Ships | War History

The Soviet ‘Hiroshima’ Submarine That Inspired Harrison Ford’s ‘K-19: The Widowmaker’

Harrison Ford as Capt. Alexei Vostrikov in 'K-19: The Widowmaker'

K-19 was the first submarine of the Soviet Union’s Project 658, the first generation of Soviet nuclear submersibles that carried an armament of nuclear ballistic…

The USS Oriskany Was Purposefully Sunk In the Gulf of Mexico to Form An Artificial Reef

USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) sinking into the Gulf of Mexico

Laid down in the middle of World War II, the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (CV/CVA-34) didn’t see action until after the conflict. She was…

Can You Spot the Finnish Coastal Defense Ship Väinämöinen In This Image?

Väinämöinen anchored while covered in natural camouflage

Camouflage and optical illusions have long been a key part of conflict. Such tactics were heavily used throughout World War II, with examples being the…

Typhoon-Class: The Last of the Famous Soviet Ballistic Missile Submarines Retired In 2023

Illustration of a Typhoon-class submarine next to a ship

The Typhoon-class – also known as Project 941 Akula – were six Soviet nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The largest ever constructed, they served with the…

Sunken Remains of German U-boat U-166 In the Depths of the Gulf of Mexico

U-166's deck gun covered in algae on the ocean floor

A total of 23 U-boats were stationed in the Gulf of Mexico during World War II. Over the course of the conflict, they took out…

Malaysia Accuses Chinese Barge of Looting World War II-Era Shipwrecks

Chinese barge Chuan Hong 68 anchored in the water

The Malaysian Maritime Agency has detained a Chinese barge it accuses of looting two British shipwrecks in the South China Sea. The accusations come after…

HMS Centurion (1911): The British Dreadnought That Saw Action At Jutland and Was Purposefully Sunk After D-Day

HMS Centurion (1911) at sea

The HMS Centurion (1911) was the second of four King George V-class dreadnought battleships. She served with the Royal Navy between 1913-44, seeing action throughout…

USS Recruit (1917): The Wooden Dreadnought In Manhattan’s Union Square

USS Recruit (1917) in Manhattan's Union Square

Amid the bustling streets of Manhattan’s Union Square in World War I, an extraordinary sight met passersby. The USS Recruit (1917), a wooden landship constructed…

The Dramatic Arrival of the German U-boat SM U-118 On a British Beach

Crowd gathered around the beached SM U-118

In the aftermath of the First World War, a remarkable event unfolded in Britain, causing a stir among military and civilian circles: the unexpected arrival…

Cargo from German Ship Sunk During WWII Washing Up On American Beaches

Remnants of a sunken ship on the ocean floor

Several tons of cargo went down with German ships that were sunk by enemy action or intentionally scuttled during the Second World War. Rarely, however,…

National Emergency Command Post Afloat: The ‘Floating White Houses’ for Times of Nuclear War

USS Wright (CC-2) at sea + Mushroom cloud rising into the sky

During the 1960s, America’s Continuity of Operations plans included the National Emergency Command Post Afloat (NECPA). It was one of three parts – airborne, ground…

A WWII-Era Mystery for the Ages – What Happened to the French Submarine Surcouf?

French submarine Surcouf at sea

Although they weren’t known as a naval superpower, the French still built one of the most impressive submarines of the Second World War. In fact,…