View source for Warship

{{Short description|Ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare}}
{{other uses}}
{{distinguish|battleship}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2016}}
[[File:Het Kanonschot - Canon fired (Willem van de Velde II, 1707).jpg|thumb|''The Cannon Shot'' (1670) by [[Willem van de Velde the Younger]], showing a late Dutch 17th-century [[ship of the line]]]]

A '''warship''' or '''combatant ship''' is a [[naval ship]] that is used for [[naval warfare]]. Usually they belong to the [[navy]] branch of the [[armed forces]] of a [[nation]],<ref name="UNCLOSW">{{cite web|title=United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Part II, Subsection C|url=https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part2.htm|website=United Nations|access-date=28 June 2015|ref=1}}</ref> though they have also been operated by individuals, [[cooperative]]s and [[corporation]]s. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are typically faster and more maneuverable than [[merchant ships]]. Unlike a merchant ship, which carries cargo, a warship typically carries only weapons, ammunition and supplies for its crew.

In wartime, the distinction between warships and merchant ships is often blurred.  Until the 17th century it was common for merchant ships to be pressed into naval service, and not unusual for more than half of a [[Naval fleet|fleet]] to be composed of merchant ships—there was not a large difference in construction, unlike the difference between a heavily armoured [[battleship]] and an ocean liner. Until the threat of [[piracy]] subsided in the 19th century, it was normal practice to arm larger [[merchant ship]]s such as [[galleon]]s. Warships have also often been used as [[troopship|troop carrier]]s or supply ships, such as by the [[French Navy]] in the 18th century or the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] during the Second World War. In war since the early 20th century, merchant ships were often armed and used as [[armed merchantman|auxiliary warships]], such as the [[Q-ship]]s of the [[First World War]] and the [[armed merchant cruiser]]s of the [[Second World War]].

