Super battleship

Yamato and Musashi, the only two super battleships ever built.

Super battleship is an unofficial class of battleships. It includes the largest types constructed or originally planned with a displacement of roughly 60,000 tons or more. Only two such battleships were ever made. Many more were planned by several navies of the world before and during the Second World War.[1] Their design included thick armor and large guns. They were thought to be the ideal warships for naval battle, but the success of the aircraft carriers compromised their use. Only two were ever built (both by the Japanese Empire).[2] Both were sunk during World War II. This does not include ships such as USS New Jersey which were modified in later years to weigh over 60,000 tons.

References

  1. The American Experience in World War II, ed. Walter L. Hixson (New York; London: Routledge, 2003), p. 3
  2. Stephen Bull, Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004), p. 291