Tech & Auto
10 Warships That Changed The Navy's Approach To Warfare Forever
By JUSTIN OWEN
HMS Dreadnought
The HMS Dreadnought was hailed for its revolutionary design when it launched in 1906. What truly set it apart was its abundance of oversized guns on board.
The Dreadnought brought about many other innovations, such as the triple-expansion steam turbine, which allowed the ship to outrun any other warship sailing at the time.
USS Constitution
Built as part of an order of the U.S. Navy’s first fleet of ships, the USS Constitution was created in 1797 and combined the best parts of contemporary French and British ships.
Its gun decks carried 24 carronade cannons and 30 long guns, while its hull was made with multiple layers of white oak and live oak for added protection.
HMS Argus
In their endeavor to create a workable solution to use a mobile platform for aviation squadrons, the Royal Navy commissioned and put the HMS Argus into service in 1918.
The ship was their first true aircraft carrier, complete with a hanger and machine works on its main deck and an elevated ship-long runway above the bridge.
La Gloire
Not to be outdone by the British, in 1859 the French developed a cutting-edge, high-quality ship with La Gloire, the first ocean-going ironclad.
This steam-powered, iron-armored sailing ship began an ironclad race, with Britain following immediately with the HMS Warrior and the American ironclads of the Civil War.
The Mary Rose
Henry VIII’s reign saw Britain transform into a naval power within a generation, and the nation built one of the most powerful ships of its day, the carrack called The Mary Rose.
The state-of-the-art design made the ship capable of carrying up to eight heavy guns. The ship featured gun ports on each side, a revolutionary idea for the time.