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==Types and classes==
The main types of warships today are, in order of decreasing size: [[aircraft carrier]]s – [[amphibious assault ship]]s – [[cruiser]]s – [[destroyer]]s – [[frigate]]s – [[corvette]]s – [[Fast attack craft|fast attack boat]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last= Brook |first= Henry |author-link= |date= 2012 |title= Warships |url= |location= |publisher= Usborne |pages= 4 to 7|isbn=9781474915854}}</ref> A more extensive list follows:
{{See also|List of naval ship classes in service#Warships}}
* [[Submarine]], are ships capable of staying submerged for days. Modern submarines can stay underwater for months, with food supplies as the only limiting factor.
**[[Fleet submarine]] is a type of submarine with the speed, range, and endurance to operate as part of a navy's battle [[Naval fleet|fleet]].
**[[Ballistic missile submarine]] is a submarine capable of deploying [[submarine-launched ballistic missiles]] (SLBMs) with [[Nuclear weapon|nuclear warheads]]. 
**[[Cruise missile submarine]] are submarines equipped with [[cruise missile]]s.
**[[Attack Submarine|Attack submarine]] is a submarine with the purpose of attacking other submarines.
**[[Coastal submarine]] or littoral submarine is a small, maneuverable type of submarine with shallow draft well suited to navigation of coastal channels and harbors.
**[[Midget submarine]] is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine.
**[[Submarine aircraft carrier]] is a submarine equipped with aircraft for observation or attack missions. These submarines saw their most extensive use during World War II, although their operational significance remained small.
**[[Cruiser submarine]]  were a type of a very large submarine designed to remain at sea for extended periods in areas distant from base facilities.
* [[Amphibious warfare ship]]s are warships employed to land and support ground forces, such as [[marines]], on enemy territory during an [[amphibious assault]].
**[[Amphibious assault ship]] is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces with ship-deployed [[Military helicopter|helicopters]] and [[V/STOL]] aircraft on enemy territory by an amphibious assault.
***[[Landing helicopter dock]] is a multipurpose amphibious assault ship that is capable of operating as a [[helicopter carrier]] and also has a [[well deck]] for supporting [[landing craft]]s.
**[[Amphibious transport dock]] is an amphibious warfare ship, that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions.
**[[Dock landing ship]] is an amphibious warfare ship with a [[well dock]] to transport and launch [[landing craft]] and [[Amphibious vehicle#Armored|amphibious vehicles]].
**[[Landing craft]] are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as [[boat]]s and [[barge]]s, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. 
***[[Landing craft utility]] is a type of landing craft used by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and marines from amphibious assault ships to [[beachhead]]s.
***[[Landing craft mechanized]] is a landing craft designed for carrying [[military vehicles|vehicle]]s during amphibious assaults.
***[[Landing ship, tank]] is the naval designation for ships first developed during [[World War II]] to support amphibious operations by carrying [[tanks]], [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s, [[Military vehicle|transport vehicles]], cargo, and landing [[troops]] directly onto shore with no [[dock]]s or [[pier]]s.
**[[Landing craft support]] were two distinct classes of amphibious warfare vessels used by the [[United States Navy]] during World War II to support landing crafts.
* [[Capital ship]], the largest and most important ships in a nation's fleet. These were previously battlecruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers, but the first two warship types are now no longer used.
** [[Aircraft carrier]], a warship primarily armed with [[carrier-based aircraft]].
*** [[Fleet carrier]] is an aircraft carrier designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy.
*** [[Light aircraft carrier]] is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy.
*** [[Escort carrier]], also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" is a slow type of aircraft carrier  used during WWII.
*** [[Anti-submarine warfare carrier]] is a type of small aircraft carrier whose primary role is as the nucleus of an [[anti-submarine warfare]] [[hunter-killer group]].
***  [[Aircraft cruiser]] (also known as aviation cruiser or cruiser-carrier) is a type of warship that combines the features of the aircraft carrier and a surface warship, such as a cruiser or battleship.
**** [[Helicopter cruiser]].
*** [[Helicopter carrier]], an aircraft carrier especially suited to carry [[Military helicopter|helicopters]] and [[V/STOL]] aircraft.
***[[Seaplane tender]], a [[boat]] or [[ship]] that supports the operation of [[seaplane]]s. Some of these vessels, also known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are regarded by some as the first [[aircraft carrier]]s and became obsolete at the end of the Second World War.
** [[Battleship]], a large, heavily armored warship equipped with many powerful guns. A term which generally post-dates sailing warships.
*** [[Ironclad battleship]], battleships built before the [[Pre-dreadnought battleship|pre-dreadnought]] in the late 1850s to the early 1890s.
*** [[Pre-dreadnought battleship]], sea-going battleships built to a common design before the launch of dreadnoughts, between the mid-1880s to the early 1900s. Pre-dreadnoughts commonly featured a mixed main battery composed of several different caliber guns.
*** [[Dreadnought]], an early 20th-century battleship, which set the pattern for all subsequent battleship construction. Dreadnoughts differ from pre-dreadnoughts in that they feature an all-big-gun main battery. The advantage lies in that if all the big guns have the same characteristics, only one firing solution will be needed to aim them all.
**** [[Fast battleship]]s were battleships which emphasized speed without – in concept – undue compromise of either armor or armament.
** [[Battlecruiser]], a ship with battleship-level armament and cruiser-level armour; typically faster than a battleship because the reduction in armour allowed mounting of more powerful propulsion machinery, or the use of a more slender hull shape with a lower drag coefficient.
* [[Cruiser]], a fast, independent warship. Traditionally, cruisers were the smallest warships capable of independent action. As of 2024, only two countries operated active duty vessels formally classed as cruisers: the [[United States]] and  [[Russia]].
** [[Guided missile cruiser]]s are cruisers armed [[anti-ship missile]]s.
** [[Torpedo cruiser]] is a type of cruiser that is armed primarily with [[torpedoe]]s.
** [[Armored cruiser]] was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast enough to outrun any battleship it encountered.
** [[Large cruiser]] is the class of the [[battlecruiser]]-sized [[Alaska-class cruiser]]s of the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]].
** [[Heavy cruiser]] was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 in) caliber; its parameters were dictated by the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] of 1922 and the [[London Naval Treaty]] of 1930.
*** [[Pocket battleship]], nickname for the ''Deutschland''-class heavy cruisers.
** [[Light cruiser]] is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light [[armored cruiser]]", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck.
** [[Scout cruiser]]  was a type of warship of the early 20th century, which were smaller, faster, more lightly armed and armoured than protected cruisers or light cruisers, but larger than contemporary destroyers. They were used for [[Reconnaissance|scouting]].
** [[Protected cruiser]] is a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armored deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them.
** [[Unprotected cruiser]] was a type of naval cruiser in use during the early 1870s [[Victorian era|Victorian]] or [[Pre-dreadnought battleship|pre-dreadnought era]].
** [[Coastal defence ship]] were a type of cruiser-sized warship built for the purpose of coastal defense.
* [[Destroyer]], a fast and highly maneuverable warship, traditionally incapable of independent action. Originally developed to counter the threat of [[torpedo boat]]s, they are now the largest independent warship generally seen on the ocean.
