Naval Defense in the Second World War

presented by: Will Siegal

United States

● Peak: 6,768 ships (1945)-28 aircraft carriers, 23 battleships,71 escort carriers,72 cruisers, 232 submarines, 377 destroyers, other supply ships

● Key during “island hopping” campaign in Pacific vs.Japano Key Battles: Midway, Philippine Sea, Okinawa

● Pearl Harbor: over 400 aircraft/ships sunk or damaged,

but not aircraft carriers

Japan

● Peak: 25 carriers, 12 battleships, 43 carriers, 169 destroyers, 184 submarines

● Yamato, heaviest battleship in history (72,000 tons)

● Key battles: Pearl Harbor, Okinawa● used suicide planes, boats, torpedoes and

scuba divers

Germany (Kriegsmarine)

● sinking of Bismarck proved heavy loss in sea battle against Britain

● Utilized U-boats (irrelevant after start of war)● Plan Z: naval plan by Hitler in 1939 to

revitalize navy: 249 submarines,158 destroyers, 50 cruisers, 10 battleships, others

● used for invasion of Norway and Poland, fought losing Battle of Atlantic with US

Britain

● largest fleet in world with 15 battleships, 66 cruisers, 184 destroyers, 60 submarines, 45 escort vessels, scores other in construction

● suffered huge losses early in war, including 3,000 when Lancastria, troopship, sunk

● sunk the Bismarck (big deal) and Scharnhorst of Germany

● weaker air fleet

Statistics page

Questions

● What ships/were not affected during Pearl Harbor, proving vital later in the Pacific?

● What was the name of the German naval plan for revitalization of the fleet?

● Which major ship did the British sink, turning the tide on the war of the seas against Germany?

Answers

1. Aircraft Carriers2. Plan Z3. Bismarck

Sources

● http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-WH-Guard/USA-WH-Guard-3.html

● http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/ww2-german-warships.asp

● http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/● http://www.combinedfleet.com/kaigun.htm● http://www.world-war-2.info/statistics/