Warship facts for kids

United States Navy destroyer "USS Deyo."

A warship is a ship carrying weapons, which is used by the navy. Some warships also carry naval aircraft.

Assyrian warship, a bireme with pointed bow circa 700 BC

E-767 AWACS

Warships are made in many different sizes. Here is a list of different kinds of warships, from the largest to the smallest of World War II:

Modern warships

It is a principle of modern navies that larger ships never travel alone. They are too vulnerable to planes, submarines and missiles. An aircraft carrier will have an AEW&C plane above to give wider radar warning, destroyers and submarines deployed around. This is recognised by the term "Carrier Strike Group". This is a U.S. term, but the principle applies to all the larger navies.

Modern warships come in the same "class" of ship as they did in World War II, but the sizes are different. From largest to smallest:

• Aircraft carriers are airports at sea. They are often called "floating cities" because they can hold hundreds of planes, and thousands of sailors. US Nimitz class carriers can weigh over 100,000 ton.
  • Escort carriers are smaller aircraft carriers. They have fewer planes and sailors, but are usually faster.
  • Helicopter carriers are used by the United States Marine Corps and some navies.
• Battleships are not used anymore. This is because they are expensive to operate and cannot keep safe from enemy air attacks. Smaller battleships may be called battle cruisers. Battle cruisers have less armor and guns than a battleship, but are faster.
• Cruisers and frigates are often now the same size. They are mainly used to launch guided missiles or to shoot down enemy airplanes. Cruisers are usually slower and larger and have longer range than frigates. Most cruisers and frigates are large enough to hold helicopters on the back of the ship. This part is called the fantail. Cruisers can usually hold one or two. Although they are smaller, some frigates are designed to hold two or three. Battleships and battlecruisers have largely vanished from modern navies.
• Destroyers are smaller and faster than cruisers and frigates. They are usually used to hunt down enemy submarines. Sometimes, they will also attack enemy airplanes. They can also go closer to shore than larger ships. This allows them to attack things on land.
• Submarines can hide under the water. Modern submarines are powered by atomic engines, and can go round the world underwater. They provide what is sometimes called "the ultimate deterrent", namely, nuclear weapons.

Other uses

Support warships are used to supply ammunition, food, and other supplies to the larger warships. Some warships exist to carry powerful radio receivers and computers to detect and analyze transmissions from nearby ships. Usually these kinds of ships are smaller, and do not have many guns or missiles themselves.

Images for kids

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  The Cannon Shot (1670) by Willem van de Velde the Younger, showing a late Dutch 17th-century ship of the line

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  Diagrams of first and third rate warships, England, 1728

See also

In Spanish: Buque de guerra para niños