** [[Guided missile destroyer]] are destroyers armed with [[anti-ship missile]]s.
**[[Escort destroyer]] was a small warship built to full naval standards which was optimised for air-defence and anti-submarine duties in wartime, but which retained many of the capabilities of a traditional fleet destroyer, enabling it to conduct operations in conjunction with main fleet units as well as carrying out convoy escort and ASW patrols.
** [[Destroyer escort]] was the [[United States Navy]] mid-20th-century classification for a 20-knot (37&nbsp;km/h; 23&nbsp;mph), warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships similar to frigates.
* [[Frigate]], originally a medium-sized sailing ship. Although they date back to the 17th century, frigates in modern navies are typically used to protect merchant ships and other warships.
**[[Armoured frigate]] are frigates with armour which was added to ships based on existing frigate and ship of the line designs. The additional weight of the armour on these first ironclad warships meant that they could have only one gun deck, and they were technically frigates, even though they were more powerful than existing ships-of-the-line and occupied the same strategic role.
**[[Guided missile frigate]]s are frigates armed with [[anti-ship missile]]s.
* [[Corvette]]s were small ships during the age of sail. The concept was revived again in WWII as a merchant convoy escort and anti-submarine ship. Today they are used for [[anti-submarine warfare]] and patrolling.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/corvette-warship | title=Corvette &#124; Fast, Maneuverable & Deadly | website=Britannica }}</ref>
** [[Littoral Combat Ship]] is a [[United States Navy]] classification of warships with the size and role of corvettes.
* [[Fast attack craft]]s are a small, fast, agile, offensive, often affordable type of warships armed with [[anti-ship missiles]], guns or [[torpedoes]].
** [[Missile boat]]s are small, fast warship armed with [[anti-ship missiles]].
** [[Torpedo boat]], are small, fast surface vessels designed for launching [[torpedo]]es.
***[[Torpedo ram]] is a type of torpedo boat combining a [[Naval ram|ram]] with [[torpedo]] tubes.
***[[Motor torpedo boat]] is a type of fast torpedo boat, especially of the mid-20th century.
* [[Patrol vessel]]s are relatively small naval vessels generally designed for coastal defence, border protection, immigration law-enforcement, search and rescue duties. They may be broadly classified as inshore patrol vessels  or offshore patrol vessels. 
* Mine warfare vessels:
** [[Minesweeper (ship)|Minesweeper]] are small warships designed to remove or detonate [[naval mines]]. 
** [[Minehunter]] are naval vessels that seek, detect, and destroys individual naval mines.
** [[Mine countermeasures vessel]]s are atype of naval ships designed for the location of and destruction of naval mines which combines the role of a minesweeper and minehunter in one hull.
** [[Minelayer]] are naval vessels that plant [[naval mines]] offshore.
* [[Fire ship]], a vessel of any sort set on fire and sent into an anchorage or fleet with the intention of causing destruction and chaos. Exploding fire ships are called [[hellburners]]. The development of [[unmanned surface vehicle]]s has revived the use of fire ships.
* [[Naval drifter]]s are boats built along the lines of a commercial [[Drifter (fishing boat)|fishing drifter]] but fitted out for naval purposes.
* [[Naval trawler]]s are vessels built along the lines of [[fishing trawlers]] but fitted out for naval purposes.
* [[Armed merchantman]] is a type of [[merchant ship]] equipped with [[naval guns]], usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact.
* [[Commerce raider]], any armed vessel—privately or government-owned—sanctioned to raid a nation's merchant fleet.
**[[Merchant raider]]s are disguised commerce raiders.
* [[Gunboat]]s are naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to [[Shore bombardment|bombard coastal targets]].
** [[River gunboat]] is a type of gunboat for riverine use.
** [[Flat-iron gunboat]]s were a number of classes of coastal gunboats generally characterized by small size, low freeboard, the absence of masts, and the mounting of a single non-traversing large gun, aimed by pointing the vessel.
** [[Torpedo gunboat]] were a form of gunboat armed with [[torpedo]]es and designed for hunting and destroying smaller torpedo boats.
** [[Motor gunboat]] is a type of a fast gunboat armed with [[machine-guns]] and [[autocannons]].
* [[Monitor warship type|Monitor]], a type of small, heavily gunned warships with shallow draft designed for [[Naval gunfire support|shore bombardment]].
**[[River monitor]], a type of [[Monitor warship type|monitor]]s used in rivers.
**[[Breastwork monitor]] was a modification of the monitor by [[Sir Edward Reed]] of the [[Royal Navy]].
* [[Q-ship]], also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them.
* [[Submarine chaser]] was a small warship used in [[anti-submarine warfare]].
* [[Armed yacht]]s were modified [[yacht]]s that were armed with weapons and were typically in the service of a navy.
* [[Balloon carrier]] was a type of ship equipped with a [[hot-air balloon]] tied to the ship with a rope or [[Wire rope|cable]], which was used for [[Observation balloon|observation]]. This type of ship was later replaced by seaplane tenders and aircraft carriers.
* [[Sloop-of-war]] was a sailing vessel category later revived in WWII as a convoy escort ship.
**[[Screw sloop]] was a [[propeller]]-driven sloop-of-wars used during the mid-19th Century.
* [[Ironclad]], a wooden warship with external iron plating.
** [[Casemate ironclad]] were a type of ironclad gunboats used in the [[American Civil War]].
** [[Central battery ship]] in European continental navies, was a development of the (high-freeboard) broadside ironclad of the 1870s
** [[Turret ship]] was a 19th-century type of warship, the earliest to have their guns mounted in a revolving [[gun turret]], instead of a [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] arrangement.
** [[Floating battery]] is a kind of armed watercraft, often improvised or experimental, which carries heavy armament but has few other qualities as a warship.
* [[Ship of the line]], a sailing warship capable of standing in the [[line of battle]]. A direct predecessor to the later battleship.
* [[Cottonclad warship]]s were [[steamship|steam-powered]] warships with bales of [[cotton]] lining as armour used in the [[American Civil War]]. The armaments consisted of a [[naval ram|ram]], random numbers of different [[cannon]]s and [[sharpshooter]]s. 
* [[Brig|Brig of War]] is a [[brig (ship)|brig]] armed for use by a [[navy]].
* [[Bomb vessel]]s were wooden sailing ships which carried [[Mortar (weapon)|mortars]] instead of [[cannons]].
