1. USS Maryland
   USS Arizona
2. USS Tallahassee
   USS Texas

Built in the 1910s, the USS Arizona was part of the Pennsylvania class of American battleships. More than 1,100 sailors died when the Arizona was truck by Japanese bombs on Dec. 7, 1941. The ship still lies on the sea bed, serving as a memorial to the lives lost on that terrible day.

1. 1
   3
2. 8
   15

While the USS Arizona gets most of the attention, eight American battleships were damaged by the Japanese on Dec. 7 , 1941. Four of these, the Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia and California, sunk due to heavy damage.

1. France
   Spain
2. England
   China

You might picture battleships as modern creations, but the term has been used for well over a century. France produced one of the first battleships with the 1859 introduction of Gloire, an iron-clad vessel designed to sail the ocean.

1. Arizona
   Texas
2. California
   Montana

Every one of the 48 contiguous U.S. states has had the honor of at least one battleship being named for it -- except for Montana. No battleships were named for Alaska or Hawaii because this style of ship design was no longer used by 1959, when these two states joined the union.

1. Dreadnought
   Montpelier
2. Oxford
   Whaler

Britain changed the face of the battleship with the 1906 introduction of the HMS Dreadnought. It was the first ship to combine speed, powerful guns and effective armor into a single vessel. All battleships built after 1906 are typically refer to as dreadnoughts after this legendary ship.

1. Spain
   United States
2. Russia
   Germany

Germany was quick to borrow the British-inspired dreadnought design with its Nassau class of battleships. Introduced in 1909, the class consisted of four vessels, including the SMS Nassau, West Falen, Rheinland and Posen.

1. USS Maine
   USS Miami
2. USS Arizona
   USS New York

The USS Maine was anchored in Cuba's Havana Harbor on Feb. 15, 1898 when it was destroyed in an enemy attack, killing more than 200 Americans. The attack served as a major catalyst for the Spanish-American War, which started just a few months later.

1. USS Arizona
   USS Texas
2. USS Nevada
   USS New Jersey

The USS Nevada was anchored at Pearl Harbor in Dec. 7, 1941, but escaped without major damage. It was used by the U.S. military on June 6, 1944 during the D-Day invasion of France.

1. Germany
   France
2. Spain
   Italy

America has traditionally named battleships after U.S. states. The USS Zrinyi, Radetzky, and Ostfriesland have such unique names because they were actually named by the Germans. The U.S. captured and took charge of these ships during WWI, giving them the USS designation.

1. 0
   3
2. 12
   100

No American battleship has ever been lost at sea. Four ships were sunk at Pearl Harbor, and a few others were sunk after being decommissioned and sold to other nations.

1. Texas
   Montana
2. Utah
   Washington

The U.S. Navy was authorized to build five battleships in the Montana class in the 1940s. As this style of ship fell out of favor, the entire class was canceled before the Montana-class ships were ever constructed.

1. USS MS
   Mrs. Missouri
2. Mighty Mo
   Missouri Max

The USS Missouri is one of the most famous battleships in U.S. history. Part of the Iowa class of vessels, she was commissioned in the '40s and affectionately referred to as Mighty Mo.

1. Steam engines
   Multiple guns
2. Nuclear weapons
   Robot crew

The Iowa class was the final class of U.S. battleships. Used in WWII, Korea and the Gulf Wars, the Iowa class ships were the only U.S. battleships designed to fire nuclear shells.

1. Napoleon
   Louis I
2. Henry V
   Marie Antoinette

The Napoleon was a major advancement in the history of battleships. Completely powered by steam, the vessel could travel at 12 knots -- almost 14 mph -- when it was introduced in 1850.

1. Maryland
   Oregon
2. Georgia
   Mississippi

The Idaho was a Mississippi class battleship. Commissioned in 1908, it was sold to Greece in 1914 -- only to be sunk by German forces in the 1940s.

1. Montana
   North Dakota
2. New Mexico
   South Carolina

The South Carolina class was the first American battleship class inspired by the dreadnought style of the period. Commissioned starting in 1910, these vessels were the first from the U.S. to have the armor plating, firepower and speed to take on the latest European battleships.

1. USS Utah
   USS North Carolina
2. USS New York
   USS Ohio

Commissioned in 1911, the USS Utah was part of the Florida class of American battleships. Though not as well-known as the Arizona, the Utah also sank at Pearl Harbor, taking 64 men to a watery grave.

