One of the first battle ships, in the modern sense, was designed by the Frenchman Stanislas Henri Laurent Dupuy de Lome. This ship was called the `Napoleon' and was commissioned in 1850.
By 1906 the rigging of earlier ships had been removed to allow more firepower on deck, this new design was epitomised by the English ship `HMS Dreadnought.'
Modern warships are now faster, better armored and sport a whole armory including anti-aircraft and missile guns, missile launchers and depth chargers.
Aircraft carriers are the largest ships in the world's navies today. In effect an aircraft carrier is a floating airfield able to launch planes in attack, defense and reconnaissance roles as necessary. Consisting of a flat topped flying deck on which planes can take off and land, true aircraft carriers operate fixed wing aircraft of the type used by the airforce. Aircraft may take off using their own power or be launched by a device called a catapult, ideal when planes are fully laden with bombs and missiles.
The landing deck is usually angled away from the main deck allowing planes to continuously take off and land. To one side of the deck is a superstructure known as the `island' which houses the flight control centre. Hydraulic lifts transport planes from deck to hangars below for routine maintenance, refuelling and rearming before returning them to the deck to continue their missions.
The aircraft carrier is supported by a host of other warships including the destroyer, the frigate and the patrol boat.