* [[Dispatch boat]]s were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore. Dispatch boats were employed when other means of transmitting a message was not possible or safe or as quick.
** [[Aviso]], a kind of dispatch boat.
* [[Man-of-war]], a British Navy expression for a sailing warship.
* [[Grab (ship)|Grab]] was a type of ship common on the [[Malabar Coast]] in the 18th and 19th centuries. The ghurāb was  originally a galley, but the type evolved into sailing ships armed with [[cannon]]s.
* [[Gallivat]] were small, armed type of boats, with sails and oars, armed with [[swivel gun]]s and used on the [[Malabar Coast]] in the 18th and 19th centuries.
* [[Galleass]], a sailing and rowing warship, equally well suited to sailing and rowing.
* [[Galleon]], a 16th-century armed cargo carriers.
* [[Galley]] was a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for warfare, trade, and piracy.
* [[War canoe]] was a kind of watercraft of the [[canoe]] type designed and outfitted for warfare using [[Bow and arrow|bow]], [[spear]] and [[shield]] wielding [[warrior]]s. During the gunpowder era a single brass or iron [[cannon]] was mounted on the [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]] or [[stern]] along with [[musketeer]]s. These warships were used by many [[tribes]] and [[culture]]s all around the globe.
* [[Longship]], a [[Viking]] raiding ship.
* [[East Asian]] warships:
**[[Geobukseon]] (literally Turtle ship) were wooden sail and oar propelled [[Joseon|Korean]] warships armed with cannons.
**[[Panokseon]] (literally board roofed ship) were a type of [[Joseon|Korean]] wooden warships propelled by both sailing and rowing armed with cannons and [[Hwacha]] multiple rocket launchers.
**[[Atakebune]] were wooden oar propelled [[Feudal Japan|16th Century Japanese]] warships armed with few cannons, arquebusiers, and archers. They were mostly bulky floating fortifications.
**[[Mengchong]] (literally Covered Assaulter) was a type of leather-covered assault warship used in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE in China.
**[[Louchuan]] (literally Tower Ship) was a type of warship used as a floating fortress in Ancient China. The Louchuan was meant to board troops onto enemy ships. Although they were also armed with [[Trebuchet|trebuchets]] for ranged combat.
**[[Wugongchuan]] (literally Centipede Ship) was a Chinese oared vessel of the 16th century inspired by the Portuguese galley.
* [[Hellenistic-era warships|Hellenistic galleys]], warships propelled by oars with a sail for use in favorable winds used in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]:
** [[Bireme]], an ancient vessel, propelled by two banks of oars.
** [[Trireme]], an ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars.
** [[Quadrireme]], an ancient warship invented in [[Ancient Carthage|Carthage]] with two levels of oarsmen, and was therefore lower than the quinquereme.
** [[Quinquereme]], an ancient warship propelled by three banks of oars. On the upper row, two rowers hold one oar; on the middle row, two rowers; and on the lower row, one man to an oar.
** [[Hexareme]], an ancient warship invented in [[Syracuse, Sicily|Syracuse.]] The exact arrangement of the hexareme's oars is unclear. If it evolved naturally from the earlier designs, it would be a trireme with two rowers per oar.
** [[Septireme]], an ancient warship invented by the [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]], the septireme was derived by adding a standing rower to the lower level of the hexareme.
** [[Octeres]], very little is known about the octeres, at least two of their type were in the fleet of [[Philip V of Macedon]] at the [[Battle of Chios (201 BC)|Battle of Chios]].
** [[Hellenistic-era warships|Enneres]], a type of warship whose oaring system may have been a modification of the quadrireme, with two teams of five and four oarsmen.
** [[Hellenistic-era warships|Deceres]], a type of warship which is present alongside "nines" in the fleet of [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus]] in 315 BC. It is most likely that the "ten" was derived from adding another oarsman to the "nine".
** [[Tessarakonteres]], a very large [[catamaran]] galley reportedly built by [[Ptolemy IV Philopator]] of [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]]. It had seven [[Naval ram|naval rams]], with one primary, and the deck would have provided a stable platform for [[Catapult|catapults]] that were often mounted on supergalleys. However, the "forty" was likely just a showpiece; Plutarch describes the ship as for exhibition only.
** [[Hellenistic-era warships|Lembos]], light warships most commonly associated with the vessels used by the [[List of ancient tribes in Illyria|Illyrian tribes]], chiefly for piracy, in the area of [[Dalmatia]]. Was soon adopted by [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]], [[Seleucid Empire]], [[Roman Republic]] and [[Sparta]].
** [[Hellenistic-era warships|Hemiolia]], light and fast warship that appeared in the early 4th century BC. It was particularly favoured by pirates in the eastern Mediterranean, but also used by Alexander the Great as far as the rivers [[Indus River|Indus]] and [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]], and by the Romans as a troop transport.  According to one view, it was manned by half the number of oarsmen to make room for the soldiers. According to another, there were one and a half files of oarsmen on each side, with the additional half file placed amidships, where the hull was wide enough to accommodate them.
** [[Trihemiolia]], this type was classed with the trireme, and had two and a half files of oarsmen on each side. Judging from the [[Lindos]] relief and the famous [[Nike of Samothrace]], both of which are thought to represent ''trihemioliai'', the two upper files would have been accommodated in an oarbox, with the half-file located beneath them in the classic ''thalamitai'' position of the trireme.
** [[Liburna]], a type of small galley used for raiding and patrols. It was originally used by the [[Liburnians]], a pirate tribe from [[Dalmatia]], and later used by the [[Roman navy|Roman Navy]]. It had one bench with 25 oars on each side, while in the late [[Roman Republic]], it was equipped with two banks of oars (a bireme), remaining faster, lighter, and more agile than triremes.
* [[Maritime Southeast Asia|Maritime Southeast Asian]] warships:
**[[Djong]] were sailing warships armed with up to a hundred cannons.
**[[Kakap (boat)|Kakap]] were small warships used in Maritime Southeast Asia.
**[[Kelulus]] were [[Nusantara (term)|Nusantaran]] warships used as troop transports and raiding vessels.
**[[Lancaran (ship)|Lancaran]] were a type of galley warships armed with [[cetbang]] cannons.
**
<gallery mode="packed">
Image:Teniente Orella LM37.jpg|A fast attack craft of the [[Chilean Navy]]
Image:Osa-I class Project205 DN-SN-84-01770.jpg|An [[Osa class missile boat|''Osa'' I class]] missile boat in 1983.
File:INS Sunayna returns to Kochi post an 80 day anti piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden.jpg|[[INS Sunayna (P57)|INS ''Sunayna'']], an Indian [[Offshore Patrol Vessel]]
File:MAGDEBURG 130-02 2008-03-04 03.jpg|''Magdeburg'', a German {{sclass|Braunschweig|corvette|1}} (2008)
File:F221 Hessen-Kieler Woche 2007.jpg|A German {{sclass|Sachsen|frigate|1}} (2006)
File:HMS DARING sails in British Gibraltar territorial waters MOD 45160525.jpg|British destroyer [[HMS Daring (D32)|HMS ''Daring'']] visiting Gibraltar in 2016
File:US_Navy_030903-N-5024R-003_USS_Port_Royal_(DDG_73)_departed_on_deployment.jpg|American cruiser [[USS Port Royal (CG-73)|USS ''Port Royal'']] in September 2003
File:BCGN Kirov 1983.JPG|[[Soviet]] battlecruiser [[Kirov-class battlecruiser|''Kirov'']], 1983
</gallery>

