How would you rate the Shinano to the Yamato class? Granted, Shinano's career was probably the shortest of any carrier of the war, but she was probably the heaviest armored carrier ever. I don't think she should be on the list due to her small hanger and little effect on the war, but I figured I'd bring her up since someone mentioned that the Yamato and Musashi would have been better as carriers like the Shinano.
I have a fire control question for the board. If memory serves me, the North Carolina class, South Dakota class, Iowa Class, and KGV class all had the same fire control system...a system that integrated a gyro compass and computers which allowed their guns to be substantially more accurate than any other battleships...an example being USS Washington scoring 9 hits in 63 shots against Kirishima (at night, close range). Considering that traditional battleship gunnery would score 1 hit every 100 shots (optimally 1 hit every 3 broadsides, like the german cruisers Scharnorst and Gneisenau of WWI), could any battleship really stand up to them? I have often heard Iowa vs. Yamato and Bismark vs. Iowa debates, but I have never heard this addressed. If I remember, the Bismark and Tirpitz did have a 60sec reload time (the North Carolina was 90sec). Firepower is a product of shell weight, shape, muzzle velocity, and rate of fire, but accuracy is important too. (btw, I definetely agree that the Bismark class belongs on the list...perhaps higher due to the attention they drew from the allies)
The Japanese ships that I would consider would be their heavy cruisers...the London Treaty dodgers that had 10 8" guns and crushed the allies during the battle of Java Sea. Those were highly successful.
I agree with Hood being on the list. She was scheduled for a modernization before the war (1940?). Scharnhorst and Gneiseneau were also supposed to receive 15" guns (part of Plan Z). I like the Q class Battleships being on the list...first battleships with 15" guns, long, long service life, and some (or all?) were modernized (I know for certain Warspite was).
I think we should retitle this list to be 20th Century ships of war (which hence excludes submarines since they are boats).