Posted in 1890 fleets

Matsushima class protected cruisers (1888-94)

Matsushima class Cruisers (1889) Protected cruisers 1888-1926: IJN Matsushima, Itsukushima, Hashidate The Yalu Protected Cruisers These three cruisers played a…

Posted in ww2 US Navy

Midway class aircraft carriers (1945)

Midway class USA – Fleet Aircraft Carriers (1945-92): USS Midway, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Coral Sea The first USN armoured aircraft…

Posted in WW2 IJN Aviation WW2 Naval Aviation

Aichi D3A “Val” (1936)

Aichi D3A (1938) Imperial Japanese Navy, 1,495 built The D3A2 “Val” main IJN Dive Bomber in 1941 The “Val” as…

Posted in WW2 Japanese Navy

Light Aircraft Carrier IJN Ryūhō (1933)

Japan, 1933-45. IJN Ryūhō was one of the five converted light fleet aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (alongside…

Posted in U-Boats ww2 Kriegsmarine

Type XIV “Milchkühe” U-Boats (1941)

Type XIV “Milchkühe” U-Boats, Hitler’s Milk Cows Germany (1941-42): 10 U-boats Maintaining Wolf Packs at sea One aspect of the…

Posted in WW1 Royal Navy

Lord Nelson class battleships (1906)

Lord Nelson class Battleships (1906) United Kingdom (1908-1920): HMS Nelson, Agamemnon Last of their kinds and advanced semi-dreadnoughts The Nelson…

Posted in ww1 Italian Navy

WWI Italian Torpedo Boats

About 140 vessels, 9 classes (1880-1918) The saga of Italian Torpedo Boats Italy was not long to take advantage of…

Posted in WW1 French Navy

Charlemagne class Battleships (1895)

France (1894-1900) Charlemagne, Saint Louis, Gaulois The Charlemagne class Battleships were three French “pre-dreadnoughts” ordered in 1894 over a new…

Posted in ww1 german navy

Karlsruhe class cruisers (1912)

German light Cruisers (1911-1914)SMS Karlsruhe, SMS Rostock The last German “four stackers” With the previous Magdeburg class, the Karlsruhe were…

Posted in WW1 Japanese Navy

Kashima class battleships (1905)

Kashima class Battleships (1905) Japanese Imperial Navy (1904-1924): Kashima, Katori The first post-tsushima Japanese Battleships Ordered just as tensions were…

Naval Encyclopedia

Naval Encyclopedia provides a one-stop place for everything related to naval warfare through ships classes, going back to antiquity to the present day, with particular focus on WW1, WW2 and the cold war, with daily articles and weekly fleets. This is a long endeavour, with future entries in opacity both in the top and side menus. Naval encyclopedia also goes through some civilian aspects (clippers, liners, oil platforms, naval tech in general) and battles/tactics as well.

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Naval Encyclopedia is the first online warship museum. She was laid down in St Nazaire Yard back in September 1995, launched in December 1996 and completed in March 1997, with 1000+ crew for now, and counting. Dedicated to the history of all ships of the industrial era and 20th century, so 1820 to 1990, but also earlier times. The main difference for this early period is to study ships types through some famous examples. After her last refit in 2023, the present ship has been repainted anew, modernized and made more appealing, ready for even more extensive service, hopefully staying in the current state for the next five years of service. Further improvements will be made if practicable. Numerous additions over the years also led to a complete machinery overhaul, new steam turbines and propellers.

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