1001 Space Earth Nature History First Civilisations Ancient Egypt Biblical Times Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Chinese, Japanese Civilisations Indian Civilisation African Civilisation The Early Americas The Rise of Islam The Middle Ages The Renaissance Civil War and Revolution The Industrial Revolution Two World Wars 20th-century Achievements Human World Science and Technology

Were the World Wars fought at sea? Before the First World War started, Germany and Britain both built up their navies in an 'arms race'. The British built a battleship called the Dreadnought in 1905, the world's most powerful ship. Submarines were also built. From 1915, the Germans used submarines called U-boats to sink British ships in the Atlantic Ocean. During the Second World War, they sank thousands of tons of merchant shipping, preventing vital supplies from reaching Britain. A submarine   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: History Chapter: Two World Wars