IJN Yamato, Musashi. The last IJN battleships: IJN Yamato, like Bismarck, is the subject of a post-war myth. Mysterious, because classified as highly secretive, it was known only by name by the US secret service in 1941 when she entered service. This ship and her sister, still fascinates the world today, justified an underwater expedition, … Read more
Project 615 – NATO “Quebec” 30 submarines (1950-54) Preserved M-296 These thirty conventional attack submarines called internally project 615, were the smallest Soviet models ever deployed during the cold war. They proceeded from the idea of a cheap, mass-produced coastal submarine to ensure close defense of Soviet harbours and trade lines. They were also the … Read more
WW1 Italian Submarines Italy (1892-1918) – 80 submersibles An introduction: Italian Submarines in WW1 Italy during WWI operated no less than 21 different types of submersibles, from midgets to 1200 tonnes cruisers. In addition to most being built in the peninsula, some were also purchased abroad, like the H class built in Canada. This lineage … Read more
Germany (1936) Battleships: Scharnhorst, Gneisenau The Kriegsmarine “terrible twins”: The Scharnhost and Gneisenau were the first Kriegsmarine battleships, completed shortly before the start of WW2. They were fast battleships, with an true emphasis on speed over protection. The second issue was the lack of a suitable artillery, as the 2,8 cm used since the Deutchsland … Read more
USS Ranger (CV-4) USA (1933) USS Ranger (CV-4) was the first USN aircraft carrier designed as such. She was a relatively light Treaty ship, with a displacement of only 15,000 long tons (15,000 t), and in her original guise was without an island superstructure. Her small size and low speed eliminated her from the Pacific … Read more
Borodino class battlecruisers (1915) Russia (1915) Borodino, Izmail, Kinburn, Navarin The First Russian Battlecruisers Artistic rendition of the Borodino, if completed. Among the various capital ships planned by the Russian admiralty during WW1, the Borodino class were certainly among the most impressive. They reached a stage well beyond paper stage: They were actually launched in … Read more
US NavyUSN Dive Bomber (1936) The USN dive bomber in 1940 Two cantilever monoplan dive bombers were in service in USN carriers in December 1941: The Vought Vindicator and Douglas Dauntless. If the latter gained an immortal fame at Midway, the first faded into obscurity as one of the least appealing planes of the USN … Read more
United Kingdom (1908) – St Vincent, Collingwood, Vanguard The second dreadnought-type serie The St Vincent were built in record time, compared to the previous Bellerophon which differed in many details from HMS Dreadnought. However, they still had their share of own differences: Higher upper masts, improved engines, slightly longer and beamier hull which was also … Read more
WW2 Japanese Battleships 12 battleships. Introduction: IJN Battleships, from British to Japanese design: IJN Satsuma, one of the last IJN pre-dreadnoughts. As the other ships of her class she was discarded in 1923. When Japan entered war in December 1941 on the side of the axis, its land forces, aviation and navy were already fighting … Read more
Cold War Soviet Submarines circa 1,450 submarines 1950-90 Introduction The Soviet silent service in the cold war: Like in the 1930s, Submarines made the bedrock of a navy that saw itself at first still efensive, but grew in global ambition until the 1980s when the surface fleet capability reached its zenith. The USSR had the … Read more
