Written by: Samyam Shrestha - 22012, Grade XII
Posted on: 15 November, 2021
A battleship is an armored warship which consists of larger caliber guns which dominated naval warfare. A ship of line was a naval warship constructed during the age of sail. It was designed for naval tactics which depended upon two columns of opposing warships maneuvering the volley fire of cannons along their broadsides. The opposing ships with more firepower had more advantage. HMS Victoria was the first rate three decker ship of the line commissioned displacing 6959 tons. She was the largest wooden ship that entered the service. HMS Napoleon was the world's first steam-powered battleship, 90 - gun ship of the line of French navy which is also considered as the first screw battleship that was launched in 1850.
The great ‘Age of Sails’ is said to have existed between 1600 - 1850. The Spanish armada of 1588 started the trend for large scale sea battles. In the era of prefabrication, the variety of warships produced was staggering, and often unique warships were made during the process. But all the warships followed the same principle when it came into combat. “Men of War” termed ships were very impressive, heavily armed and feared by many people. These ships were one of the dangerous things to fight against. But, difficult to handle and slow were its major drawbacks. Minor, small ships were used for scouting areas whereas the grand fleet consisted of heavy armed weapons, most used in battle. During this period the tactics of engagement were simple in concept, but difficult to practice. Warships would line up in one deck showing their broadside. As a warship, major guns are located at the side of the ship. So, to show its full potential, the ships should be aligned showing their broadside to the enemy. It was a major advantage and disadvantage for the ship as exposing broadside results in more exposure of place to get hit and can be an advantage as the ship can use its full arm and ammunition. Hence, the naval tactic was termed “line of battle”.
As the sailing vessel or ship reached their peak of size and complexity during the mid-19th century to early 20th century. This period is referred to as the “Golden Age of Sail”. After the construction of HMS Napoleon, multiple steam engine battleships were visible in action during the Crimean war. An ironclad is a battleship which was protected with iron and steel plates which used a steam engine as its major source of propulsion. March 1862, Battle of Hamptons Roads was noted as the first fight between ironclads, ironclad CSS Virginia fought USS Monitor. It was a naval battle during the American Civil War.
The Age of sail had ended by 1873 with HMS Devastation being commissioned. It was the first battleship that didn’t carry any sails.
