Throughout history, the most powerful navy ships in the world have been the ships with the biggest guns. The amount of firepower a ship can unload on its target has been a determining factor of its usefulness in battle. In the 18th and 19th centuries those were ships of the line, wooden behemoths that ruled the Age of Sail. The most famous ship of the line was the HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson’s flagship at the battle of Trafalgar, but the largest ever built was the French Valmy, armed with 120 cannons and displacing 5,826 tons, with a crew of 1,100. The age of wooden ships came to an abrupt end once explosive shells enter the arsenals of the world’s navies. Ironclads came next, carrying fewer, but much more potent guns.
The first battle between two ironclads was during the American Civil War when the USS Monitor was dispatched to deal with the CSS Virginia–more commonly known as the Merrimack. Despite numerous hits, neither ship was able to penetrate the armor of its opponent and the battle ended in a draw. These ships, propelled by both sails and steam, were rapidly becoming obsolete due to technological advancements during the Industrial Revolution, sometimes as fast as they left the shipyard. For instance, the HMS Warrior, launched in 1861, was considered obsolete by 1871, after a mere ten years in service. Compared to the HMS Victory, launched in 1765 and which served until 1824, ironclads had an awful return on investment.
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But the true warship-building revolution was yet to come. In 1906, the Royal Navy launched the HMS Dreadnaught and overnight, every other warship on the planet became obsolete just like that. Such was the impact of the Dreadnaught’s revolutionary design that all battleships built according to its specifications became known as the dreadnaught type. The era of modern battleships had begun, culminating in World War II monsters like the Bismarck, King George V, Iowa, and Yamato, the biggest battleship ever built. But as battleships were engrossed in their size-measuring contest, another ship type stole the title of the most powerful ship in the world. Aircraft carriers were off to a humble start, although the first take off of an airplane from a ship came in 1910, a mere seven years after the historic Wright brothers’ flight.
The true power of an aircraft carrier was demonstrated on December 7, 1941. A Japanese task force of six fleet carriers launched two waves of devastating attacks on the U.S Navy’s base in Pearl Harbor. Soon, every navy in the world was scrambling to build carriers, with the United States leading the charge. Today, the most powerful aircraft carriers in the world are the U.S Navy’s Nimitz and Ford-class supercarriers, displacing more than 100,000 tons, with crews of 5,000+. Each of them carries a complement of 75 aircraft, which makes every single one of them more powerful than most air forces on the planet.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union was quick to realize that it couldn’t compete with such power. They say that necessity is the mother of invention and the Soviet’s necessity was indeed great. In 1955, they managed to equip and successfully launch a ballistic missile from a submarine. The new naval threat, the greatest of all so far, was born. A ballistic missile submarine is able to wipe out entire nations with a single salvo of its arsenal. The power they wield is unparalleled in the history of warfare and it can’t be compared to any weapon system in human history, even for the foreseeable future. These silent predators are indeed the most powerful ships in the world today. In fact, they are so powerful that we decided to leave them out of this list altogether, lest it become an article about the most powerful submarines in the world. Instead, we focused on surface ships, mainly aircraft carriers and their variants, such as amphibious assault ships, featuring full-length landing decks and a well dock, capable of launching over-the-horizon attacks. We ranked them according to their offensive firepower, the number of aircraft they carry, and their marine landing elements. Needless to say, they are all in service with the 11 Strongest Navies in the World.
Honorable mention goes to the Kirov-class Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great) and Admiral Nakhimov, the last battlecruisers on the world’s seas. Still sailing in 2017, the massive 28,000 ton-vessels are the largest surface combatants in the world and a truly formidable sight. Although some would say that they are relics of the past, their armament and sheer size ensure that whenever a conversation about the most powerful navy ships in the world today is held, they must at least be mentioned.
10. Izumo-class
Two active ships in Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force:
When launched, Izumo (followed by her sister ship Kaga, named after the famous Imperial Japanese Navy’s carrier from World War II that took part in the Pearl Harbor attack) caused quite a lot of consternation among Japan’s neighbors. The 27,000 ton ships are classified as helicopter destroyers, a uniquely Japanese designation, but many claim that they are in fact aircraft carriers in disguise and that they allow Japan offensive capabilities far beyond those allowed in its constitution. Although currently both ships only carry helicopters, once the VSTOL F-35B fighters start coming off the production line, it wouldn’t be too hard to upgrade the Izumo-class in order to have a complement of them on deck.And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world.
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9. Conte di Cavour
One active ship in the Italian Navy:
The Cavour was launched in 2004 and entered active service in the Italian navy in 2009. It was designed with a dual purpose in mind: to provide the Italian fleet with a carrier and also to allow amphibious assault capabilities. The number 9 in our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world features a fully equipped command and control room, with room for 140 staff. Apart from that, it can carry up to 360 infantry and 4 landing crafts as a quick reaction force. The ship has a complement of 8 AV-8B Harrier II’s, plus 12 helicopters. In 2016, the ship was modified to allow a complement of 10 F-35Bs to be based on it.
