Battleships, once the dominant symbols of naval power, have largely faded from the world's oceans. The advent of airpower, guided missiles, and nuclear submarines rendered these massive, heavily armed ships obsolete.
Today, no modern navy actively operates traditional battleships as they existed during the first half of the 20th century. However, the legacy of these steel giants persists, and the discussion around the largest active "battleship-like" warships often leads to comparisons with other massive naval vessels.
The End of the Battleship Era
The traditional battleship—heavily armored and armed with large-caliber guns—reached its zenith during World War II. The Japanese Yamato-class battleships, including the infamous Yamato and Musashi, remain the largest battleships ever built, displacing over 70,000 tons when fully loaded and armed with 18.1-inch guns. Yet, their massive size and firepower could not protect them from aerial and submarine attacks, leading to their destruction during the war. By the mid-20th century, battleships had been rendered obsolete by the rise of aircraft carriers and missile-equipped ships.
The last operational battleships were the Iowa-class battleships of the U.S. Navy (USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, and USS Wisconsin), which saw action during World War II and were modernized for use in the Korean War, Vietnam War, and even the Gulf War. They were finally decommissioned in the 1990s, marking the end of the battleship era.