1. HMS Elizabeth
   HMS Vanguard
2. HMS Charles
   HMS Victoria

The British Navy was still commissioning battleships after many other developed nation had moved on to other technologies. Commissioned in 1946, the HMS Vanguard was the final British vessel with this design. Powered by four steam turbines, she had a top speed of 36 mph.

1. 1896
   1911
2. 1941
   1956

The Japanese commissioned the Kawachi class in 1911, followed by the Settsu in 1912. Heavily armed, these ships were the final dreadnoughts produced by Japan.

1. Germany
   France
2. Australia
   Spain

Despite being a major power at the peak of battleship use, Spain produced only a single class of dreadnoughts. Known as the Espana class, it was the smallest class of dreadnoughts ever built.

1. Spain
   Germany
2. England
   Russia

Germany ended battleship production with the Bismarck class Bismarck and Tirpitz, which were commissioned in 1940 and 1941, respectively. Both of these mighty battleships sank during WWII.

1. England
   France
2. Japan
   Australia

Japan was still producing battleships through the early years of WWII. The Yamato class included the Yamato, Musashi and Shinano, all commissioned between 1941 and 1944.

1. Bismarck
   Yamato
2. Arizona
   Maine

The Bismarck was a German battleship used in WWII. It spent just 8 days on offensive duties before it was scuttled in 1941 due to heavy damage. The remains of the ship were located in 1989 by Dr. Robert Ballard -- the same man who located the Titanic.

1. Fuso
   Nagasaki
2. Tokyo
   Yamato

A sister ship to the Musashi, Japan's Yamato was one of the largest battleships ever built. She carried 18.1-inch guns -- some of the largest on any battleship in history, but that wasn't enough to save her from destruction. She sank in 1945 after heavy damage in WWII.

1. Sink a German vessel
   Launch an aircraft
2. Carry nuclear weapons
   Utilize armor plates

Commissioned in 1914, the USS Texas was the first American battleship to launch an aircraft. She was also the first American battleship equipped with anti-aircraft guns.

1. Italy
   France
2. Spain
   England

Completed in 1916, Italy's Andrea Doria served in WWI and WWII before she was retired in 1958. This battleship shares a name, but no other relationship, with the SS Andrea Doria pleasure vessel that infamously sank in 1956.

1. USS Maine
   USS Maryland
2. USS Missouri
   USS New York

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japanese officials boarded the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. America's General MacArthur officially accepted the Japanese surrender, putting an end to WWII.

1. Angry crew member
   President John F. Kennedy
2. British sailors
   Nazis

Mutsu was a Nagato class battleship commissioned by Japan in 1921. It sunk in 1943, killing more than 1,000 people, after a disgruntled crew member initiated an explosion. The Japanese took steps to hide the sinking and its cause to avoid damaging morale in the country.

1. Mountain Cloud
   Racing Tree
2. Roaring Thunder
   Black Beauty

Yamashiro was a Fuso class battleship whose name means Mountain Castle. Commissioned in 1917, it largely only served in a support role because its 14-inch guns were rather puny compared to other battleship weapons of the period.

1. USS Texas
   USS Delaware
2. USS Colorado
   USS Connecticut

The USS Texas, now a permanent museum, is one of the only remaining dreadnoughts in the world. It's also one of only half a dozen surviving ships that served in both world wars.

1. Russia
   Japan
2. England
   United States

Part of the Yamato class of battleships, Japan's Musashi ranks among the most powerful battleships ever constructed. At 800 feet long, it could carry half a dozen airplanes, as well as a heavy arsenal of guns. Commissioned in 1942, the ship sank just two years later in battle during WWII.

1. Germany
   France
2. China
   Mexico

The Battle of Jutland, which took place May 31 and June 1, 1916, was one of the largest sea battles ever waged. More than 250 warships took part, including at least 32 English dreadnoughts and dozens of German battleships.

1. USS Arizona
   USS Manhattan
2. USS Missouri
   USS California

The USS Missouri was the final American battleship ever built. Commissioned in 1944, it was part of the Iowa class of ships, along with five sister vessels.

1. England
   Germany
2. France
   Italy

The HMS Canopus was commissioned in 1899 to replace the aging Majestic class of British battleships. The Canopus represented England at the Battle of the Falklands, firing the first shots of the skirmish, before being sold for scrap in 1920.

1. HMS Oxford
   HMS Henry VIII
2. HMS Victoria and Albert
   HMS King George V

The HMS King Henry V was the lead battleship for England through much of WWII. It suffered damage, but survived a collision in 1942, which resulted in the sinking of the HMS Punjabi.