The battleship USS Wisconsin fires one of its Mark 7 16-inch/50-caliber guns
The battleship USS Wisconsin fires one of its Mark 7 16-inch guns at an Iraqi shore target during 1991's Operation Desert Storm.
  • Touting large-caliber guns and torpedos, battleships carried intense firepower and heavy armor.
  • With the advancement of military technology, the need for battleships dwindled.
  • There are only eight US battleships still afloat, now converted into museum ships.

Having large, heavily armored warships was a tactical advantage in the 20th Century.