Battleships at War: 5 Biggest Battleship Battles of the Dreadnought Age
These battles underscore the battleship's central role in naval warfare during the first half of the 20th century. However, the aircraft carrier would eventually make these big warships obsolete.
The following evening, the Japanese tried again. The Americans, virtually tapped out after months of grueling combat, went to their aces in the hole; USS Washington and USS South Dakota, a pair of fast battleships normally tasked with escorting carriers. Four destroyers screened the two battleships. The IJN force included the battleship Kirishima (sister of Hiei, and survivor of the first battle), four cruisers, and nine destroyers.
