The Lexington-class warships were the first full-fledged heavy attack aircraft carriers of the US Army, the first ship was launched on October 3, 1925, and in 1927 it entered service with the US Navy. Initially, 2 battleships were laid down, but they were converted into aircraft carriers Lexington and Saratoga. The first was sunk by Japanese aircraft in 1942, and the second was deliberately sunk during testing nuclear weapons in 1946.

"Admiral Kuznetsov" - a heavy aircraft carrying cruiser of project 11435, the only one in the Navy Russian Federation. Equipped with modern anti-ship defense weapons. Unique is the protection of the hull from torpedoes and other sources of destruction. The ship has 3-layer armor, the sides of the hull are 4.5 meters thick, but have hollow spaces to dampen the energy of the explosion. Withstands explosions up to 400 kg. A TNT equivalent.

6. Midway class aircraft carriers - 306 meters

One of the main indicators of the military power of the state, as well as its influence and wealth, is military navy. Each country that has a navy strives to take a leading position in this area, and to surpass its opponents in this respect. Two of the well-known leaders - the United States and Russia, are armed with the largest ships in the world, which are presented in this rating.

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10. Izumo

Country: Japan
Displacement: 19500 tons (standard)

Our list opens with a squadron destroyer of the type " Izumo", which was created to detect and destroy submarines and other objects.

The main Japanese helicopter carrier began operating in 2015. The length of the destroyer is 248 meters, the allowable number of people on board is about 1000. The ship is capable of carrying twenty helicopters. Izumo is one of the largest ships built by the Japanese.

In the near future (2017), another Kaga helicopter carrier is expected to be commissioned.

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9. Nuclear cruiser "Peter the Great"

Country: Russia
Displacement: 23750 tons (standard)

The most powerful maritime power - Russia has created four nuclear-powered cruisers of the project 1144 - Orlan. The main cruiser currently in service with the Russian Federation was the cruiser " Peter the Great“, the length of which is 251 meters. Three other cruisers are currently under reconstruction ("Admiral Lazarev", "Admiral Nakhimov" and "Admiral Ushakov").

The main combat mission of "Peter" is the destruction of enemy aircraft carriers. The number of military on the flagship is 1035 people. The flagship is armed with six hundred combat missiles and a large number of other ammunition. And the heart of the cruiser is 2 nuclear reactors of the KN-3 type, producing 300 MW each. The cruiser has two turbines of 70,000 hp each. each, 4 power plants, 4 steam turbine generators and 4 gas turbine generators.

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8. Landing ships of the "UOSP" type

Country: USA
Displacement: 28233 tons (standard)

These landing ships were created for the landing of American troops directly on enemy territory. In total, eight ships of this type were built, and they have been operating since 1989 to the present.

The length of the UOSP is 257 meters. This ship is capable of carrying about 2,000 naval personnel and about 40 aircraft with military air specifics.

5. UK

HMS Queen Elizabeth. Photo: i.imgur.com

4. China

3. Japan

2. Russia

Three other cruisers are not inferior to them in armament - project 1164 "Atlant", with a displacement of 11,380 tons. But the largest is the aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Fleet Soviet Union Kuznetsov "with a displacement of 61,390 tons. This ship is not only well protected by air defense systems, but also armored. Rolled steel is used as armor, and the three-layer anti-torpedo protection 4.5 m wide can withstand 400 kg of TNT charge.

However, the fleet itself is being actively modernized: it is planned that by 2020 Navy The Russian Federation will receive about 54 modern combat surface ships, 16 multi-purpose submarines and 8 strategic missile submarines of the Borey project.

1. USA

The US submarine fleet is no less impressive: 14 Ohio-class nuclear submarines, each carrying 24 Trident-2 ballistic missiles. Three of the most advanced submarines of the Sea Wolf type, the price of which was exorbitant for the United States, so it was decided to abandon the construction of a large series. Instead, cheaper Virginia-class submarines are being built, while there are only 10 of them in the fleet.

