“Warship” is a much broader term than most people realize. When they hear “warship”, most people think of battleships from World War II or wooden warships from the 1600s or 1700s. In reality, warships have a very varied history and are fascinating examples of mechanics and engineering.
Misconceptions about military vehicles are common, but it would seem that warships are subject to some of the more ridiculous myths. It may just be general ignorance, but a lot of people believe things about warships and naval warfare in general that are just plain incorrect. These are the most ridiculous things people believe about warships.
ten All US warships are aircraft carriers
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One of the most common misconceptions about the US Navy and its ships is that all US Navy warships, or at least most of them, also serve as aircraft carriers for use by the Navy. ‘Air Force. It’s 100% fake. First, while all US Navy aircraft carriers are technically warships, not all warships are necessarily aircraft carriers.
Aircraft carriers are a specific type of warship that primarily serves as a launch pad and landing strip for research jets and helicopters. Although equipped with self-defense weapons, there are several types of warships that cannot accommodate aircraft.
9 Battleships make up the bulk of the US naval fleet
It might surprise some readers to learn that battleships and warships are not inherently the same thing, even though all battleships are warships, but not all warships are battleships. However, some people might be even more surprised to learn that most of the US Navy is not made up of battleships. In fact, battleships have been quite obsolete for the needs of the United States Navy since the end of World War II.
Since 1945, the use of battleships has been phased out, and by the mid-2000s battleships were no longer used by the Navy. There are still plenty of gunboats and warships in the US naval fleet, but strictly technically none of them are “battleships”. Most of the US naval fleet is made up of aircraft carriers, frigates, destroyers and submarines.
8 This naval warfare takes place at incredibly close range
Movies and TV would trick people into thinking naval warfare is happening at an incredibly close distance.
Although this might have been true in the age of wooden ships and pirates when guns had a limited range, new technologies such as radar, guided missiles and larger caliber guns meant that in real naval battles, conflicting ships would fight for miles. apart from each other.
seven This radar is the only way to detect submarines
Radar is indeed essential for the safe operation of any ship or vessel, however, the technology is far more advanced than the simple green line surrounding the screen that we see in the movies. Radar is used to detect enemy ships, sunken ships and many other nautical problems.
However, the navy also has search helicopters and h-def drones that can search for enemy ships on the surface of the waters and apply longer radar ranges below the surface of the water.
6 That they all have thousands of crews
While it is true that some ships have large crews, especially aircraft carriers which can hold up to 5,000 sailors when ready for combat, the average crew size of a warship in the US Navy is much smaller than most people think. The average American warship, for example, a destroyer, has a crew of about 300 to 400 people.
For a ship to accommodate a crew of thousands, it must either stay close to shore (supplies run out faster with larger crews) or it would have to be massively accommodating, i.e. that it would need more berths and lavatories (toilets) than most ships. capable of accommodating except of course aircraft carriers.
5 That warships have self-destruct buttons
Once again, movies and television have convinced many that ships are equipped with self-destruct buttons, that in case enemies take over, as a last resort, the captain of the ship can sink the ship and destroy the enemy in a final act of desperation. . While that makes for a good plot device for a James Bond movie, that’s not how the real world works.
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There are no self-destruct buttons on warships, and integrating explosives into the design of the ship without risking compromising the safety of the ship is simply impossible. While some of these myths are rooted in some sort of truth or minor misconception, this one is just plain wrong.
4 The US Army has more ships than the Navy
A popular myth among the soldiers of the army is that they have more ships than the navy. This myth has become a popular bragging point in the Army vs. Navy inner circle drama, but it is also 100% false. The U.S. Army has approximately 100 – 150 boatsin its operations, but boats are not the same as ships and not all ships are in operation.
However, the US Navy has at least 490 known ships in operation. The numbers may be close, but the army doesn’t have more ships than the navy, period.
3 That the US Navy has a fleet of thousands of ships
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While the United States Navy is always a formidable presence in American warfare, it does not have a fleet of thousands of warships ready to invade anywhere in the world at any time.
While some think the US Navy is this massive fleet of ships, in reality, it is rather small. The US naval fleet numbers 490 ships, of which a few dozen are still under construction.
2 That aircraft carriers, battleships, frigates and destroyers are all the same thing
As one might tell from this list, one of the greatest sources of warship myths comes from a failure to differentiate between the types of ships that make up a fleet. Aircraft carriers and battleships are pretty self-explanatory, but one might be curious what the difference is between these ships, a frigate and a destroyer.
Simply put, an aircraft carrier is a portable airstrip, a battleship is a gunboat that functions only as a gunboat, a frigate is a large transport ship for supplies and personnel which is equipped with guns for self-defense (at least US Navy ships are) and a destroyer is a stealthier version of a battleship. Destroyers also tend to have more refined technology, which is why they are still used by the navy instead of battleships.
1 The only purpose is battle, not medical or supply expedition
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Yes, the main use of a warship is warfare, duh. However, just because a warship is used for war does not mean that it is only used for invasion or assault.
Several of the ships in the United States Naval Fleet that are equipped with guns or weapons also serve as transport and supply ships or they serve as medical posts or medical transport. There is more to a warship than war itself.
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