Linership

The linership is the Warship which was the base of the naval war between the European marines, of the beginning of the 17th century in the middle of the 20th century. Its main feature was to fight mainly with its Naval artillery, unlike the preceding ships which used the boarding, even the éperonnage. Its name of line comes from the naval Tactique which is associated to him, the Ligne of battle , a formation in which the ships of the same fleet were followed in Indian file, which enabled them as well as possible to use their guns located on their sides and limited the risk of fratricidal shootings. Starting from the Second world war, the supremacy of the linership, from now on armoured , is erased with the profit of the Porte-avions, whose range of action, based on aviation, is obviously much larger.

Origins: the Middle Ages

During the the Middle Ages, the war on sea is carried out mainly as on the dry land: the combatants approach until the contact, try to demolish the enemy buildings, the men devote themselves to a body with body, whose exit determines victorious and overcome. On sea, that gives: approaches by the side, Grappin S and boarding even éperonnage, and then body with body between the embarked troops.

No need for that for especially built ships: one was often satisfied to use simple Trading vessels, which one armed for the war, like Cogue S and, later of the Caraque S.

The Archer S and principal rafter S, assembled in gréement, can sift the adversary of arrows and squares. At the same time to increase their range and to put them at the shelter enemy shootings, one sets up soon on the bridge a superstructure which one will call castle . The castles, of poop and soon of prow, take with the wire time more and more height, justifying their name.

This addition of mass in the tops degrades the already poor stability of these ships to the round hull, prompt with to capsize as soon as the sea grew bigger, the following the example of Mary Pink English.

Appearance of artillery

The idea to embark guns on warships appeared as of the 14th century. The European marines of the time launched some large ships equipped with a many artillery. This one was especially made up of light gauges, intended to kill the adversary before the boarding, laid out on the sides, but also on all the height of the poop and forecastles.

Certain nations then start to build ships specialized for the war, versions increased of caraques commercial. In low number, they have especially a role of prestige for the incipient States, the remaining main thing of the fight to the load of the armed merchants. One can thus evoke the flagship of the fleet of the order of Midsummer's Day of Jerusalem, Santa Anna, caraque with impressive dimensions for the time, exit of the shipyards of Nice in 1523 and, notable fact, which was the first ship to carry a protective metal coating, in the shape of thick lead blades fixed by bronze nails, the ancestor of the battleship all in all.

At the end of the 15th century, the Spain and the Portugal, to push more before the maritime Explorations which they started, need ships adapted better to the long crossings of the Océan S, in particular Atlantique and Indien. They improve the caraque one in there integral of the characteristics of the caravel: it is the appearance of the Galion, of which the back castle is integrated into the poop, become square, while the front castle disappears almost completely. The ship thus created, much less heavy, was especially much more stable and thus more operating. Extremely of these advantages, the galleon is then taken again by the other great European nations. The method of combat remains however unchanged: cannonade to decrease the forces of the adversary then boarding to conclude the combat.

In the middle of the 16th century, the England is confronted with the Spanish fleet, then first maritime power of Europe. The English, who have good sailors, are very handicapped vis-a-vis terrible the Tercio S, the Spanish infantrymen. They come from there to modify their tactic of combat consequently: giving up the boarding like means and goal of the combat, they decide to remain remote and to cannonade the enemy fleet to run the unfavourable ships or, failing this, to damage them so much that they become unable to remain at sea and lose any value with the combat.

Their ships are gradually adapted to this new way of fighting. Embarking less soldiers and guns, they can be smaller and lighter, therefore fast and nimbler. The importance of the range of action results in increasing the gauge of the guns from now on, which become thus able to inflict more important damage with the hulls and Gréement S of the adversary. The requirement for maneuverability, which led to the disappearance of the heavy superstructures, led to lay out the guns on the sides, the bridge or in the sides: at the time of the combat, one opens the Sabord S.

Then impose yourself a formation adapted to the new type of combat and the new type of ships: it is the Ligne of battle . The ships are followed there in column, thus being able to release a broadside (to make fire of all the parts on a side) against the enemy without being likely to touch the friendly buildings. This tactic appears frightening as of 1588 at the time of the combat against the Invincible Armada, where the English stop the advance of the Spanish fleet at the bearable prices of losses (see also the Bataille of Holy the).