==History and evolution of warships==

===First warships===

{{See also|Oared vessel tactics}}
The first evidence of ships being used for warfare comes from [[Ancient Egypt]], specifically the northern [[Nile River]] most likely to defend against [[Mediterranean]] peoples. The [[galley]] warship most likely originated in [[Crete]], an idea which was soon copied and popularized by the [[Phoenicians]]. In the time of [[Mesopotamia]], [[Ancient Persia]], [[Phoenicia]], [[Ancient Greece]] and the [[Ancient Rome]], warships were always [[galley]]s (such as [[bireme]]s, [[trireme]]s and [[quinquereme]]s): long, narrow vessels powered by banks of [[oar]]smen and designed to ram and sink enemy vessels, or to engage them [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]]-first and follow up with boarding parties. The development of [[catapult]]s in the 4th century BC and the subsequent refinement of this technology enabled the first fleets of [[siege engine]] - equipped warships by the [[Hellenistic age]]. During [[late antiquity]], [[ramming]] fell out of use and the [[galley tactics]] against other ships used during the [[Middle Ages]] until the late 16th century focused on boarding.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">
File:AssyrianWarship.jpg|[[Assyria]]n warship, a [[bireme]] with pointed bow circa 700 BC
File:Trireme ugglan.gif|[[Trireme]], a warship used by the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]]s and [[Ancient Greece|Greek]]s in ancient times
</gallery>

===The Age of Sail===
{{Main article|Age of Sail}}
{{See also|Naval tactics in the age of sail|Gunboat|Corvette|Sloop-of-War|Frigate|Ship of the line}}

[[Naval artillery]] was redeveloped in the 14th century, but [[cannon]] did not become common at sea until the guns were capable of being reloaded quickly enough to be reused in the same battle. The size of a ship required to carry a large number of cannons made oar-based propulsion impossible, and warships came to rely primarily on sails. The sailing [[man-of-war]] emerged during the 16th century.

By the middle of the 17th century, warships were carrying increasing numbers of cannons on their [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]s and [[Naval tactics in the Age of Sail|tactics]] evolved to bring each ship's firepower to bear in a [[line of battle]]. The man-of-war now evolved into the [[ship of the line]]. In the 18th century, the [[Sailing frigate|frigate]] and [[sloop-of-war]]&nbsp;– too small to stand in the line of battle&nbsp;– evolved to escort [[convoy]] trade, scout for enemy ships and [[blockade]] enemy coasts.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4RZhDwAAQBAJ&q=decline+of+sailing+ships|title=French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626–1786|last1=Winfield|first1=Rif|last2=Roberts|first2=Stephen S.|date=2017-10-30|publisher=Pen & Sword Books Limited|isbn=9781473893535|language=en}}</ref> Also during this time, the [[Ship's wheel]] came more into common usage instead of the [[whipstaff]] for steering the ship.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
File:Warship diagram orig.jpg|Diagrams of first and third rate warships, England, 1728
File:Foudroyante-IMG 8846-black.jpg|A sailing [[corvette]] [[scale model]] in the [[Trianon model collection]]
File:Vasa Gemisi.jpg|The Swedish warship [[Vasa (ship)|Vasa]]
File:USS Constitution fires a 17-gun salute.jpg|American sailing [[Sailing frigate|frigate]] {{USS|Constitution}}
File:Constellation bow.JPG|American [[sloop-of-war]] [[USS Constellation (1854)|USS ''Constellation'']] in 2012
File:HMS Victory.jpg|Starboard side of the British [[ship of the line]] {{HMS|Victory}}
</gallery>

