Warfare at sea is the oldest form of fighting next to land-based warfare. Since the days man decided to take to the oceans, sea-going vessels have formed another element of a warplanner's tool chest. No more was this apparent than in the great battles fought throughout the age of sail between Spain, Britain and France among others. The wooden tall ships of old eventually gave way to their steam-powered ironclad counterparts and a new age was born. The sea battles fought by dreadnoughts of the Great War would evolve into the powerhouse battleships of the Second World War. And from there, the rise of carrier warfare took to the forefront.
Since then, battles at sea have been few and far between, nothing on the scale as was witnessed by the world since World War 2. The ocean is now full of sea-going vessels armed with the latest in long range ballistic and guided missiles, underwater nuclear-powered submarines with cruise missiles and island-sized floating cities in the carriers brought about by the jet age. This listing - though largely incomplete at the moment - is indicative of the evolution of sea-going warfare, covering time from the age of sail to the weapons of tomorrow. |
