Battleships have long symbolized a nation's power and military strength. These colossal vessels played a pivotal role in naval warfare, serving as both strategic assets and imposing displays of naval dominance. Often spanning hundreds of feet in length, the largest battleships in history were integral to key military operations, embodying the technological and tactical might of their nations.
The United States introduced its first ironclad battleship, the USS Monitor, in 1862, though it tragically sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras that same year. Decades later, in 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt sent a group of 16 battleships, dubbed the Great White Fleet, around the world. This impressive flotilla, the largest and most powerful of its time, symbolized America's growing maritime strength and global influence.
In the aftermath of WWI, the world's most powerful nations tried to limit the size of fleets with the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, or the Five-Power Treaty, which restricted the construction of battleships and battlecruisers. Japan gave notice of intent to withdraw in 1934 and formally withdrew in 1936. Also, several follow-on treaties (London Naval Treaties) extended parts of the regime. In WWII, legendary ships like Germany's pair of Bismarck-class vessels and Japan's two titanic 71,659-ton Yamato-class ships became the largest battleships ever constructed by far.
After WWII, the battleship eventually surrendered its naval preeminence to aircraft carriers, submarines, and amphibious warships. The last U.S. battleship to be built was the USS Missouri, commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1992. The last battleship of any nation worldwide to be built was from the United Kingdom, the HMS Vanguard, commissioned in 1946.
Not only were they too costly to maintain, but they were also more susceptible to attack from both aircraft and subs. Many of these WWII-era battleships remain today as museums, like the USS Iowa_,_ currently docked in Los Angeles, and the USS Massachusettsdocked at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts.
24/7 Tempo consulted sources including Navy General Board, Largest.org, Militaryfactory, PearlHarbor, and others to compile a list of floating fortresses: the largest battleships in naval history, using displacement tonnage as a measure.
Note that with three exceptions, the list is ordered not by individual ship but by battleship class, each including two or more ships with different names. The exceptions are the U.K.'s HMS Agincourt, HMS Hood, and HMS Vanguard. (Don't miss the biggest naval battles of all time.)
This post was updated on October 31, 2025 to clarify the details of the Washington Naval Treaty, including that Japan gave notice of intent to withdraw in 1934.
