Top 10 Ships From World War II
World War II was a conflict of staggering scale, fought not just on land and in the air but also across the vast oceans. The ships of this era were more than just vessels. They were technological marvels, symbols of national pride, and critical players in one of history's most defining conflicts. From massive battleships that dominated the high seas to aircraft carriers that revolutionized naval warfare, each of these ships carried its own story, its own legacy.Engineering brilliance at its best. Not rivaled one-on-one, in my view, even by the later US ships or those Japanese monsters.
The Bismarck tied up a good deal of the Royal Navy searching for her in May 1941.
The ship that the most powerful navy in the world, the British Royal Navy, feared: the Bismarck. A bloody powerful ship.
Bigger, badder, and much stronger than the Bismarck, the Yamato had 18-inch guns, the largest in the entire war. Its armor belt and size were unrivaled, along with a massive array of anti-aircraft guns - 150 to be exact. It was the literal definition of a floating fortress.
It took the entire U.S. carrier task force to sink it, which included over 400 aircraft and eight carriers. There is a reason it was known as the pride of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
The IJN Yamato is probably the strongest battleship ever constructed. Although the USN's Iowa-class battleships show strong competition against a Yamato-class battleship, they have a small chance of actually sinking her.
Pros:
18-inch guns x9
Lots of armor
Looks badass
Amazing secondary guns
Cons:
Bad anti-aircraft (for her size)
Very long and wide
As an obsolete class of ships, this was by far the best ever built and one of the few that saw its role as a support vessel. This is a no-brainer. The Bismarck was a pile of junk compared to it on so many levels. I'm sick of hearing about the Bismarck and, even worse, the Hood!
All around, this class of battleships had no equal and would be the one a smart individual would want to serve on. Best guns, better than the 18" of the Yamato, by far the best anti-aircraft protection, armor belt, speed, radar aiming, and damage control. It just goes on.
I'm not saying it couldn't lose, but it's the ship I would bet on to win. In fact, if not this class, then my next choice would be the South Dakotas over the rest.
This ship was once the only operational U.S. carrier in the Pacific at one point in World War II. The Japanese reportedly sunk it three times, but the ship just kept getting repaired. This ship allowed the U.S. to hold on until the Essex-class carriers came out.
So feared by the Japanese, they nicknamed it the Grey Ghost. The Enterprise also played a role in the sinking of at least three of the four Japanese carriers at Midway. It is the most decorated warship in U.S. history.
I like the Enterprise because she participated in many battles, like the 1942 raid on Kwajalein, escorting her sister ship USS Hornet during the Doolittle Raid, and then at the important Battle of Midway. She also played a role in assisting U.S. planes at the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Santa Cruz, and other significant battles.
The Hood, in my opinion, was a beautiful ship. The Battle of the Denmark Strait was incredible, and the story of the battle between the Bismarck, the Hood, the Prince of Wales, and the Prinz Eugen should go down in naval history.
Not only was it an amazing ship, but the propaganda involving it and the morale boost it provided to the navy when it was sunk were significant. Also, the Tirpitz was terrible compared to the Hood. People in Germany didn't make days out of seeing it, and they certainly didn't care for it much when it was sunk.
Lucky it got a quick death. I almost cried when I heard the story.
A truly legendary ship. Without this vessel, the Royal Navy would have had no truly great option for the greatest ship of all time. The Bismarck and USS Enterprise only sank one ship each. The Warspite, on the other hand, was involved in the sinking of several enemy ships throughout its service, including three Italian destroyers at the Battle of Calabria.
She suffered over 300 hits in World War II alone but still managed to continue fighting. She scared away entire destroyer flotillas just with her presence and the fact that she would not give up. She refused to be broken down, refused to sink, and refused to lose.
Warspite also scored the longest-range hit on a warship ever, at 24 km. Her legend as a true underdog still lives today. An old World War I clunker managed to sink an Italian vessel that had just entered commission. I don't care about the Yamato, Iowa, or Bismarck. These ships are remembered for their size and power, but none of them did anything as remarkable in the war. Two of them got sunk quickly, and the other one just sort of existed.
Don't get me wrong, they were great, but not as great as this beautiful ship. And yes, I am English, but I am not biased at all. I just truly appreciate this ship.
One of the most unrecognized ships in the entire war. Strength, thickness of armor, and speed don't matter as much when your ship has a long range of 35km and excellent anti-air capabilities.
North Carolina is the most successful U.S. battleship of World War II, but a lot of people don't know about the ship and instead focus on the Iowa. Iowa-class battleships are completely overrated, as they didn't play as important a role in the war as North Carolina did.
Washington's hit rate on Kirishima makes her a strong candidate. Had she not stopped firing because she didn't know where SoDak was, let alone actually received any help from her, Ms. W could have crushed a fleet by herself.
The Newcomers
The USS Missouri survived the Korean War, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf War, and Operation Desert Storm. It did not sink the Yamato during World War II, but it did serve with distinction. With a total of 71 years of service, I have to say it is one of the most powerful battleships of all time.
This ship survived encounters with the Bismarck, the Prinz Eugen, and even later deployments through some really dangerous areas. Much better than the HMS Hood.
The RN Roma, an Italian Littorio-class battleship, was commissioned in 1942 and heavily armed with 15-inch guns. It was sunk in 1943 by German guided bombs after Italy's armistice.
HMS Belfast was a Town-class light cruiser launched in 1938, now preserved as a museum ship in London. It played a key role in the Arctic convoys and the Battle of North Cape.Both this ship and the Gneisenau were predecessors to the Iowa-class design, which borrowed elements from battlecruisers.
It's the sister ship of Yamato, the most powerful battleship ever built.
It's as badass as the Yamato, but it sacrificed some anti-aircraft guns for secondary guns.
Should be on the list - nearly as fast and potent as the Iowas but within treaty weight limits.
This ship took major hits at Midway and even stayed afloat until after the battle. It was eventually sunk by an enemy sub.
Although not the best Nazi-made warship, the Gneisenau has always been overshadowed by the Bismarck and Tirpitz. She had great guns and even better secondaries. Her main batteries consisted of 380mm guns.
Her secondaries shredded small ships like destroyers to pieces if they got in range. Let's also not forget she had torpedoes on either side of her. From what I know, she is one of the few battleships (other than her sister ship, the Scharnhorst) to ever have torpedoes.
She isn't the best-looking ship, but she does have the firepower seen on other German ships like the Bismarck.
This ship served in Normandy and the Pacific, winning multiple accuracy competitions.
During the Battle off Samar, the USS Johnston sunk two ships, forced Yamato out of the battle, was crippled, and STILL engaged four destroyers, etc.
Best Japanese ship by performance (just before her sister because she survived longer). She can be seen as the Japanese Enterprise, being a lucky ship and the best ship in her country.