Largest: Nimitz-class aircraft carriers

Country: USA
Launched: 1972
Displacement: 100,000 tons
Length: 332.8 m
Full stroke power: 260,000 hp
Full speed: 31.5 knots
Crew: 3184 people

Currently, the largest surface ship in the world is the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered heavy aircraft carrier. The lead USS Nimitz was launched on May 13, 1972 and entered service with the US Navy three years later. A total of ten ships were built, named after famous American politicians. Chester Nimitz, who gave his name to the entire series, was the commander-in-chief Pacific Fleet USA during World War II. In terms of its architecture, the Nimitz is a smooth-deck ship with an angled flight deck. Flight deck area - 18200 m2. The ship has surface and underwater structural protection. The bottom is protected by armored flooring of the second bottom and the third bottom. The four-shaft main power plant includes two water-cooled nuclear reactors and four main turbo gear units.

Structurally, the Nimitz-class ships are the same, but the last six have increased displacement and draft. The period of fuel recharging of their nuclear reactors is up to 20 years. Aviation is the basis of the armament of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers: George W. Bush, the last, tenth ship of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, was commissioned into the US Navy on January 10, 2009. She became a "transitional" ship to a new generation of Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carriers.

The most original modern one: USS Independence trimaran

Country: USA
Launched: 2008
Displacement: 2784 t
Length: 127.4 m
Full speed: 44 knots
Crew: 40 people.

The most unusual warship in the world is, perhaps, the American trimaran Independence (LCS-2). By 2035, the Americans plan to build up to 55 ships of this class of two sizes - small (up to 1000 tons) and large (2500-3000 tons), but today only the first ship, the "founder" of the new class, is ready. It was launched in 2008 and entered service with the US Navy in January 2010. The peculiar design of the trimaran is dictated by the need to build the fastest possible warship; the hull was designed by Austral, which has already tested the concept on the civilian Benchijigua Express ferry between the Canaries, Tenerife, Gomera, Hierra and Palma in Atlantic Ocean. Independence is a coastal warship capable of accelerating up to 50 knots (90 km/h) and conducting combat operations in five-point sea state (“turbulent sea”, wave height 2.5–4 m). The trimaran's main class competitor is the Freedom class ships developed by Lockheed Martin. The latter have a classic layout. Which is better - time will tell.

The largest of the non-aircraft carriers: "Peter the Great"

Country Russia
Launched: 1996
Displacement: 25,860 tons
Length: 250.1 m
Full stroke power: 140,000 hp
Full speed: 32 knots
Crew: 635 people

The most powerful non-aircraft-carrying ship today is the Russian nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, which belongs to the Project 1114 Orlan cruiser series. The first ship of this project, the heavy nuclear missile cruiser (TARK) Kirov, was launched in 1977 and handed over to the fleet in 1980. Today, only Peter the Great is in service, the other three cruisers are being modernized, and the fifth TARK of the project (Admiral Kuznetsov of the Fleet of the Soviet Union) was never laid down due to the collapse of the USSR. "Peter the Great" is designed to destroy enemy aircraft carrier groups; it was laid down in 1986 and handed over to the fleet in 1998. Its cruising range is practically unlimited, and the P-700 Granit cruise missiles are capable of hitting a target at a distance of up to 550 km. Power plant The cruiser is equipped with two fast neutron reactors with a thermal power of 300 MW each and two auxiliary oil-fired steam boilers.

The most advanced missile cruiser: Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers

Country: USA
Launched: 1980
Displacement: 9750 tons
Length: 173 m
Full stroke power: 80,000 hp
Full speed: 32.5 knots
Crew: 387 people

Cruisers of the Ticonderoga class are considered the most dangerous among ships of this type. They are designed to work in conditions of mass destruction and are capable of fighting in seven-point waves. On the Ticonderoga, two vertical launchers with 61 missile cells each are used; their typical load is 26 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 16 ASROC PLURs and 80Z Standard-2 missiles. From 1981 to 1992, 27 missile cruisers of this class were launched, five of them have already been decommissioned; by 2029, it is planned to completely replace the Ticonderoga class with a new generation of missile cruisers.

