Battleship

BB

A Battleship, or BB, is a powerful, heavily armored, naval vessel primarily armed with high caliber guns; in NationStates, this includes in practical terms large surface combatants that mount alternatives to the old-fashioned naval guns. See also Dreadnought and Ridiculously Huge Superbattleships.

Understanding the History

The term Battleship was coined in the Age of Sail to refer to the most powerful ships in the fleet, the "Battle Ships" which could expect to see combat. In early form, they were used in a battle line, in which the fleet formations would form broadside lines to levy firepower on the opponent, much like a conventional musket line. In these early days, the Battleships would mount up to 144 guns on four decks, designed to fire en masse. The British Navy, in particular, was dominant on the high seas, sending fleets of dozens of these battle wagons out in fleets.

In the US Civil War, the debut of the ironclad was witnessed, with the battle between the two ironclad vessels USS Monitor and CSS Merrimack. The Monitor was also turretted, and marked the beginning of turretted cannon. After this point, through the mid to late 19th Century, many navies fielded single deck battleships with few turrets, but which were still superior to the massive wooden battle line. By the early 20th century, Battleships had settled into a pattern of four main guns, usually 12 Inch Naval Guns, and perhaps several mixed caliber smaller guns.

The next leap in Battleship technology was the Dreadnought. Named for the HMS Dreadnought, this new class of Battleship mounted ten twelve inch guns, moved at nearly double the speed of her predecessors (thanks to steam turbines), and had heavier armor than her rivals. This ship was so revolutionary that all modern battleships are termed "Dreadnoughts", and those before as "pre-Dreadnoughts". From this until WWI, most powerful nations raced to create bigger, faster, stronger Battleships, and it was a mark of pride how many Dreadnoughts were fielded at any one time. It was in this period that the 15 Inch Naval Gun and 16 Inch Naval Gun debutted.

In WWI, the stage was set for a massive Battleship face-off between Britain and Germany, but neither side wanted to risk their precious and patriotism-inducing fleets. Because of this, the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet spent most of the war in their ports, waiting for their opponent to move first.

WWII was the last stand of the Battleship. In the early war, there were numerous great battles, and the German Bismark, although short-lived, induced terror in the allies. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the Japanese constructed two of their 18 Inch Naval Gun mounting Yamatto class super-battleships, with two more in construction.

However, this was to be the end for the glory of gun warfare. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1942, the USN lost many of their Battleships, while the carriers (which were away) remained intact. Later, at Midway, it was the US Aircraft Carrier that turned the tide, and earned their place in naval warfare, passing up the Battleship. The two Japanese Yamatt Super-Dreadnoughts were destroyed by air power, and the last German battleship, the Tirpitz, also sank due to bombings. In the end of the war in the Pacific, the role of the Battleship became that of shore-bombardment and carrier defence, although several classic naval engagements still occured.

After the war, most planned new battleship classes were cancelled; the only battleship class built after WWII, the Vanguard, saw very limited use. Rumors that the USSR would go back and finish their partially built and mostly destroyed Sovietskii Soyuz class proved false; the Sovietskii Soyuz, along with several close relatives, has appeared at various times in NationStates.

The 20 Inch Naval Gun Super Yamatto (A-150) battleship was cancelled after construction of its guns in favor of more carriers by Japan, and the Montana class was repeatedly pushed back and eventually cancelled along with a planned widening of the Panama Canal locks.

Divergence in History: RL vs NS

RL Modern Battleships

By the 1970s, most nations had scrapped their Battleships, except for the USA, which recommissioned all four Iowa-class for the Korean War, the New Jersey for the Vietnam Conflict, and under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, all four vessels.

In the last reactivation, the old battle wagons were fitted with Tomahawk Cruise Missiles and modern fire-control systems. These vessels saw action in the Gulf War and Lebanon, but were again decommissioned in the early 1990s, being placed as museums in various ports. Even with the advancements in technology, in RL modern day, there is no high-seas rival to the USN, and therefore, no need to maintain the Battleship. In RL, the Battleship has seen its last for the near future, and the Aircraft Carrier reigns supreme in projecting power.

NS Possibilities and the Use of the Battleship

When considering the rise and fall of the Battleship, it is wise to view the conditions that caused it to fade. In the RL world, there exists no standing navy to oppose the USN, and no enemy that would take to the open field of battle. There is no Atlantic Wall to shatter, and no tank formations to bombard. Against an assymetrical foe and numerous small but dangerous semi-powers, the USN has adopted the CVBG as its weapon of choice, opting for the precision and projection of the Aircraft Carrier over the raw power of the Battleship.

However, there exists a very real human fascination with the great Battleships of the past, and of past's futures. It is hard to look into science fiction without finding the massive battle wagon that sends foes into flights of terror. (See: The Super Star Destroyer Executor in Star Wars for an example, or the written works of David Webber.) As in ages past, when the powers built the Dreadnought fleets to flex their muscles, or to the poster art of a mobilized navy, almost always showcasing the latest Super-Dreadnouth, or to the almost absurd pursuit of the 20 Inch Naval Gun.

There is no singular symbol of military might more effective than the great Battleship, lording over the high seas with its imposing superstructure and massive gun batteries.

Because of this, in the world of NS, there exist thousands of nations with capable blue-water navies, and the age of the Battleship has never departed. Not all nations use battleships, but thanks to those who do, the technologies of the naval guns have reached heights not seen in the divergent tech-tree of the real world. In NS, the existance of Dreadnoughts and even Super-Dreadnoughts, such as the Dominator-class (shameless plug), is taken for granted.

New Battleship Technologies

Rail Guns are the largest place for advancement. Even in RL, there is talk in the USN about bringing back the Battleship to use this new ballistic weapon. Utilitizing powerful magnets instead of chemical charges, a 6cm Naval Rail Gun could strike at targets 800 miles away with high precision. When fired, much of the mass of the rail is converted to plasma, and the impact of a 6cm Naval Rail Gun would be a tranfer of almost pure kinetic force and heat, devastating an area akin to a 5000lb bomb. The ability to rapidly, precisely, and accurately deliver strikes of greater magnitude than a Fighter/Bomber strike, at lower risk and cost, at higher volume, could vault the Battleship back to the top of the line, and bring sighs of joy to propoganda networks worldwide.

The other main advancement is, of course, fire control and automation. In the modern NS Battleship, there is little reason to have seamen (or women) working the guns. Instead, autoloaders and computerized firing sequences could drastically improve efficiency and safety, all while dropping manpower.

In short, while the Battleship may be forsaken in RL, it is still a viable weapon in NS. Happy Cannon Cocking.