===Steel, steam and shellfire===
{{See also|Naval tactics in the Age of Steam}}
{{see also|Steam frigate|Screw sloop|Ironclad|Casemate ironclad|Monitor (warship)|Central battery ship|Turret ship|Torpedo boat|}}

During the 19th century a revolution took place in the means of [[marine propulsion]], [[naval armament]] and [[naval architecture|construction of warships]]. [[Marine steam engine]]s were introduced, at first as an auxiliary force, in the second quarter of the 19th century. The [[Crimean War]] gave a great stimulus to the development of guns. The introduction of explosive [[shell (projectile)|shells]] soon led to the introduction of [[iron]], and later [[steel]], [[naval armour]] for the sides and decks of larger warships. The first [[ironclad]] warships, the French {{ship|French ironclad|Gloire||2}} and British {{HMS|Warrior|1860|2}}, made wooden vessels obsolete. Metal soon entirely replaced wood as the main material for warship construction.

From the 1850s, the sailing ships of the line were replaced by steam-powered [[battleship]]s, while the sailing [[Sailing frigate|frigate]]s were replaced by steam-powered [[cruiser]]s.
The armament of warships also changed with the invention of the rotating [[barbette]]s and [[Gun turrets|turret]]s, which allowed the guns to be aimed independently of the direction of the ship and allowed a smaller number of larger guns to be carried.

The final innovation during the 19th century was the development of the [[torpedo]] and development of the [[torpedo boat]]. Small, fast torpedo boats seemed to offer an alternative to building expensive fleets of battleships.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Napoléon 1850.jpg|French [[ship-of-the-line]] [[French ship&nbsp;Napoléon&nbsp;(1850)|''Napoléon'']], the first steam powered battleship.
File:HMS warriorjune20092.jpg|[[HMS Warrior (1860)|HMS ''Warrior'']], first [[ironclad battleship]] of the [[Royal Navy]]
File:The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14760501954).jpg|[[Casemate ironclad]] {{USS|Cairo}} on a contemporary photograph.
File:HMS Prince Albert (1864).jpg|[[HMS Prince Albert (1864)|HMS ''Prince Albert'']], a pioneering [[turret ship]], built by naval engineer [[Cowper Phipps Coles]].
File:HMS Devastation (1871).jpg|[[HMS Devastation (1871)|HMS ''Devastation'']] was the first sea-going ironclad to not use sails and completely rely on its steam engines.
</gallery>

===Pre-dreadnought era===
{{main article|Pre-Dreadnought}}
{{see also|Destroyer|Unprotected cruiser|Protected cruiser|Armoured cruiser|}}
[[Pre-dreadnought battleship]]s were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late 1880s and 1905, before the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, protected by case-hardened steel armour, and powered by coal-fired triple-expansion steam engines, pre-dreadnought battleships carried a main battery of very heavy guns in fully enclosed rotating turrets supported by one or more secondary batteries of lighter weapons. The role of [[corvette]]s, [[sloop-of-war|sloop]]s and [[frigate]]s were taken by new types of ships like [[destroyer]]s, [[protected cruiser]]s and [[armoured cruiser]]s.  
<gallery mode="packed">
File:HMS Havock (1893).jpg|[[HMS Havock (1893)|HMS ''Havock'']], the first true [[destroyer]].
File:USS Olympia;c0605.jpg|[[USS Olympia (C-6)|USS ''Olympia'']], a [[protected cruiser]].
File:Averof Today2.jpg|[[Kingdom of Greece|Greek]] cruiser [[Greek cruiser Georgios Averof|''Georgios Averof'']], only surviving example of an [[armoured cruiser]].
File:Mikasa05.jpg|[[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] battleship [[Japanese battleship Mikasa|''Mikasa'']], only surviving example of a [[pre-dreadnought battleship]].
</gallery>

===Since 1906===

{{see also|Light cruiser|Heavy cruiser|Battlecruiser}}

====The dreadnought era====

{{main article|Dreadnought}}

Another revolution in capital warship design began shortly after the start of the 20th century, when Britain launched the [[Royal Navy]]'s all-big-gun [[battleship]] {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|2}} in 1906. Powered by [[steam turbine]]s, it was bigger, faster and more heavily gunned than [[pre-dreadnought battleship|any existing battleships]], which it immediately rendered obsolete. It was rapidly followed by similar ships in other countries. The Royal Navy also developed the first [[battlecruiser]]s. Mounting the same heavy guns as the [[dreadnought]]s on an even larger [[hull (watercraft)|hull]], battlecruisers sacrificed armour protection for speed. Battlecruisers were faster and more powerful than all existing cruisers,  but much more vulnerable to shellfire than contemporary battleships. The [[Destroyer|torpedo-boat destroyer]] was developed at the same time as the dreadnoughts. Bigger, faster and more heavily gunned than the [[torpedo boat]], the destroyer evolved to protect the [[capital ship]]s from the menace of the torpedo boat.

