Ironclad Battleships
The ship that is said to be included in the ironclad warship category is the French-made La Glorie, even though the La Glorie has not fully used an iron hull. The hull of this ship is still constructed of wood but coated with metal to withstand enemy fire. The first true Ironclad type was the HMS Warrior which was launched in England in 1860. This ship was the pride of Queen Victoria.
Subsequent developments in 1876 for the first time, France launched the Redoutable, which was then matched by England. As if they did not want to be outdone by Britain, France then launched a new type of battleship constructed of steel which was used to protect the hull while making this ship the most superion in terms of defense. Redoutable entered the shipyard in 1873 and steel construction work was carried out by Siemens and completed in 1876. Britain itself initially used Siemens' steel construction, but was later replaced with steel invented by Henry Bassemer. Work on this British steel frigate began in 1875 on the HMS Irish and HMS Mercury in 1876. In subsequent developments, the competition for these steel-constructed warships was marked by competition between Britain and Germany. While the United States relied on Britain and conducted independent research in its warship design, the Russian Empire adopted much of the French design combined with German-made cannons. Meanwhile in the Asia Pacific region, the Empire of Japan emerged, which modernized its navy with ships that were predominantly based on the British Navy concept.
In the United States, the development of these iron battleships was also decisive in the American Civil War, where in 1862 there was a battle between Monitors of the Union (North) and Merrimack of the Confederation (South). Both were hit by enemy bullets but did not sink. Since then the development of warships and weapons has grown rapidly and various researches have appeared in it. Technological developments in the fields of Radio, Electricity, Telegraph and Machinery also colored the development of warships afterward. However, until the Tsushima Sea Battle between Russia and Japan in 1905, these technological developments had not been tested in actual combat.
For the record, during World War II, especially in the Pacific Mandala, the United States used many aircraft carriers which used teak wood foundation construction. This indeed provides its own advantages, especially for reducing the weight of the ship, increasing speed and agility as well as not being too hot when sailing in the ocean. Unlike the British who used steel construction on the foundation. The disadvantage is that this ship is easily destroyed and burned during an attack, especially when Japan carried out the Kamikaze action by crashing its aircraft into US ships, especially aircraft carriers which caused great damage and many casualties among US soldiers and sailors. Meanwhile, the British fleet which also suffered the same attack, did not suffer significant damage so it was easily repaired while the ship was operating. So the US Navy liaison officer in the British fleet commented that when an American ship was hit by a kamikaze, it was enough to mess things up, so in the British fleet, the commander simply ordered
"Sweeper, use your broom" to fix it.
Steam engine
The development of ship construction that ultimately uses iron cannot be separated from the development of the use of steam engines on ships. Noted Le Napoleon which is a warship or battleship that uses a steam engine. This ship was launched in 1850 and is considered a true steam engine warship. The British, who did not want to be outdone by France, launched the Agamemnon, which was built from 1840 and used in 1853.
Initially, the use of steam engines was carried out for small ships such as boats operating on rivers. Meanwhile, large ships were still combined with sails as was done on the British warship, HMS Ajax in 1846. Distrust of the steam engine still arose in warships until the Tsushima naval battle and the launch of HMS Dreadnought where warships used masts. screens are used when coal fuel runs out.
Pre-Dreadnought Warship Traits
Pre Dreadnought warships generally have the main characteristics, namely the main weaponry consists of two cannon turrets at the bow and stern which contains two cannons measuring 8-12 inches in size, the second level weaponry consists of a number of cannons with a size smaller than the weaponry. the main mounted on a smaller tower (dome) on the hull of the ship with varying caliber between 3-9 inches. Third tier weaponry, also in greater numbers than the larger and smaller caliber cannons. Generally installed without turrets.
At that time, the use of smaller cannons was to counteract the threat of torpedo boat destroyers or commonly known as destroyers, assuming they could destroy enemy torpedoes. While large cannons are used for bombardment. In those days, whether a cannon could hit the target with a bang or not depended entirely on the skill of the gun crew.
Another characteristic of this ship is that it still uses sail masts even though it uses a steam engine. These masts are used when coal or even firewood runs out
After the Battle of Tsushima between the Japanese Navy and Russia which was won by the Japanese in 1905, it was realized that the second and third stage cannons were often regarded as a burden rather than supporting the tasks of the carrier because it turned out that the addition of a small size gun was a deviation from the traditional role of warships. to carry as many large size cannons as possible with great firepower as well.
Post Dreadnought
The Post Dreadnought warship is a generation warship after the HMS Dreadnought was launched by the British around 1906. He used the HMS Dreadnought as the benchmark because at that time the ship reflected changes in design, weapon configuration and others that were different from the previous ships. The design of this ship was based on the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 between the Russian Empire and the Japanese Empire which resulted in the defeat of Russia and the decline of the Russian Empire, especially in the control of sea power. During that battle, long-range battles were fought between warships.
After the Battle of Tsushima between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Russia which was won by the Japanese in 1905, it was realized that the second and third tier cannons were often seen as a burden rather than supporting the carrier tasks because it turned out that the addition of a small size gun was a deviation from the tradition of the ship's role. war to bring as many large size cannons with great firepower as well.
The Battleship HMS Dreadnought
This warship weighing 18,110 tons was built at the Portsmouth shipyard, England for four months, from October 1905 to February 1906. This warship powered by a steam engine had a maximum speed of 21 knots, faster than most warships at that time with a maximum speed of 18 knots. . Has ten cannon caliber 12 inch or 300 mm. Previously, the battleship was only armed with one battery with four smaller caliber cannons.
The HMS Dreadnought served as the flagship of the British fleet between 1907 and 1912. It was operated by the 4th Combat Squadron in the North Sea during World War I. On March 18, 1915, it successfully destroyed the German submarine U-29. As of May 1916, this ship was used by the 3rd Combat Squadron as well as being the flag ship. In 1919 this ship was then put into the reserve service and in 1922, this ship was sold and turned into scrap metal (scrap).
