Naval Vessels

I

Introduction

Naval Vessels, ships designed for the various operations involved in modern naval warfare. The following survey identifies only the principal classes of United States naval vessels, except for submarines and aircraft carriers, described in separate articles. Most navies in the world today maintain only the smaller types of vessels discussed in this article.

II

Battleship

The modern battleship traces its ancestry to the 74-gun ship-of-the-line of the sailing era. It is also the product of a series of modifications of the heavy steel ships that formed the backbone of the so-called New Navy of the 1880s, when the steel industry was introduced in the United States. The mission of the battleship was to conduct sustained combat operations at sea worldwide; to operate as an element of a carrier battle group or amphibious group; and in areas of lesser threat, to be capable of surface-action group operations with appropriate antisubmarine and antiair warfare escort ships.

The four battleships of the Iowa class were modernized and recommissioned in the 1980s. All were decommissioned in the 1990s. In addition to their nine 406-mm (16-in) guns in three turrets, used primarily for shore bombardment, each carries twelve 127-mm (5-in) twin batteries for antiaircraft protection, four Phalanx close-in weapons systems for defense against antiship missiles, and sixteen Tomahawk cruise missiles for surface warfare and land attack. Crew levels have dropped from 6,000 (during World War II) to 1,700 enlisted personnel and 100 officers. The sides, superstructure, and deck of the ship consist of steel plate armor varying in thickness from 13 to 41 cm (5 to 16 in). A battleship of the Iowa class measures 270 m (885 ft) in length and 33 m (108 ft) in beam; it displaces about 58,000 tons at full load and attains speeds of 33 knots.

III

Cruiser

The cruiser replaced the fast frigate of the early U.S. Navy. During its evolution, it has served many roles; it has been used in commerce, raiding, communications control, screening, antiaircraft defense, escorting aircraft carriers, and supporting amphibious landings. Today, its mission is to destroy enemy surface ships, submarines, aircraft, and missiles. In addition to 5-in. guns, missiles such as Harpoon and Tomahawk, the Phalanx system, antisubmarine warfare helicopters, and torpedoes comprise some of the cruiser's firepower. Displacement ranges from 7,500 to 12,000 tons, length from 162 to 243 m (533 to 796 ft), and beam from 17 to 22 m (55 to 73 ft). Many cruisers now have the AEGIS surface-to-air missile system, a highly sophisticated and capable weapons system. Some cruisers are conventionally fueled and others are nuclear powered; their speed is about 30 knots. Crew members average about 550.

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IV

Destroyer

The destroyer is a light, fast, hard-hitting ship that serves a great variety of functions because of its speed, armament, and maneuver-ability. It replaced the sloop of war of the navy of the sailing era and evolved from the torpedo-boat destroyer designed to combat the torpedo boat. After the submarine was introduced into naval warfare, the destroyer, with acoustic and electronic underwater detection devices, was used for locating and destroying enemy submarines. Destroyers also served as protective screens against enemy submarines for larger ships, as smoke-screen layers, as airplane guards for carriers, as escort ships for convoys, and as support ships for amphibious landings. They now provide antiair, antisurface, and antisubmarine warfare capabilities. Armed with 5-in. guns, a variety of antiship missiles, the Phalanx system, antisubmarine helicopters, and torpedoes, destroyers are ready to execute their missions. They displace from 5,000 to 8,300 tons, measure from 133 to 172 m (437 to 563 ft) in length and from 14 to 18 m (47 to 59 ft) in beam, range in speed from 30 to 33 knots, and have crews of about 400.

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