The linership was born, it will dominate the seas during more than 350 years.

The apogee of the veil

The value of a combat building is measured from now on with the firepower which it aligns on the most mobile possible hull. It is not enough any more to arm with the trading vessels: a linership must be specialized and built for the warlike use.

The 17th century will see an important increase in dimensions and firepower. In 1610, the English launch the Prince Royal, which, for the first time, has a battery on three bridge S complete. In 1637, it is followed by HMS Sovereign off the Seas which aligns to him also three rows of guns, adding up 104 parts. The other nations are not in remainder: the Sweden lance the Vasa in 1628 and the France the Crown in 1636.

Classification by row

These increases in size of the ships involve soon the need for a classification. The Royal Navy, the first, adopts, in its Fighting Instructions (instructions of combat) of 1653, a classification in six rows . France follows the example in 1671, with five rows. In the other countries of Europe, one usually indicates the ships directly by the number of guns or bridges. The Anglo-Saxon literature however tends to apply the British classification to the foreign ships.

The Man' o' war British, largest of the ships of the time is thus the equivalent of the “vessel of high-edge” in the French National marine

With the turning of the century, the ultimate battleship takes its form with the British building Dreadnought , launched the February 10th 1906, so that it becomes even a generic name. The British, learning the lesson from the evolution of naval artillery and the recent battles, as the Battle of Tsoushima between the Russians and the Japanese, conclude that it is necessary to concentrate artillery on the strongest possible gauge, giving up the secondary armament, that the increase in the rate of shooting made superfluous even harmful. To be able to engage the adversary at the longest possible distance, the ten guns of 305 mm draw all in salvo according to the coordinates provided by the director from shooting, from which the station, located in the Hune S, profits from a great visibility. The operators of the rangefinders do not have whereas few difficulties, in theory, to determine the corrections necessary starting from the observation of the sprays of water of the preceding salvo, that they retransmettent then with the various turrets. Which are then satisfied to charge and point the guns. Only, a score of light guns with fast shooting of 76,2 mm remain to counter the Torpilleur S.

The dreadnought introduces also a revolution into the mode of propulsion with the adoption of the steam turbine instead of the steam engine. The latter allows a faster walk, but especially more flexible of the building, and the use of the Mazout, replacing coal for the boilers.

A posteriori , more than the suppression of the secondary gauges, it appears that this feat of ingenuity was carried out by the very clear increase in the displacement of the ship, 17.900 ton S, against the 14.000 of the preceding class. Moreover, the intermediate gauges reappeared very quickly, even on the British buildings. Dreadnought represented nevertheless such an innovation that it made all its predecessors obsolete; only for the power of its artillery, it was able to face two of them and, more rapid, able to start the combat or to avoid it with its own way.

The other maritime nations were thus obliged to create a new fleet of combat with buildings inspired by the British. The provision of the turrets varied, according to the nations. The British, the French and the Germans, faithful to the double turret, finished by all placing them in the axis of the ship, staged, privileging a strong broadside of ten parts. Whereas other countries, like the Russia or the Italy adopted four Tourelle S triple.

Dreadnought remained little of time in the first place. Less than four years after its launching, the the United Kingdom lance the class Orion. Moving 2000 tons more and armed with ten guns of 343 mm in five double turrets on line, it takes the designation of Superdreadnought . The gauge of the parts starts to increase in particular at the time of the First World War, the arrival of the Queen Elisabeth pleasing of the parts of 381 mm, the falling number of parts with eight. But they are the Americans (class “West Virginia”) and the Japanese (class “Nagato”) who went further, at the end of the war, with eight guns of 406 mm.

