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The Darkness of the Future. Terror From Above.
After World War I, new and more powerful battleships were on the boards.Only the Washington Treaty stopped the madness.Building continued, on a reduced scale, and battleships were destined to play a significant role in the wars of the latter part of the 20th Century.
A new arms race begun, radical new battleships, larger and with more firepower, were planned.Fearing another global catastrophe, the United States called a conference to halt the madness.The Washington Treaty set limitations for the size and power of the world's navies.As political conditions deteriorated in Europe, it became clear that the battleship would play a key role in future armed conflicts between nations.WWII saw some of the most dramatic naval battles of all time.Britain's security was challenged when a German U-boat infiltrated the defenses of its main naval base; then Britain's mighty Hood was sunk by Germany's powerful battleship Bismarck, herself destroyed soon after.Torpedo attacks by air on the Italian fleet confirmed ship vulnerability to plane attacks - a lesson later put to good use by the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor.The great naval battles of the Pacific between the Japanese and the US, saw battleships playing a secondary role to the mighty aircraft carriers.The era of battleships nearly came to end after WWII if not for the USS Iowa Class battleships that played a vital role in the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars.Today not one battleship remains in commission in any of the world's navies.Their short but powerful reign as the most awesome, destructive weapon of war is over.
Narrated by Robyn Williams
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