How many battleships in the us navy

Another twenty battleships and battle cruisers three more "classes" were begun or planned, but not completed. Though the building rate averaged almost exactly one per year, it was not a steady process, but was concentrated in two phases. The first, corresponding to the rise of the United States to first-class naval rank, began in and came to an abrupt halt with the signing of the Naval Limitations Treaty in The second building phase began in and was effectively finished in with the commissioning of USS Missouri BB , the last of ten battleships completed during this period.

Except for the fast Lexington Class battle cruisers and Iowa Class battleships, these were all relatively slow vessels, as heavily armored as they were armed, intended primarily to steam in formation with their "sisters" and slug it out with similar opponents, using their powerful guns to settle the matter.

In their day, they were the "Queens of the Sea", the foundation of national strategic offense and defense. That "day" ended only with the arrival, effectively just before the start of World War II, of aircraft that could not only out-range the big guns, but also deliver blows of equal or greater power.

Thereafter, at least in the daylight when the planes could fly, battleships performed as auxiliaries to aircraft carriers.

The Navy is also pursuing a number of unmanned ship platforms, large and small. These will not count toward its ship goal, however. According to data compiled and updated by the Navy, here is the current total of battle-force ships as of June 23, The number of ships active in commission includes those that are commissioned but not battle-ready, such as the USS Constitution ; and excludes most combat logistics and fleet support ships.

There are two active classes of nuclear-powered Navy aircraft carriers: the legacy Nimitz class, and the new Ford class. In the Ford class, the lead ship, Gerald R. Ford, was commissioned in July At least four more ships are planned in the class: the John F.

Kennedy, set for commissioning in ; the Enterprise; the Doris Miller; and another carrier, yet to be named. The new aircraft carriers are set to replace ships in the Nimitz class as they retire; the Navy plans to have a total of 12 carriers in service in , when it hopes to achieve its fleet of The Navy's amphibious ships, sometimes called miniature carriers, are used to deploy Marines and sailors forward around the world for training, combat and humanitarian missions.

The classes of amphibious ships include the following:. These ships have been in commission since and are capable of transporting a full 2,strong Marine Expeditionary Unit, with fighter jets, helicopters and combat vehicles. The ships are feet in length and can carry up to three dozen aircraft on the flight deck in a mix of fixed-wing and rotorcraft platforms.

They also feature a well deck from which amphibious craft and connectors can land and launch. Only one of the original eight ships of the class is out of service: the Bonhomme Richard, which was severely damaged in a catastrophic fire in July and is designated for decommissioning in The first of this newest class of amphib was commissioned in The America class features more flight deck space for aircraft, but does not have a well deck like the other amphibious assault ships.

This class of ships has been in commission since Smaller than amphibious assault ships, amphibious transport docks feature a short flight deck at the back with room for two V Ospreys to launch or land.

Using Army attack missiles, the Navy can have a bombardment range of between 41 and 62 miles, Krekich said. This is important because Marine or Army assault troops no longer just hit the beach as at Normandy and Iwo Jima, or Inchon in the Korean War, but make deep penetrations and wide-ranging maneuvers with helicopters. The chief problem with the new concept is that an arsenal ship with missiles aboard would be a very tempting target.

Krekich said that a variety of ships including aircraft carriers could be used to protect the barge-like vessels but that the Navy would have to be careful not to "put all our eggs into one basket. Strom Thurmond R-S. But the House-Senate conferees who wrote the final version of Congress' defense appropriation inserted a specific provision prohibiting the use of funds to maintain battleships or return them to active duty, clearing the way for the Navy to carry out Dalton's order.

Krekich said one of the great advantages of the new scheme is that the Navy will be working in close cooperation with both Marines and Army personnel in a new Pentagon philosophy called "jointness.

The Reagan administration invasion of Grenada was something of a fiasco because the individual services were unwilling or unable to cooperate with on another. Of course, the tradition-proud Navy isn't about to surrender all its prerogatives to "jointness. The ship served as a launching pad for minesweeping MHE Sea Dragon helicopters during mine-clearance exercises in the Persian Gulf.

Dock landing ships, such as the USS Harpers Ferry shown , primarily transport other amphibious vehicles and their crews into hostile areas. It also supports helicopter landings. Note: The Whidbey Island class of dock landing ship is identical in length, though it does have a slightly different weapons arrangement. The USS Zumwalt, the first of the Zumwalt class of destroyers, is a next-generation stealth ship designed for surface warfare, anti-aircraft warfare, and naval gunfire support.

It features an all-electric integrated power system, state-of-the-art automated sonar, and powerful on-board weapons. Future ships in the Zumwalt class, meanwhile, will test the Navy's new electromagnetic rail gun tech. Zumwalt-class ships are loaded with long-range land attack projectiles shown here in an artist's rendering. The rocket-mounted warheads have a range of 83 nautical miles and an accuracy of 50 meters. Originally designed for large amphibious invasions, ships in the older Blue Ridge class are currently being used as floating headquarters.

Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the Navy and, as 7th Fleet command ship, works to foster relationships with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Submarine tenders are tasked with providing maintenance and logistical support for the United States' fleet of nuclear submarines.

Puller is the first of the Navy's expeditionary mobile bases, designed for low-intensity missions. In this photo, USNS Montford Point serves as a launching point for a landing craft air cushion transporting a logistic vehicle system replacement to shore. Ships in the Navy's San Antonio class serve as transport for land vehicles and Marines in war zones. The Wasp-class variant of hybrid-drive amphibious assault ships, such as the USS Essex, is similar in size to its America-class cousins.

Unlike the America class, however, Wasp-class ships feature a well deck as shown. In this scene from February , the crew of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima assemble to form the number 75, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the iconic raising of the flag during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The amphibious assault ships in the America class, such as the USS America shown, support quick-reaction Marine expeditionary units.

These ships lack a lower well deck to launch sea vehicles, instead focusing on carrying aircraft. In this photo, a Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicle has disembarked from the now-decommissioned USS Peleliu for an infantry and amphibious training mission. According to the Navy, aircraft carriers "support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets that threaten the free use of the sea.

Bush is the most recently commissioned -- and final -- ship in the Nimitz class. The Ford class of aircraft carriers are expected to eventually replace the Navy's Nimitz-class fleet.

The first, the Gerald R. Ford, was commissioned in Here it is October , conducting sea trials. Ford is the most technologically advanced warship ever built, with advanced arresting gear, automation systems, stealth features, the RIM Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system and an electromagnetic aircraft launch system that replaces traditional steam catapults.

Ford to dispatch units 25 percent faster than Nimitz-class carriers. The next member of the Ford class, the John F. Kennedy, is expected to begin its service sometime in Fox Van Allen March 25, p.