Game Info[]
Powerful ranged naval unit of the Modern Era. Upgrades from the Frigate. Requires 
Oil.
- Common abilities:
- Indirect Fire: Ranged attacks may be performed over obstacles (as long as other friendly units can see the target).
- May Not Melee Attack
Strategy[]
Attacking[]
The Battleship is the main ship of the modern fleet, mighty both when attacking with its long-range cannons and when defending in melee. Its batteries use the same principle as the Artillery, allowing it to launch shells 3 tiles away and to bombard far inland, as well as attack cities from outside their defensive perimeter. Also, its Indirect Fire ability allows it to bombard targets it cannot see (as long as other friendly units can see them). As such, the Battleship is your main damage-dealer in the seas until the Information Era.
The Battleship is vulnerable to air and submarine attacks (although Bombers that attack it do get a penalty versus naval units). These weaknesses may be minimized by accompanying the Battleships with Submarines or Destroyers, and a Carrier loaded with Fighters. This practically creates a naval task force, very similar to real life.
Use the Submarines and Destroyers to see and attack enemy subs (the Battleship can hit the submarines if they are seen by another unit, because of their Indirect Fire) and the Fighters to intercept enemy Bombers. Move the group to the enemy coast, then use the Battleships and Bombers to lay waste to its cities from a safe distance.
Fighting a group of Battleships can be very challenging due to their powerful and long-ranged guns. Not only can these guns do severe damage to your own naval units, but they can provide fire support well inland, inflicting heavy damage to land units (which will be unable to retaliate unless they have a ranged attack) and cities.
The Submarine is the best defense against Battleships, but be careful! If your opponent has Destroyers and/or Submarines of their own, the Battleship's Indirect Fire ability can allow them to quickly destroy your subs. As a result, it's probably best to use your subs to remove the Destroyers and Submarines first, as then they won't be vulnerable to Battleships. It's also possible to use Artillery and aircraft to sink Battleships, but this can be a slow process as Battleships have high defense.
Civilopedia entry[]
Battleships are large, heavily armored warships equipped with multiple guns of the largest caliber. They are direct linear descendants of the ships of the line of the Age of Sail, equipped to do battle with the enemy's largest warships. In the days before air power and submarines battleships ruled the waves, able to sink anything else afloat. Their extremely powerful guns can be used as artillery as well, sending huge missiles miles inland. Despite their size, speed, armor and firepower, battleships were extremely vulnerable to both air and submarine attack. At Pearl Harbor Japanese planes flying from aircraft carriers sank four American battleships and heavily damaged four more. This convinced the Allies of the primacy of the aircraft carrier as an offensive weapon, and battleships were relegated to shore bombardment and carrier escort duties for much of the rest of the war.
Trivia[]
- The caption image for the Battleship features a United States Navy-style hull identification number; however, BB-28 was the designation of USS Delaware, a pre-WWI dreadnought, whereas the image depicts an Iowa-class with triple main gun turrets and clipper bow.
See also[]
- Battleship in other games
