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Again, why not rip off the popular tank thread again.... but this time look to the Naval enthusiasts on the board!

To put it simply, what is your favorite warship and why? They can be historical, modern, or even fictional.

For Historical, I am going with this venerable classic....

The good old Trireme. Super light and designed to ram. The original glass-cannon before cannons were even invented.

.... and this one.....

The SMS Emden who was a famous German Commerce Raider during World War I in the Indian Ocean.

.... and finally this one.

The USS Minnesota- Part of the Great White Fleet. Sadly, she launched as an obsolete ship since the HMS Dreadnought was launched a few months before.

Your choices?

 Easy E wrote:
Again, why not rip off the popular tank thread again.... but this time look to the Naval enthusiasts on the board!

To put it simply, what is your favorite warship and why? They can be historical, modern, or even fictional.

For Historical, I am going with this venerable classic....

The good old Trireme. Super light and designed to ram. The original glass-cannon before cannons were even invented.

.... and this one.....

The SMS Emden who was a famous German Commerce Raider during World War I in the Indian Ocean.

.... and finally this one.

The USS Minnesota- Part of the Great White Fleet. Sadly, she launched as an obsolete ship since the HMS Dreadnought was launched a few months before.

Your choices?

Same class as the St Louis?
Wait no, just both US pre dreadnought designs.

HMS Hood since I "commanded" it in a wargame re-fight of Denmark Strait as a teenager, she was IMO one of the most elegant looking of the early twentieth century capital ships.

Although it's a close one between HMS Hood and USS Yorktown CV-5 which survived a battering at Coral Sea and after an incredible repair effort fought at and almost survived Midway.

The cruiser Avrora

Avrora fought in the Russo-Japanese war and was mistaken for a Japanese warship in the hilarious Dogger Bank incident and attacked by the full Russian fleet. Avrora subsequently also managed to survive the disastrous battle of Tsushima and return home for the event that made her one of the most famous ships ever: the mutiny aboard Avrora and subsequent firing at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, which signaled the beginning of the Revolution.

The USS Maine:

I had to write an essay about the Spanish-American War once, so I got to know the ship and the whole story quite well. The destruction of the Maine under unclear circumstances while visiting Cuba famously led to the Spanish-American war as the yellow press spread the belief the Maine was destroyed by Spanish sabotage. As of today it is still not clear who or what actually destroyed the Maine.

The Nihon Maru:
(spoilered for size)

The flagship of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was a massive floating fortress. That is totally awesome. Those Korean turtle ships were also awesome, btw.

I've not really got a favourite - although Napoleonic-era ships of the line look really impressive under full sail - but I wish I'd had the chance to see the Mikasa when I was in Japan. Partly for the history, but partly because the steel to build her came from the steelworks I used to work at.



Apparently, steel from the same works ended up in a WW2 German U-boat, but that was apparently because a shipment intended for the French navy was taken when France surrendered.

USS Missouri:


Look at dat cannonz!

That can do dis:

A true monster. Yamato.

If you mean a. Class of warship in general, as Mich as I hate Nazis I Have to admit the type 7 uboat was a game changer that if used properly could have swung the war. It was one of the few truly good weapon systems that regime ever developed. If that moron with the clown moustache had dedicated enough resources to it instead of wasting them on the bismark they could have forced England to surrender.

As for a specific warship, I'd have to say the Mary Rose. She was a real paradigm change in naval warfare abd in some ways the first warship to use what are now common tactics.

The Scharnhorst and her sister the Gneisenau.



The Bismark and her sister the Tirpitz.



The Yamato and her sister the Musashi.

Guess I have a thing for twins...

Always liked the KGV class.

Even with there lesser spotted gun lay outs of double and quad turrets.

There's only one Grand Old Lady, and that's the HMS Warspite



Warspite took more beatings than should be possible and gave 0 feths.

 whembly wrote:
USS Missouri:



Look at dat cannonz!

That can do dis:

I snipped the images for size, but none of the Iowas were at Normandie; the only Battleships with 16" guns at D-day were the Nelson and her sister Rodney. The US had the Texas, Arkansas, and Wyoming at Normandie, the Iowas were busy hunting down the Japanese fleet in the Pacific.

Which is yet another reason to pick the Warspite, because she WAS present at Normandy.

The WW2 Leander class light cruisers, two of these and a cruiser fought a German pocket battleship to a standstill and forced her to flee at the battle of the river Plate.

Mostly because the idea of a battleship that fits in your pocket tickled me when I was eleven.

