‘Gobs and Guns’. A scene aboard the USS Texas, just back from foreign waters circa 1918, showing the ‘gobs’ enjoying a little fun on the 356mm (14in) main guns.
‘Gobs and Guns’. A scene aboard the USS Texas, just back from foreign waters circa 1918, showing the ‘gobs’ enjoying a little fun on the 356mm (14in) main guns.
Four decades of the twentieth century saw the capital ship reach a peak in size, armament, protective armour, speed – and cost. Their immense destructive power was very real, and helped make them potent symbols of national prestige and pride. But this was the final era – by the 1940s, it was clear that battleships no longer ruled the waves.