At this time, Britain also introduced the use of [[fuel oil]] to power steam warships, instead of coal. Oil produced twice as much power per unit weight as coal, and was much easier to handle.{{sfn|Bacon|1901|p=246}}{{sfn|Dahl|2001|p=51}} Tests were conducted by the Royal Navy in 1904 involving the torpedo-boat destroyer {{HMS|Spiteful|1899|2}}, the first warship powered solely by fuel oil.{{sfn|Anon.|1904b|p=27}}{{sfn|Lyon|2005|p=80}} These proved its superiority, and all warships procured for the Royal Navy from 1912 were designed to burn fuel oil.{{sfn|Lyon|2005|p=97}}{{sfn|Siegel|2002|p=181}}

<gallery mode="packed">
File:HMS Dreadnought 1906 H61017.jpg|The all-big-gun steam-turbine-driven [[dreadnought battleship]] {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}}
File:HMS Invincible (1907) British Battleship.jpg|left|[[HMS Invincible (1907)|HMS ''Invincible'']], the first [[battlecruiser]]
</gallery>

By this time, the term [[flagship]], that is, a ship carrying the flag of a commanding admiral or [[commodore (rank)|commodore]], had been in use for centuries. [[Royal Navy]] ships with the opposite status, commissioned warships in active service that were not currently serving as the [[flagship]] of a flag officer were increasingly described as "private" ships, akin to [[Private soldier#Etymology|private soldier]]s.<ref>A straightforward definition of the term "private ship" used in the sense is difficult to find in common naval history literature, but see individual ships' operational histories in R. A. Burt's ''British Battleships 1889–1904'', among other books, for numerous uses of the term in the manner described here.</ref>

====Obsolescence of battleships====
{{see also|List of ships of the Second World War}}
During the lead-up to the [[Second World War]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] and the United Kingdom once again emerged as the two dominant [[Atlantic]] sea powers. The German navy, under the [[Treaty of Versailles]], was limited to only a few minor surface ships. But the clever use of deceptive terminology, such as ''[[Deutschland-class cruiser|Panzerschiffe]]'' deceived the British and [[French Third Republic|French]] commands. They were surprised when ships such as {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Graf Spee||2}}, {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst||2}}, and {{ship|German battleship|Gneisenau||2}} raided [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] supply lines. The greatest threat however, was the introduction of the [[Kriegsmarine]]'s largest vessels, {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck||2}} and {{ship|German battleship|Tirpitz||2}}. ''Bismarck'' was heavily damaged and sunk/scuttled after a series of sea battles in the north Atlantic in 1941, while ''Tirpitz'' was destroyed by the [[Royal Air Force]] in 1944. The British [[Royal Navy]] gained dominance of the European theatre by 1943.
[[File:Japanese battleship Yamato under air attack off Kure on 19 March 1945 (80-G-309662).jpg|thumb|[[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] battleship [[Japanese battleship Yamato|''Yamato'']] under air attack off [[Kure]] on 19 March 1945]]

The Second World War brought massive changes in the design and role of several types of warships. For the first time, the [[aircraft carrier]] became the clear choice to serve as the main capital ship within a naval task force. World War II was the only war in history in which battles occurred between groups of carriers. World War II saw the first use of [[radar]] in combat. It brought the first naval battle in which the ships of both sides never engaged in direct combat, instead sending aircraft to make the attacks, as in the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]].
[[File:Typhoon3.jpg|thumb|Russian {{sclass2|Typhoon|submarine|1}}]]

====Cold War-era====
Modern warships are generally divided into seven main categories, which are: [[aircraft carrier]]s, [[cruiser]]s, [[destroyer]]s, [[frigate]]s, [[corvette]]s, [[submarine]]s, and [[amphibious warfare ship]]s. 

Battleships comprise an eighth category, but are not in current service with any navy in the world. Only the deactivated American {{sclass|Iowa|battleship|1}}s still exist as potential combatants, and battleships in general are unlikely to re-emerge as a ship class without redefinition. The {{sclass|Kirov|battlecruiser}} is a guided missile cruiser that straddles the line between a heavy cruiser and a battlecruiser. They are often called battlecruisers by Western defence commentators.<ref>''Armi da guerra'', De Agostini, Novara, 1985.</ref>

The [[destroyer]] is generally regarded as the dominant surface-combat vessel of most modern blue-water navies. However, the once distinct roles and appearances of [[cruiser]]s, [[destroyer]]s, [[frigate]]s, and [[corvette]]s have blurred. Most vessels have come to be armed with a mix of anti-surface, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons. Class designations no longer reliably indicate a displacement hierarchy, and the size of all vessel types has grown beyond the definitions used earlier in the 20th century. Another key difference between older and modern vessels is that all modern warships are "soft", without the thick armor and bulging anti-torpedo protection of World War II and older designs.

Most [[Navy|navies]] also include many types of support and [[auxiliary vessel]]s, such as [[minesweeper (ship)|minesweeper]]s, [[patrol boat]]s and [[OPV (naval)|offshore patrol vessels]].