And no one has talked about the grandest of ladies? For same;



The original Enterprise (okay not the original exactly but who cares she's the best anyway )

Walrus already mentioned her, but the Nelson (and her sister ship the Rodney) are both up there for me, some people say the look like shoes, but i absolutely adore them both visually



If we're talking Carriers, then the Ark Royal and it's complement of fairey torpedo bombers has got to be up there.

 LordofHats wrote:
And no one has talked about the grandest of ladies? For same;



The original Enterprise (okay not the original exactly but who cares she's the best anyway )

I am partial to a USS Enterprise, but not that one...

 AlmightyWalrus wrote:
There's only one Grand Old Lady, and that's the HMS Warspite



Warspite took more beatings than should be possible and gave 0 feths.

 whembly wrote:
USS Missouri:



Look at dat cannonz!

That can do dis:

I snipped the images for size, but none of the Iowas were at Normandie; the only Battleships with 16" guns at D-day were the Nelson and her sister Rodney. The US had the Texas, Arkansas, and Wyoming at Normandie, the Iowas were busy hunting down the Japanese fleet in the Pacific.

Which is yet another reason to pick the Warspite, because she WAS present at Normandy.

She lived up to her motto. "I abhor the hard knocks of war"

Though thr ships mascot probbly should have been a honey badger.

 Mozzyfuzzy wrote:


Walrus already mentioned her, but the Nelson (and her sister ship the Rodney) are both up there for me, some people say the look like shoes, but i absolutely adore them both visually
.

They DO look like shoes! That doesn't have to be bad though.

CV-19, the USS Hancock.

Why? Because one of my grandfathers served on her during WW2 (was fighting fires below deck as that picture was taken)

I'm not really up to speed on boats, but any of the Nimitz class has always held a special awe for me. It just states area dominance, 'we are here now and we will be until we choose to leave'.

I'm going to go with Old Ironsides, the U.S.S. Constitution

She's the only US warship currently in service that has actually sunk any enemy ships. Gotta be one of the oldest ships still in service anywhere, and still looks great more than 200 years after being commissioned.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I'm going to go with Old Ironsides, the U.S.S. Constitution

She's the only US warship currently in service that has actually sunk any enemy ships. Gotta be one of the oldest ships still in service anywhere, and still looks great more than 200 years after being commissioned.

Only HMS Victory is older, and active. She the flagship of the first Sea Lord and currently undergoing another major refit and repair phase.

Only one older active though.

 jhe90 wrote:

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I'm going to go with Old Ironsides, the U.S.S. Constitution

She's the only US warship currently in service that has actually sunk any enemy ships. Gotta be one of the oldest ships still in service anywhere, and still looks great more than 200 years after being commissioned.

Only HMS Victory is older, and active. She the flagship of the first Sea Lord and currently undergoing another major refit and repair phase.

Only one older active though.

And speaking of Victory, god damn is she a beautiful ship:

The USS Olympia, got to walk around/inside her quite a few times (I'm local to the area). And even got to check out the Gato-class sub they've got docked next to her.




Another lady that was local for a bit, the USS New Jersey. There's something about that class that just..I dunno, just says 'Come and get it.'.

Fletcher-class destroyers:



Fast and bristling with all manner of weaponry, these "little" ships could not only dish out an impressive amount of firepower for whatever its task was, they could also take a crazy amount of punishment yet keep on fighting and played a big part in the US achieving victory in the PTO.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Fletcher-class destroyers:



Fast and bristling with all manner of weaponry, these "little" ships could not only dish out an impressive amount of firepower for whatever its task was, they could also take a crazy amount of punishment yet keep on fighting and played a big part in the US achieving victory in the PTO.

Yes! Pound for pound probably the greatest warship of all the last 200 years. It went up against battleships, twice, and did it in awesome style.

 Frazzled wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Fletcher-class destroyers:



Fast and bristling with all manner of weaponry, these "little" ships could not only dish out an impressive amount of firepower for whatever its task was, they could also take a crazy amount of punishment yet keep on fighting and played a big part in the US achieving victory in the PTO.

Yes! Pound for pound probably the greatest warship of all the last 200 years. It went up against battleships, twice, and did it in awesome style.

With US excellent fire control they could accurately fire in smoke, at full pelt during evasive actions keep guns on target

I’ve got a soft spot for HMS Belfast.



Got off to a bad start but overcame that to have a distinguished career. And her birthday is on St. Patrick’s day to boot. I regret not getting to visit her when I was in London.

Like to note a few more:
A two fer: the Monitor and the Merrimac:


The humble PT boat. Saver of downed air crews, and also attacker of Japanese battleships: I just love the lines as a boat myself.


The United States. Same class as the Constitution. Victorious veteran of the 1812 war, and my first ship model:


Another shout out to the Victory:

This was my first love and my introduction to the glory of the Age of Sail.