Naval warfare is combat on seas, oceans, or major bodies of water as lakes and rivers. World War II sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse ended of the era of the battleship, and aircraft and the aircraft carrier came to the fore. Cruisers augmented Air power of navies with guided missiles and cruise missiles. Submarines travelled underneath the sea for months underwater powered by a nuclear reactor. Submarines exerted their power by using torpedoes to sink ships. ballistic missile submarines were loaded with nuclear-armed missiles to launch from sea. The United States Navy maintains a tonnage greater than any navies combined. 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom showed the importance of the aircraft carrier. A Royal Navy task force of 100 ships was dispatched over 7000 miles from the British mainland. The British were heavily outnumbered in airpower due to the distance from air bases. The Falklands War showed the vulnerability of ships to sea-skimming missiles , the Exocet. The main function of the modern navy is ‘Power projection’ to exploit its control of the seaways. Steam power for ships appeared in the 1810s. Development of explosive shells required the addition of iron armor. A steel-armored modern battleship began to emerge. The utility of naval air power also began to emerge. In 1918 the British Royal Navy converted an Italian liner into first aircraft carrier, HMS Argus. Amphibious warfare is an offensive military operation using naval ships to project ground and air military power onto a hostile shore. Amphibious warfare is defined by type, purpose, scale and means of execution. An amphibious landing of troops on a beachhead is a complex military maneuver. The undertaking requires air power, naval gunfire, , logistical planning, land warfare and extensive training. Preparation and planning the naval landing operation requires the assembly of vessels with sufficient capacity to lift necessary troops employing combat loading. The military intelligence briefing on the opponent guides the landings by military forces. Littoral combat refers to operations in and around the littoral zone at shore, including surveillance, mine-clearing and landing operations from water to ground and back. The Littoral combat ship is not developed currently. The success of the amphibious landings depends on the establishment of a secure lodgment. The amphibious forces are vulnerable to strong enemy counter-attacks. Sea mines with nuclear capability can rip off any navy.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 19:09:49 +0000