What are the disadvantages of the battleship?

Answer 1

After the advent of the Aircraft Carrier, battleships became the most costly of targets:

1. The loss of the most men, since they carried the most men

2. The loss of the most & biggest ordnance, since they carried the most & biggest ordnance

3. The loss of the most strategic raw material (steel/copper/brass) since they possessed the most raw material

4. The loss of the most fuel since they burned the most fuel of any other war machine on earth

5. And accomplished the least of WWI or WWII. Battleships won no major fleet actions of WWI nor WWII; aircraft carriers fought the major duels, cruisers fought the major fleet actions (Savo Island, Java Sea, as some examples), as did destroyers, and submarines sunk higher tonnages than battleships. The ONLY great missions accomplished by the battleships of WWI/WWII were "entry" into WWII (USS Arizona) and "ending" WWII (USS Missiouri).

6. The only accomplishment of battleships (modern ones not wooden ones) occurred ONCE; the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905. That was the ONLY time that they performed as designed and built (fighting a decisive fleet action).

Answer 2

Prior to the aircraft carrier, which replaced battleships the disadvantages were:

1. Cost, extremely expensive, more expensive than any other machine or building on earth

2. Expenditure of raw material, more steel being consumed than any other machine on earth

3. Slower than any other type of warship

4. Most expensive shells of any other type of warship

5. More crewmen than any other type of warship

6. Drought; needed deeper harbors than any other type of warship

7. Burned more fuel than any other warship

After the entry of the aircraft carrier:

8. Add the biggest most expensive target on the ocean