By 1982 the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]] (UNCLOS) treaty negotiations had produced a legal definition of what was then generally accepted as a late-twentieth century warship. The UNCLOS definition was : "A warship means a ship belonging to the armed forces of a State bearing the external marks distinguishing such ships of its nationality, under the command of an officer duly commissioned by the government of the State and whose name appears in the appropriate service list or its equivalent, and manned by a crew which is under regular armed forces discipline."<ref name="UNCLOSW" />

=====Development of the submarine=====
{{main article|Submarine}}
[[File:USS Plunger - NH 85735 - cropped.jpg|thumb|American [[submarine]] [[USS Plunger (SS-2)|USS ''Plunger'']]]]
The first practical submarines were developed in the late 19th century, but it was only after the development of the [[torpedo]] that submarines became truly dangerous (and hence useful). By the end of the [[First World War]] submarines had proved their potential. During the [[Second World War]] Nazi Germany's fleet of [[U-boat]]s (submarines) almost starved Britain into submission and inflicted [[Second happy time|huge losses]] on US coastal shipping. The success of submarines led to the development of new [[anti-submarine]] [[convoy]] escorts during the First and Second World Wars, such as the [[destroyer escort]]. Confusingly, many of these new types adopted the names of the smaller warships from the [[age of sail]], such as [[corvette]], [[sloop-of-war|sloop]] and [[frigate]].

=====Development of the aircraft carrier=====
{{see also|Seaplane tender|Aircraft carrier}}

A [[seaplane tender]] is a ship that supports the operation of [[seaplane]]s. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are regarded by some as the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the [[First World War]].

A major shift in naval warfare occurred with the introduction of the [[aircraft carrier]]. First at [[Battle of Taranto|Taranto]] and then at [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]], the aircraft carrier demonstrated its ability to strike decisively at enemy ships out of sight and range of surface vessels. By the end of the Second World War, the carrier had become the dominant warship.

<gallery mode="packed">
Image:La Foudre.jpg|left|[[French seaplane carrier Foudre|''Foudre'']], the first [[seaplane carrier]] circa 1914.
File:HMS Invincible 1991 DN-ST-92-01125s.jpg|right|{{HMS|Invincible|R05|6}} (1991), a [[light aircraft carrier]]
File:USS Enterprise (CVAN-65), USS Long Beach (CGN-9) and USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) underway in the Mediterranean Sea during Operation Sea Orbit, in 1964.jpg|{{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}} (1961) and escorts
</gallery>

=====Development of the amphibious assault ship=====
{{ship|Japanese amphibious assault ship|Shinshū Maru||2}} was a ship of the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] during World War II. She was the world's first purpose-built [[landing craft carrier]] ship, and a pioneer of modern-day [[amphibious assault ships]]. During some of her operations, she was known to have used at least four cover names, R1, GL, MT, and Ryujo Maru.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

An amphibious warfare ship is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as [[marines]], on enemy territory during an amphibious assault.
Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most crudely described as ships and craft. In general, the ships carry the troops from the port of embarkation to the drop point for the assault and the craft carry the troops from the ship to the shore. Amphibious assaults taking place over short distances can also involve the shore-to-shore technique, where landing craft go directly from the port of embarkation to the assault point. Amphibious assault ships have a well deck with landing craft which can carry [[tank]]s and other [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s and also have a deck like a [[helicopter carrier]] for helicopters and [[V/STOL]] aircraft.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Shinshū Maru1937.jpg|[[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] amphibious assault ship {{ship|Japanese amphibious assault ship|Shinshū Maru||2}}
File:Public Domain USS IWO JIMA in New Orleans Robert Jay Stratchko, 2005 (DOD 050910-N-8933S-001) (690281003).jpg|{{USS|Iwo Jima|LHD-7|6}} at [[New Orleans]], 2005
File:LST-4001 おおすみ (5).jpg|left|Stern view of {{sclass|Ōsumi|tank landing ship|1}}
File:USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49).jpg|right|{{USS|Harpers Ferry|LSD-49|6}}, a [[United States Navy]] [[dock landing ship]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of naval ship classes in service]]
* [[Amphibious assault submarine]]
* [[Unmanned surface vehicle]]
* [[Autonomous underwater vehicle]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{citation|author=Anon. |title=The British Admiralty&nbsp;... |journal=Scientific American |volume=91 |issue=2 |year=1904b |url=https://archive.org/stream/scientific-american-1904-07-09/scientific-american-v91-n02-1904-07-09#page/n0/mode/2up |issn=0036-8733}}
*{{citation|last=Bacon |first=R.H.S. |author-link=Reginald Bacon |chapter=Some notes on naval strategy |editor-last=Leyland |editor-first=J. |title=The Naval Annual 1901 |year=1901 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/CASGA_120407/page/n9 |pages=233–52 |oclc= 496786828}}
* Burt, R. A. (1988). ''British Battleships 1889–1904''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. {{ISBN|0-87021-061-0}}.
*{{citation|last=Dahl |first=E.J. |title=Naval innovation: From coal to oil |journal=Joint Force Quarterly |issue=Winter 2000–01 |year=2001 |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a524799.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022194856/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a524799.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=22 October 2016 |pages=50–6|access-date=28 November 2016 |df=dmy-all}}
*{{citation|last=Lyon |first=D. |title=The First Destroyers |publisher=Mercury |year=2005 |orig-year=1996 |isbn=1-84560-010-X}}
*{{citation|last=Siegel |first=J. |title=Endgame: Britain, Russia, and the Final Struggle for Central Asia |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2002 |isbn=1-85043-371-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sY2UYtcAfd8C}}

{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries}}
{{Military and war}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Naval warfare]]
[[Category:Warships| ]]
[[Category:Boat and ship designers]]