Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:44:07-2:46:36

The best wartime ship depends on its mission

Personal favorites are grouped by role across destroyers, carriers, support ships, and battleships rather than reduced to one winner.

HMS Ark RoyalHMS IllustriousHMS NubianHMS UnicornIowa Class BattleshipsUSS Enterprise (CV-6)Warship Design
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Question

What was the best ship of the Second World War?

Short answer

There is no single winner; the answer changes by mission and ship type.

Notes

A single best ship cannot cover the different problems solved by destroyers, carriers, support vessels, and battleships. HMS Nubian stands out among destroyers, while USS Enterprise, Ark Royal, and Illustrious form a carrier group of personal favorites. Unicorn receives separate praise as a forward aviation-support ship whose value cannot be captured by treating her as an ordinary carrier. The Iowa class leads among battleships built during the war, while older favorites remain in contention, showing why role and period must define any useful comparison.