warship

The basic functions of the warship and cargo ship determined their design. Because fighting ships required speed, adequate space for substantial numbers of fighting men, and the ability to maneuver at any time in any direction, long, narrow rowed ships became the standard for naval warfare. In contrast, because trading…

The distinction between warship and trading ship might have remained quite abstract had not the theory and tactics of warfare changed. Most medieval wars were either dynastic or religious, and armies and navies were small by modern standards. But beginning with the warfare between the Dutch and the…

…pioneering work on the ironclad warship, which was introduced by the Union navy during the Civil War.

…Navy Department for a novel warship was accepted, and the Monitor was launched on Jan. 30, 1862. Wholly steam-powered and with a screw propeller, the vessel, with its armoured revolving turret, set a revolutionary pattern for warships that continued into the 20th century. On March 9 the Monitor fought the…