Queen Elizabeth class ships increased from 116 to 160 cables.
In Japan, under the influence of Admiral Yamamoto, in the fight against their main supposed enemy - the United States - they relied on a general battle of all naval forces, due to the impossibility of a long-term confrontation with the United States. The main role was given to new battleships (although Yamamoto himself was against such ships), which were supposed to replace the unbuilt ships of the 8+8 program. Moreover, back in the late 20s, it was decided that within the framework of the Washington Agreement it would not be possible to create sufficiently powerful ships that would be superior to American ones. Therefore, the Japanese decided to ignore the restrictions, building ships of the highest possible power, called the "Yamato type". The world's largest ships (64 thousand tons) were equipped with record-breaking 460 mm caliber guns that fired shells weighing 1,460 kg. The thickness of the side belt reached 410 mm, however, the value of the armor was reduced by its lower quality compared to European and American ones. The huge size and cost of the ships led to the fact that only two were able to be completed - Yamato and Musashi.
Richelieu
In Europe, over the next few years, such ships as Bismarck (Germany, 2 units), King George V (Great Britain, 5 units), Littorio (Italy, 3 units), Richelieu (France, 3 units) were laid down. 2 pieces). Formally, they were bound by the restrictions of the Washington Agreement, but in reality all the ships exceeded the treaty limit (38-42 thousand tons), especially the German ones. The French ships were actually an enlarged version of the small battleships of the Dunkirk type and were of interest in that they had only two turrets, both at the bow of the ship, thus losing the ability to fire directly at the stern. But the turrets were 4-gun, and the dead angle in the stern was quite small. The ships were also interesting because of their strong anti-torpedo protection (up to 7 meters wide). Only the Yamato (up to 5 m, but the thick anti-torpedo bulkhead and large displacement of the battleship somewhat compensated for the relatively small width) and Littorio (up to 7.57 m, however, the original Pugliese system was used there) could compete with this indicator. The armor of these ships was considered one of the best among the 35-thousand-ton ships.
USS Massachusetts
In the United States, when building new ships, a maximum width requirement was imposed - 32.8 m - so that the ships could pass through the Panama Canal, which was owned by the United States. If for the first ships of the “North Caroline” and “South Dakota” type this did not yet play a big role, then for the last ships of the “Iowa” type, which had an increased displacement, it was necessary to use elongated, pear-shaped hull shapes. American ships were also distinguished by powerful 406 mm caliber guns with shells weighing 1225 kg, which is why all ten ships of the three new series had to sacrifice side armor (305 mm at an angle of 17 degrees on the North Caroline, 310 mm at an angle of 19 degrees -on the "South Dakota" and 307 mm at the same angle - on the "Iowa"), and on the six ships of the first two series - also at speed (27 knots). On four ships of the third series (“Iowa type”, due to the larger displacement, this drawback was partially corrected: the speed was increased (officially) to 33 knots, but the thickness of the belt was even reduced to 307 mm (although officially, for the purposes of the propaganda campaign, it was announced 457 mm), however, the thickness of the outer skin increased from 32 to 38 mm, but this did not matter significant role. The armament was somewhat strengthened, the main caliber guns became 5 calibers longer (from 45 to 50 cal.).
Operating together with the Tirpitz, the Scharnhorst in 1943 met with the English battleship Duke of York, the heavy cruiser Norfolk, light cruiser"Jamaica" and destroyers and was sunk. During the breakthrough from Brest to Norway across the English Channel (Operation Cerberus), the same type of "Gneisenau" was heavily damaged by British aircraft (partial explosion of ammunition) and was not repaired until the end of the war.
The last battle in naval history directly between battleships took place on the night of October 25, 1944 in the Surigao Strait, when 6 American battleships attacked and sank the Japanese Fuso and Yamashiro. The American battleships anchored across the strait and fired broadsides with all main-caliber guns according to the radar bearing. The Japanese, who did not have ship radars, could only fire from the bow guns almost at random, focusing on the flashes of the muzzle flame of American guns.
Under changed circumstances, projects to build even larger battleships (the American Montana and the Japanese Super Yamato) were cancelled. The last battleship to enter service was the British Vanguard (1946), laid down before the war, but completed only after its end.
The impasse in the development of battleships was shown by the German projects H42 and H44, according to which a ship with a displacement of 120-140 thousand tons was supposed to have artillery with a caliber of 508 mm and deck armor of 330 mm. The deck, which had a much larger area than the armored belt, could not be protected against aerial bombs without excessive weight, while the decks of existing battleships were penetrated by bombs of 500 and 1000 kg caliber.
After World War II
After the war, most of the battleships were scrapped by 1960 - they were too expensive for war-weary economies and no longer had the same military value. For the role of the main carrier nuclear weapons aircraft carriers and, a little later, nuclear submarines came out.
Only the United States used its latest battleships (New Jersey type) several more times for artillery support of ground operations, due to the relative, compared to airstrikes, cheapness of shelling the coast with heavy shells over areas, as well as the extreme firepower of the ships (after upgrading the system loading, in an hour of firing, the Iowa could fire about a thousand tons of shells, which is still inaccessible to any aircraft carrier). Although it must be admitted that having a very small amount of explosives (70 kg for 862 kg high-explosive and only 18 kg for 1225 kg armor-piercing) explosive shells of American battleships are not in the best possible way were suitable for shelling the shore, but they never got around to developing a powerful high-explosive projectile. Before the Korean War, all four Iowa-class battleships were reintroduced into service. In Vietnam, "New Jersey" was used.
Under President Reagan, these ships were removed from reserve and returned to service. They were called upon to become the core of new strike naval groups, for which they were rearmed and became capable of carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles (8 4-charge containers) and Harpoon-type anti-ship missiles (32 missiles). "New Jersey" took part in the shelling of Lebanon in -1984, and "Missouri" and "Wisconsin" fired their main caliber at ground targets during the first Gulf War. Firing Iraqi positions and stationary objects with the main caliber of battleships with the same effectiveness turned out to be much cheaper than a rocket one. Also, well-protected and spacious battleships proved effective as headquarters ships. However, the high costs of re-equipping old battleships (300-500 million dollars each) and the high costs of their maintenance led to the fact that all four ships were again withdrawn from service in the nineties of the 20th century. The New Jersey was sent to the Camden Naval Museum, the Missouri became a museum ship at Pearl Harbor, the Iowa is mothballed at the Reserve Fleet in Susan Bay, California, and the Wisconsin maintained in Class B conservation at Norfolk Maritime Museum. However, the combat service of the battleships can be resumed, since during mothballing, legislators especially insisted on maintaining combat readiness of at least two of the four battleships.
Although battleships are now absent from the operational composition of the world's navies, their ideological successor is called “arsenal ships”, carriers of a large number of cruise missiles, which should become a kind of floating missile depots located near the coast to launch missile strikes on it if necessary. There is talk about the creation of such ships in American maritime circles, but to date not a single such ship has been built.
