Battleships
The battleship of World War II represented both a powerful statement and ultimately a great destructive force.
The influence of a strong navy has been appreciated by commanders since the 15th century through those converted trading ships to the 17th-century Ships of the Battle Line and then on to the modern battleships of today. Many of the pre-war-built battleships of World War II were originally designed following the 1920s Washington Treaty (dictating what world powers were allowed to build in an attempt at arms control) to 35,000 tonnes displacement.
Relatively few battleships were built during the war itself and most were used in support of other actions or as home defence, rather than in fleets. When unleashed with the freedom of the sea the battleship was feared for its massive guns.
