This chapter covers the industrial revolution to WW1, but naval encyclopedia also covers the age of sail, from ancient times to this day. Check out prehistory, bronze age to antiquity, Medieval era, Renaissance and Enlightment age (XVIIIth cent.) with hundred of famous ancient ships profiles or rare sailing vessels. Also naval battles, from Salamine to Tsushima.
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This chapter covers the end of the industrial revolution up to WW1, and covers the various triple entente and central empire fleets, ships types, as well as naval battles of the 1914-1918 period and naval actions in 1919-1921, up to the Washington treaty defining naval matters in the interwar years.
The gigantic six years conflict that put the world to the torch saw major belligerents clashing at the surface of the sea, under and above it as well. It was the shifting to battleships to aicraft carrier that shaped the naval powers of today. This chapted also covers the interwar and civilian ships, from cargos to transatlantic liners, and naval world war two operations.
From 1947 to 1990, ending the millenium, two superpowers with radically opposed visions of the society faced each other, seeking allies and warring though proxies. Its naval side saw the opposing might of NATO US Navy and European navies combined, versus a Soviet/wasrsaw pact Navy which really peaked on the 1980s.
In its rapid expansion program, the Spanish Navy (Armada) chose to order it's first ironclad in Britain. This was Vitoria (Victory), an iron-hulled armored frigate (single main artillery deck, secondary open deck) purchased in 1863. She took part on both sides in the Cantonal rebellion of 1873–1874, rebel first, and then after surrender, loyalist side. She played a major role in the Battle off Cartagena, ensured the government forces would win in the end. Vitoria also shelled rebel strongholds in 1874 to 1876, as part of the Third Carlist War. Reconstructed in the late 1890s she was reclassified as a coast-defense ship, and served in this role, in Spain when the 1898 Spanish-American war broke out. Postwar and until sold for BU in 1912 she served as training ship. #armada #vitoria #cantonalwar #carlistwa #1898 #ironclad #spanishnavy #ferrol
The A class submersibles were directly derived from the first Holland boats and truly the first properly serviceable class, also active in WWI unlike their forebears used only for training. All in all, thirteen were built by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness between 1902 and 1905. They were an improvement over the “Holland class” themselves inspired by the US Plunger class made by the Electric Boat Co. They were twice as large, faster, with a much longer range and carried two torpedo tubes with reloads. Despite being from the same yard they were constantly upgraded from 1902 to 1905, until the next were in the B-class.
IJN Mizuho and Nisshin were near sister ships and related to the Chitose, built as “cheats” for the IJN: They were large fleet seaplane tenders designed as to be easily convertible in wartime, into aircraft carriers. This way the Washington and London treaty carrier tonnage constraints in peacetime were observed, as tenders were not concerned. In wartime they could be converted in far less time than to built a new one from scratch. Mizuho was built under 3rd Supplementary Programme of 1937 and her machinery, instead of combining diesels and turbines only had diesels. Thanks to this it was possible to increase her hangar size notably forward. Thus she had more spare seaplanes, now up to eight. Nisshin had a different powerplant, exhausting into the porticos, and a more powerful armament, but she was also converted as sub carrier.
Naval Encyclopedia is the first online warship museum. She was laid down in St Nazaire Yard back in September 1995, launched in December 1996 and completed in March 1997, with 1000+ crew for now, and counting. Dedicated to the history of all ships of the industrial era and 20th century, so 1820 to 1990, but also earlier times. The main difference for this early period is to study ships types through some famous examples. IS ("internet ship") Naval Encyclopedia is constantly modified and upgraded since years. This current version is #7. After her last refit in 2023, the present ship is currenly in overhaul for next five years of service. The crusty hull also needed serious scrapping to regain full speed. Numerous additions over the years also leads to a complete machinery overhaul.