Page 331 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

329

Armored conning ◀ HMS RODNEY
tower Commissioned 1927 Origin UK
Three 16in Supermarine Displacement 45,200 tons CAPIT
guns in turret Walrus seaplane
Length 710ft (216.4m)
Top speed 23 knots
Built to the limits imposed by the
Washington Naval Treaty, Rodney and
its sister-ship Nelson were characterized AL SHIPS
by the unconventional layout of their
main armament—their 16in guns were
all located forward, in three triple turrets.
14in thick armor belt
at the waterline
Turret with two
38cm guns Gunnery control radar

Two 12in
guns in turret
▲ BISMARCK The pride of the Kriegsmarine, Bismarck
Commissioned 1940 Origin Germany and its sister-ship Tirpitz achieved iconic
status. Both ships acted as a deterrent that
Displacement 50,900 tons
drained British naval resources, although
Length 814ft (248m) Bismarck’s effective action was limited to
Top speed 29 knots the destruction of HMS Hood. It was sunk
in 1941 after being holed by British
torpedo bombers.

90mm anti- ▼ VITTORIO VENETO One of just three fast battleships built
aircraft gun Commissioned 1940 Origin Italy for the Regia Marina between the world
wars, Vittorio Veneto spent over five years
Displacement 45,030 tons in construction, during which time its
11in thick armor belt Twin rudders Length 780ft (237.8m) specification was altered significantly.
at the waterline Top speed 30 knots It carried its main guns in triple
turrets, two forward and one aft.
Three 152mm Turret with three
guns in turret 381mm guns Catapult with
spotter aircraft

▼ YAMATO
Catapult for launching Commissioned 1941 Origin Japan
spotter aircraft ◀ USS NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina and its sister-ship Washington marked Displacement 69,990 tons
Commissioned 1941 Origin US a departure in US battleship design when they were Length 863ft (263m)
built. They were bigger and much faster than those
Displacement 44,380 tons
laid down at the end of World War I, and were Top speed 27 knots
Length 729ft (222.1m) equipped with much more powerful armament. Yamato and its sister-ship Musashi were
Top speed 28 knots North Carolina, “The Showboat,” is preserved at the biggest battleships ever constructed,
Wilmington in its home state.
and mounted the most powerful armament.
However, both succumbed to air attack.
Another of the same class, Shinano, was
completed as an aircraft carrier, but was sunk
before being completed by a US submarine,
the Archerfish.
Three 18.1in guns Three 6.1in
in turret guns in turret