Battleships of WWI
Battleships were a major part of battle in WWI. There were many types of warships that played different roles in combat over water. There were dreadnought battleships, pre-dreadnought battleships, torpedo boats, destroyers, monitors, submarines, and cruisers. The types of primary ships evolved throughout the war.
Dreadnought Battleships These types of battleships were named after the warship that the British introduced in WWI. They differed from previous battleships because they had a primary armament of guns and a light secondary armament to defend themselves against other ships. The defensive weaponry was mainly for protection against torpedo crafts. An example of a dreadnought battleship is the HMS Dreadnought. …show more content…
It was built for the Imperial Russian Navy. It was launched on August 29,1903 and was scuttled near the island of Muhu in 1917.
Torpedo Boats These warships were fast and used to bring torpedoes into battle. They were created to counter battleships which were slow and heavily armed. These types of ships had the advantage due to their speed, agility, and power of their torpedo weapons. Although, they were eventually superseded by destroyers by the end of WWI. An example of a torpedo boat would be the SMS S115. It was built for the Imperial German Navy and was sunk during a battle against the British. Two destroyers called Lennox and Lance heavily damaged this boat. A light cruiser called Undaunted finished the ship off. 55 men in the crew were lost.
Destroyers These warships were created to destroy torpedo boats. They were larger, faster, and were created to have more emphasis on gun armaments rather than torpedoes. They were intended to escort larger ships in a battle group, convey, or fleet, as well as defend against torpedo …show more content…
They weren’t suited for fighting against other warships due to their slowness and lack of protection. They were armed with a few large guns, but overall were not meant for offensive roles. An example of a monitor is the HMS Humber. Eight ships in the Royal Navy share this name. This particular boat was originally built for Brazil, but was sold to the British during the war along with her two sister ships.
Submarines
Military submarines made a significant impact on WWI. Three American merchant vessels were sunk by German u-boats (submarines) which lead to the US declaring war on Germany in April 1917. They were feared because they could sink battleships and remain unseen. They were also viewed as a cowardly method of battle because it was quite the opposite of head to head combat. An example of a U-boat is the SM U-1. It was the first U-boat of it’s class. It’s called a U boat because the U stands for the German word “unterseeboot”. Submarines were typically names “SM U-” followed by a number.
Battleships were a major part of battle in WWI. There were many types of warships that played different roles in combat over water. There were dreadnought battleships, pre-dreadnought battleships, torpedo boats, destroyers, monitors, submarines, and cruisers. The types of primary ships evolved throughout the war.
Dreadnought Battleships These types of battleships were named after the warship that the British introduced in WWI. They differed from previous battleships because they had a primary armament of guns and a light secondary armament to defend themselves against other ships. The defensive weaponry was mainly for protection against torpedo crafts. An example of a dreadnought battleship is the HMS Dreadnought. …show more content…
It was built for the Imperial Russian Navy. It was launched on August 29,1903 and was scuttled near the island of Muhu in 1917.
Torpedo Boats These warships were fast and used to bring torpedoes into battle. They were created to counter battleships which were slow and heavily armed. These types of ships had the advantage due to their speed, agility, and power of their torpedo weapons. Although, they were eventually superseded by destroyers by the end of WWI. An example of a torpedo boat would be the SMS S115. It was built for the Imperial German Navy and was sunk during a battle against the British. Two destroyers called Lennox and Lance heavily damaged this boat. A light cruiser called Undaunted finished the ship off. 55 men in the crew were lost.
Destroyers These warships were created to destroy torpedo boats. They were larger, faster, and were created to have more emphasis on gun armaments rather than torpedoes. They were intended to escort larger ships in a battle group, convey, or fleet, as well as defend against torpedo …show more content…
They weren’t suited for fighting against other warships due to their slowness and lack of protection. They were armed with a few large guns, but overall were not meant for offensive roles. An example of a monitor is the HMS Humber. Eight ships in the Royal Navy share this name. This particular boat was originally built for Brazil, but was sold to the British during the war along with her two sister ships.
Submarines
Military submarines made a significant impact on WWI. Three American merchant vessels were sunk by German u-boats (submarines) which lead to the US declaring war on Germany in April 1917. They were feared because they could sink battleships and remain unseen. They were also viewed as a cowardly method of battle because it was quite the opposite of head to head combat. An example of a U-boat is the SM U-1. It was the first U-boat of it’s class. It’s called a U boat because the U stands for the German word “unterseeboot”. Submarines were typically names “SM U-” followed by a number.