8. Clemenceau-class
One active ship in Brazilian Navy – Sao Paolo:
The Sao Paolo started its career as Foch, a second Clemenceau-class ship in the French Navy. The lead ship of the class was scrapped in 2009. Foch was luckier and after 40 years of service under the Tricolore, she was sold to Brazil in 2000. She features a classic CATOBAR design and currently carries 22 A-4KU Skyhawks and an assortment of 17 helicopters.
7. Wasp-class
Eight active ships in the United States Navy:
The Wasp-class amphibious assault ships replaced the older Tarawa-class in the United States Navy. The ships rank 7th in our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world. They were designed with AV-8B Harrier II requirements in mind, allowing the Marines to have organic air support during landings. Depending on the mission, its air wing can be configured in several ways. The standard complement is with 6 AV-8B Harrier II’s, 4 AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters, 12 CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopters, 9 CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters, and 3–4 UH-1N Huey helicopters. For assault missions, it carries either 22 MV-22 Ospreys or 42 CH-46 Sea Knights, and in pure carrier mode, she loads 22 Harriers and 6 ASW helicopters. The Wasp-class is scheduled to be replaced by the America-class.
6. America-class
One active ship in the United States Navy, up to 11 planned:
Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (NYSE:HII), the America-class represents the latest in amphibious assault ship technology. In any other navy, the America would be considered a full-blown carrier, due to its size and aircraft complement. It can carry up to 20 AV-8B Harrier II fighters, which will be replaced by either F-35Bs or V-22 Ospreys, depending on the mission. In addition, it can deliver 1,600 marines and their gear to any beach in the world. Future ships of this class (the Tripoli is under construction and the Bougainville under order) will have their hangar deck reduced in order to feature a well deck, for much quicker amphibious operations. No wonder it’s on our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world, right?
5. Kiev-class
One active ship in the Indian Navy, INS Vikramaditya:
The Kiev-class was the first Soviet attempt at a fixed-wing aircraft carrier. The design that ranked 5th in our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world is a mix of a carrier and a missile cruiser. The only remaining ship in active service, the INS Vikramaditya (ex-Soviet Baku), carries 26 MiG-29K multirole fighters and 10 helicopters. India decided that the “missile cruiser” component was superfluous and removed its P-500 Bazalt cruise missile launchers from the foredeck and replaced them with a ski jump. The other 3 Kiev-class carriers weren’t so lucky. Two were sold to China (the Kiev and Minsk), where they serve as amusement parks, while the Novorossiysk was scrapped. In any case, the Kiev-class ranks fifth on the list of the 11 most powerful navy ships in the world today.
4. Kuznetsov-class
Two active ships in service, Admiral Kuznetsov in Russian Navy and Liaoning in PLA Navy:
The last Soviet carriers (the supercarrier Ulyanovsk was scrapped in 1991), the Kuznetsov-class, were classified as aircraft cruisers, in order to get around the Montreux Convention, which forbids aircraft carriers bigger than 15,000 tons to pass through Bosphorus. The Russian ship ranks 4th in our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world. It carries a mix of Su-33 and MiG-29K fighters, with plans for a full complement of 20 MiG-29Ks in the future. She also has a battery of 12 P-700 Granit (NATO code Shipwreck) anti-ship missiles. Despite a fairly recent refit in 2012, two fighters were lost during the Syrian operation, both caused by arrestor wires snapping on landing. The Kuznetsov is currently the only Russian aircraft carrier in service.
3. Charles de Gaulle-class
One active ship in the French Navy:
With 42,500 tons, the Charles de Gaulle is the largest Western European ship, at least until the British launch the Queen Elisabeth-class sometime in 2017. She serves as the flagship of the French Navy and is the only nuclear-powered carrier outside the United States Navy. Designed to carry 40 Rafale M aircraft, the Charles de Gaulle provides serious firepower to the French Navy. The construction of the ship was marred with problems, and it took 11 years to finish her. Once in service, the problems continued, with a faulty nuclear reactor that never achieved its projected power output, making the de Gaulle slower than her conventional powered predecessors of the Clemenceau-class. Its radiation output is also very high, as the crew received five-times the allowed annual dosage while on board the carrier.
2. Nimitz-class
10 active ships in the United States Navy:
With more than 100,000 tons of displacement, the 10 Nimitz-class carriers that rank 2nd in our list of the most powerful navy ships in the world were for years the biggest warships in the world. Carrying 5,000 personnel and up to 90 aircraft, these ships were the ultimate tools for power projection and were essential during many historical events that transpired since the 1970s. All 10 will be gradually replaced with the U.S Navy’s latest aircraft carrier design, the Ford-class. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (NYSE:HII).
1. Ford-class
One active ship in the United States Navy:
Also built by Newport News Shipbuilding, the Ford-class supercarriers represent the ultimate in carrier technology and are rightfully considered the pinnacle of the most powerful Navy ships in the world today. The massive ships, although a bit smaller than the previous Nimitz-class, are far more efficient and deadly, being able to generate significantly more air missions and inflict more damage to the enemy. The first Ford-class ship, the CVN-78 Gerald R. Ford, will be commissioned in April 2017.
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