Warship

A warship is a vessel built to take an active part in naval warfare, carrying out missions principally including anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare and land attack. While technically warships, vessels purpose-built for mine warfare and amphibious warfare have defensive weapons only.

Modern warships also have extensive electronics systems for target acquisition, fire control, and defensive electronic warfare, as well as for navigation and communications.

The major modern types of warships are of the types:

• Aircraft carrier [r]: A warship designed to launch and recover combat aircraft and aircraft that support military operations ^[e]
• Cruiser [r]: While definitions vary with time and doctrine, a large warship capable of acting independently, as a flagship, or a major escort; capabilities include anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, land attack, and possibly ballistic missile defense ^[e]
• Destroyer [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Ocean escort [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Fast attack craft [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Submarine [r]: A ship or boat that can travel underwater ^[e]

Historical types of warships included:

• Battleship [r]: A heavily-armored, warship optimized for fighting other warships using large-caliber guns; certain armor requirements differentiated from cruisers; obsolete by end of World War II. ^[e]
• Battle Cruiser [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Man O' War [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Ship of the line [r]: A major sailing warship, intended to fight in fleet actions (i.e., in line of battle) ^[e]
• Frigate [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Trireme [r]: Add brief definition or description
• Monitor [r]: An armored warship, possibly limited to coastal waters, with large-caliber guns in one or more turrets ^[e]