In 1919, the battleship was the principal element of naval superiority. The end of the war and the scuttling of the German fleet, gave the illusion which one could avoid a news and expensive arms race by limiting their number and their characteristics, by a series of international treaties. In 1922, the five greater world navy (the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Japan and Italy) signs the Traité of Washington. This treaty was supposed to suppress the arms race naval and thus limited the importance of the fleets, imposing of the restrictions on the ships (the battleships, for example, were not to exceed 35.000 ton S and to be armed with guns of a gauge of 406 mm to the maximum). It set up a moratorium prohibiting all new construction during ten years, that is to say until in 1932.

However, a special clause granted to the United Kingdom to build the two buildings of the class “Nelson” and the resurrection of the German navy with its three battleships of pocket of the class Deutschland, was going to give fire to the powders. These battleships, called thus for their weak tonnage, were based on the new watchword of the navy of German war: vis-a-vis the international constraints, to build a warship of weak tonnage certainly, but n the other hand very fast, and despite everything strongly armed. The appearance of the three German ships ( Deutschland become then Lützow , admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf von Spee ) pushed the French to answer with the two cruisers of the class Dunkirk since 1932, which were followed by the Italians, with three of the class Vittorio Venetto. Soon the British, Americans and Japanese followed, the race was started again.

The new buildings, in spite of the treaties, were quite higher than their ancestors, they were characterized, in particular, by a speed definitely more important which was worth the denomination of to them armoured fast . Soon, the limitations of the treaties are regarded as null and void and are exceeded, initially secretly then, very quickly, in full day. Tonnages and the gauge of the armament fly away, until the apogee which Japanese of the series Yamato represent, their 65.000 tons and their nine guns of 460 mm.

Decline of the battleship

However, the Second world war will show that the battleship, is not any more the Panacée, it will lose at the time of this one its leading role. It became vulnerable to two new threats, aviation, embarked or not, and the submarine. It must thus operate within a team of combined weapons. But these two newcomers will appear more effective than him. The Underwater for the attack of the enemy navigation of trade, allowing the attrition of the adversary, and this as of the First World War. The German U-Boot S cannot certainly attack a battleship yet, but they can be unaware of it, all the naval organization must already be re-examined. But especially, as of the end of the Great War and within sight of some experiments however rudimentary, some most lucid theorists envisage the rise to power of the Avion and its maritime support, the Porte-avions, which profits from a lengthening-piece quite higher than the guns of the battleships. He predict the end of the battleship. The facts give them reason quickly: on the Sea S, the Second world war begin truly with the destruction from several British ships by the Avion S and especially by Pearl Harbor.

Despite everything, escorted well, these large buildings still appear very useful on many occasions. Their use within escort of convoys, makes it possible to protect those against a raid from surface, avoiding having to disperse this one and thus keep the advantage of cohesion, alone tactical effective against the Sous-marin S. As the episode of the Bismarck will largely prove it and that of the convoys in the Arctic towards the the USSR. Moreover, it represents a means very economic and effective to bombard positions with ground to prepare an unloading, as the USA throughout their reconquest of the Pacifique will show it or in Normandy. After war, the development of the Missile S, which give the same firepower to an ordinary ship, therefore infinitely cheaper and more practical, gives the blow of thanks to the battleship as an anti-ship means.

The beginning of the year 1970, saw nevertheless an renewed interest for the formula of the armoured ship, which was stopped by the end of the Cold war. The concept reappears in a different form, with the appearance of the cruisers of the Soviet Marine Kirov, and the start-up consecutive of Iowa modernized American. Some experts seem to think that the large cruisers missile launcher can ring the knell of the aircraft carriers. Their shielding can enable them to box damage enormously, especially against missiles not designed to bore it. Moreover, these buildings have an anti-aircraft firepower which makes their attack very perilous and of a lengthening-piece equivalent to that of the planes for the attack. Like their predecessors, it must nevertheless act escorted and grouped, doctrines of the Soviet groups of hunting against the groups air and sea of NATO, what illustrates could have been this tactic. The collapse of the the USSR, and the absence of real confrontation on sea and the retirement of Iowa after 38 years of service, in 1992, leaves this question without answer, for the moment. Their last use goes back to the release of Kuwait where two Iowa were used as naval artillery platform to bombard its shells and missiles Tomahawk S the Iraqi forces on the ground.

See too

List of the battleships
Man' o' war

References

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