20 Famous Warships and the Battles That Made Them Legendary
From modern aircraft carriers to wooden ships of the line, certain vessels have transcended their status as mere military craft to become symbols of courage, innovation, and naval supremacy. Their stories continue to captivate maritime enthusiasts and history buffs alike.
Here are twenty legendary warships whose actions in battle changed the course of history and secured their place in naval lore.
HMS Victory
Lord Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalgar stands as the oldest commissioned warship in the world. During the epic 1805 battle, Victory led the British fleet in a daring charge through French and Spanish lines, helping secure British naval dominance for a century.
Even with severe damage and Nelson’s death aboard her decks, Victory emerged triumphant, cementing her place in maritime history.
USS Constitution
“Old Ironsides” earned her nickname during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs seemed to bounce off her thick oak hull. Her most famous victory came against HMS Guerriere when she demonstrated the superiority of American shipbuilding and helped establish the young nation’s naval reputation.
Still commissioned in the US Navy, she serves as a living link to the Age of Sail.
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IJN Yamato
The largest battleship ever built, Yamato represented Japan’s ultimate expression of naval power. Her massive 18.1-inch guns were the biggest ever mounted on a warship, but she met her end in a suicide mission during the Battle of Okinawa.
After enduring hours of American air attacks, she went down fighting, taking 3,055 crew members with her.
HMS Ark Royal
This legendary carrier helped sink the Bismarck and survived multiple reported sinkings, leading the Germans to believe she was unsinkable. Her Swordfish biplanes delivered the torpedo that crippled Bismarck’s steering, leading to the German battleship’s destruction.
Though ultimately sunk by U-81 in 1941, her legacy lived on through multiple Royal Navy carriers bearing her name.
USS Enterprise (CV-6)
The most decorated US warship of World War II, the “Big E,” participated in 20 of 22 major Pacific battles. She survived multiple reported sinkings by the Japanese, who nicknamed her “The Grey Ghost.”
From the Doolittle Raid to the Battle of Midway, Enterprise was often the only operational American carrier in the Pacific theater.
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Bismarck
Germany’s most powerful battleship struck fear into the Royal Navy during her brief but legendary career. After sinking HMS Hood with a lucky shot, she was hunted by the entire British Home Fleet.
Though she fought brilliantly, coordinated attacks from British ships and aircraft sealed her fate in May 1941.
HMS Warspite
Known as the “Grand Old Lady,” Warspite earned more battle honors than any other Royal Navy warship. She fought in both World Wars, surviving bombs, torpedoes, and guided missiles.
Her finest hour came at the Battle of Jutland, where she engaged multiple German battleships despite severe damage.
USS Missouri
“Mighty Mo” hosted the Japanese surrender ceremony that ended World War II, but her combat record was equally impressive. She provided crucial fire support during the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, later serving in the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm before her final retirement.
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Admiral Graf Spee
This German “pocket battleship” terrorized Allied shipping in the South Atlantic until cornered by British cruisers at the Battle of the River Plate. Rather than risk defeat, her captain scuttled her off Montevideo, creating one of the war’s most dramatic episodes.
IJN Akagi
The flagship of Japan’s carrier force at Pearl Harbor and Midway, Akagi, helped revolutionize naval warfare. Her devastating attacks during the early war years ended when American dive bombers caught her with fully fueled and armed aircraft on deck at Midway, leading to her destruction.
HMS Dreadnought
This revolutionary battleship made all previous warships obsolete when launched in 1906. Her all-big-gun armament and steam turbine engines created a new standard for naval power, giving her name to an entire class of battleships.
Though she never fired her guns in battle, her influence on naval warfare was profound.
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USS Nautilus
The world’s first nuclear-powered submarine shattered underwater speed and distance records. She proved the viability of nuclear propulsion by completing the first submerged transit of the North Pole in 1958.
Her revolutionary design influenced submarine development worldwide.
HMS Royal Oak
This World War I veteran met a tragic end when U-47 penetrated the supposedly secure anchorage at Scapa Flow. Her sinking in 1939 shocked the Royal Navy and led to major improvements in harbor defenses.
She remains a designated war grave, her loss highlighting the vulnerability of capital ships to submarine attacks.
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
Despite suffering crippling damage at the Coral Sea, emergency repairs allowed Yorktown to play a crucial role at Midway just weeks later. Her presence deceived Japanese forces about American carrier strength, contributing to their decisive defeat.
Though ultimately lost, her sacrifice helped turn the tide in the Pacific.
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KMS Scharnhorst
This German battlecruiser conducted successful commerce raids until cornered by British forces at the Battle of North Cape. In her final battle, she fought against overwhelming odds in Arctic waters before succumbing to torpedo attacks, embodying the fighting spirit of the Kriegsmarine.
HMS Prince of Wales
Her brief career included engaging Bismarck in the Denmark Strait and carrying Churchill to the Atlantic Charter conference. Japanese aircraft sank her off Malaysia in December 1941, demonstrating the vulnerability of battleships to air attack and marking the end of an era in naval warfare.
USS Johnston
This destroyer’s suicidal charge against overwhelming Japanese forces at the Battle of Samar epitomized American naval courage. Despite facing battleships with only 5-inch guns, Johnston helped protect vulnerable escort carriers, earning her commander a posthumous Medal of Honor.
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SMS Emden
The “Swan of the East” conducted one of the most successful commerce raiding operations in naval history. During World War I, she captured or sank 23 ships while maintaining strict rules of engagement that earned respect from even her enemies.
Her eventual defeat at the Cocos Islands became a testament to honorable warfare.
HMS Hood
The pride of the Royal Navy for two decades and Hood’s shocking destruction by Bismarck stunned the British public. Only three of her 1,419 crew survived the explosion that broke her in half.
Her loss spurred a massive hunt for revenge that ended with Bismarck’s destruction.
USS Samuel B. Roberts
Known as “the destroyer escort that fought like a battleship,” this small warship joined Johnston’s charge at Samar. Despite being vastly outgunned, she engaged Japanese heavy cruisers at point-blank range before going down fighting, exemplifying the courage of American sailors.
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Legacy of the Seas
These legendary vessels remind us that ships are more than steel and wood – they’re witnesses to history and embodiments of human courage. Their stories continue to inspire naval traditions and modern warship design, proving that true legends never fade away.
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