Warinfo
The 2nd World War, in all its briefness.
Famous Naval Vessels
The famous ships that carried their countries' weight on them at sea
IJN Yamato
IJN Yamato was the heaviest battleship of the time and the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Battleship was one of three of her class ( Yamato class ) and her total displacement was 65,027 tonnes and was 256m long. Yamato had her keel laid down on the 4th of November 1937 and she was launched on the 8th of August 1940. This enormous battleship had 9 main guns assorted into 3 main turrets as well as dozens more anti-aircraft artillery and secondary armament. Her builder was Kure Naval Arsenal and was the oldest of her class. This legendary warships was sunk on the 7th of April 1945 by American forces of the island of Okinawa.
KMS Bismarck
The KM - Kriegsmarine - Bismarck was a legendary capital ship of the Kriegsmarine - German Navy. She had a total displacement of 41,700 tons and length and breadth of 241.6 metres and 9.3 meters respectively. As the flagship of the Germany Navy, Kriegsmarine, Bismarck was given the namesake of one of the most important officials in German history, Otto Von Bismarck, the person who put together the German Empire. She was laid down on the 1st of July 1936, commissioned on the 14th of February 1939Â and launched on the 24th of August 1940. Bismarck played a large part in battles such as the Battle of the Denmark Strait, North Cape and many more in the North Atlantic Theatre, which you can read about in the Atlantic Theatre section. She was finally sunk on the 27th of May 1941, North Atlantic Ocean by torpedo bombers from the English Aircraft carrier HMS Arc Royale.
USS Arizona
The legendary battleship USS Arizona, also known as the battleship that never fired a shell, was a Pennsylvania class Battleship built for the United States navy in the mid - 1910s. She was laid down on the 16th of March 1914, launched on the 19th of June 1915 and officially commissioned on the 17th of October 1916. She had a total displacement of 29158 tons, width of 8.9 meters and length of 185.3 meters. She, along with many other naval vessels moved to Pearl Harbour in late 1940 following rising tensions with the Empire of Japan. Her last day camo on the 7th of December 1941 after the infamous Japanese air raid tasked with crippling the fleet, she was hit by an armour - piercing (AP) bomb which detonated in the ammunition magazine, thus letting off an enormous explosion.
USS Enterprise
Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise was a Yorktown - class aircraft . She is also popularly know as the Hero ship of World War 2 due to her action in many parts of the Pacific theatre such as Midway, Guadalcanal, The Solomon Islands and Parem Harbour. USS Enterprise was laid down on the 16th of August 1934, launched on the 3rd of August 1936 and officially commissioned for the US Navy on the 12th of May 1938. She served in the Battle of Midway, Battle for Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Operation Hailstone and many more imperative battles and operations in the Pacific theatre which you can read more about in the Pacific Theatre section of the site. Nearing the end of the war, Big E, as she was known as, was put out of action by a Kamikaze attack by Japanese aircraft.
USS Johnston
USS Johnston was a Fletcher class destroyer laid down on the 6th of May 1942, launched on the 25th of March 1943 and officially commissioned for the United States Navy on the 27th of October 1943. She had a total displacement of 2,700 tons, length and beam of 114.76 meters and 12 meters respectively. Johnston served in the Battle of Samar, also part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which you can read about in the Pacific Theatre section of the site. In this battle, she made her mark as one of the most daring destroyers in her squadron when she took on Japanese battleship Yamato with the rest of her squadron. It was here that she would sink.
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IJN Musashi
Japanese battleships IJN Musashi was a Yamato - class battleship that served in the Imperial Japanese Navy from her commissioning to her sinking in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which you can read about in the Pacific Theatre section of the site. IJN Musashi was laid down on the  29th of March 1938, launched on the 1st of November 1940 and commissioned on the 5th of August 1942. Musashi served in the combined fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy commanded by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The picture underneath shows her leaving Japanese occupied Brunei for the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. This would be her only and last battle as she would be ultimately sunk by an air attack from American carrier aircraft. She is also known for carrying Admiral Yamamato's ashes.
RN Roma
Italian Battleship RN Roma was a Littorio class battleship of the Regia Marina, Royal Italian Navy. She was laid down on the 18th of September 1938, launched on the 9th of June 1940 and commissioned on the 14th June 1942. Due to her range, armament and speed, Roma was not used as a battleship and mainly a floating AA Battery. Her total displacement was 45,485 tons, length 240.68 meters and beam of 32.82 meters. After the capitulation of Italy in 1943, Roma, along with many other Regia Marina warships, was ordered to retreat back to Italy. It was in this window of time that 2 German Radio controlled Fritz X radio controlled bombs hit her and struck her on the 9th of September 1943.
Dunkerque
French Battleship Dunkerque was the lead ship of the Dunkerque class of battleships and was used in the French Navy during the Second World War. Her namesake was the city of Dunkerque and she was launched on the 2nd October 1935, commissioned on the 1st May 1937. She had not served very much in combat during the war but she had been present during the Battle of Mers - El Kebir, when British Warships fired upon the French fleet that had sworn its allegiance to Germany. It was very badly damaged and it had been scuttled to prevent capture by Italians or Germans in 1942. She had a total displacement of 26500 tons on standard load and she was scrapped in 1955.