Most famous ship second world: battleship"Bismarck"

Country: Germany
Launched: 1939
Displacement: 50 900 tons
Length: 251 m
Full stroke power: 150 170 hp
Full speed: 30.1 knots
Crew: 2092 people

The Bismarck was one of the most advanced and powerful ships of the Second World War, the lead ship of the Bismarck class (the second battleship of the series was the Tirpitz). Even today, the Bismarck class is one of the three largest battleships of all time, second only to the Iowa and Yamato, built a little later. Powerful armament (including eight 380-mm guns) allowed the Bismarck to withstand any ship of this class. True, the very first raid of the new battleship turned into his death: after the Bismarck sank the flagship of the English fleet, the battleship Hood, a targeted hunt was opened for the German giant and destroyed by clearly superior forces.

Largest battleship: Iowa-class battleship

Country: USA
Launched: 1942
Displacement: 45,000 tons
Length: 270.43 m
Full speed: 33 knots
Crew: 2637 people.

The American Iowa-class battleship was the largest surface ship in the world prior to the era of attack aircraft carriers. Its creators have achieved the maximum combination of weapons, seaworthiness and protective equipment. In total, four battleships of this type were built: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri and Wisconsin. Entered the US Navy in 1943, withdrawn from combat strength in 1990 They took part in the Second World War, in the wars in Korea and Vietnam, and after modernization with the installation, in addition to the main caliber guns (406 mm), of the Harpoon anti-ship systems and Tomahawk-type cruise missiles, they delivered high-precision strikes against coastal targets during the operation " Desert Storm.

The most modern warship: Type 45 Daring

Country: UK
Launched: 2006
Displacement: 8100 t
Length: 152.4 m
Full speed: 29 knots or more
Crew: 195 people.

The most modern and advanced warship in the world today is the British type 45 destroyer ("Daring"). At the moment, the first two Darings, the Daring D32 and Dauntless D33, have entered the disposal of the British Navy. These ships are designed primarily for air defense in the area of ​​the fleet, and the ship's systems are capable of coordinating the actions of coastal aviation. On the other hand, a cruising range of over 5,000 nautical miles allows the 45th type to be a fairly mobile autonomous platform for deploying air defense systems anywhere in the world.

The very first mass-produced unmanned vehicle: Protector

Country: Israel
Launched in series: 2007
Length: 9 m
Full speed: 50 knots
Armament: weapon platform typhoon weapon system with the ability to install a 7.62 mm machine gun, 12.7 mm machine gun or 40 mm grenade launcher

In 2007, the Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd launched the Protector unmanned boat (“Defender”) into mass production, which became the first unmanned combat watercraft to enter service, not only in Israel, but also in Singapore. The option of putting it into service in the US Navy is also being considered. The main purpose of the unmanned boat is reconnaissance and patrolling of coastal areas, when the use of conventional means is dangerous for personnel.

The best ship of the First World War: Steam turbine destroyer "Novik"

Country Russia
Launched: 1913
Displacement: 1260 t (1620 t after
modernization)
Length: 102.43 m
Full stroke power: 42,000 hp
Full speed: 37 knots
Crew: 117 (168 after modernization) people.

For many years, the destroyer Novik, launched in 1913, was considered the best ship of its class in the world - the fastest, most invulnerable, and maneuverable. On August 21, 1913 (even before the official presentation to the public), the ship reached a speed of 37.3 knots per measured mile - at that time this was a world record. Novik was originally designed to carry 60 ball mines without weight compensation, while its English competitors had to remove the stern gun and the stern twin-tube torpedo tube in order to take on board such a quantity.

Best heavy cruiser of World War II: Tone class cruisers

Country: Japan
Launched: 1937
Displacement: 15,443 tons
Length: 189.1 m
Full stroke power: 152,000 hp
Full speed: 35 knots
Crew: 874 people

The best ships of the class heavy cruisers oddly enough, non-American or English developments, and the French "Algeri" and Japanese cruisers of the "Tone". Two cruisers of this series ("Tone" and "Chikuma") entered service in 1937 and 1938, respectively. Compared to the original project (they were planned as light cruisers), the Tone were heavily overloaded, and the crew lived in close quarters, but in terms of the level of weapons, armor and anti-torpedo protection, and counter-flooding measures, they knew no equal in the world.