Warspite or Enterprise?

[grumbler]

Anyone who knows anything about naval history knows that these are the candidates for "the most legendary warships in history" but the conundrum remains:  which of them is "the most legendary?"

Enterprise has the most "opposite number" silhouettes painted on the superstructure, at 2.5 (Akagi, Kaga, and half of Hiryu) in the most decisive naval battle in history, but that's because all of Warspite's opposite numbers fled faster than she could chase them.

Warspite has 14 battle honors, Enterprise 20 battle stars.

I'm inclined towards Warspite because I am an ABC fan ("It takes three years to build a ship; it takes three centuries to build a tradition - the Navy will go in") and he fiercely loved that ship, but I will listen to arguments otherwise.

[The Brain]

Are you drunk?

[Norgy]

Warspite was active in the Norwegian campaign in 1940, I believe and it thus gets my vote, since I am clueless. 

[Warspite]

I voted Warspite mainly for the reason that she survived the last great dreadnought battle of Jutland, where Britain won the strategic victory at sea so desperately needed, while she also was there two decades later to pound the coast of Normandy as the great Allied Liberation effort began.

But it's a very close run thing with Enterprise for sure.

[Josquius]

Victory.

[Slargos]

Bismarck. :pickelhaube:

[Eddie Teach]

Warspite adds more to discussions on Languish, but he's never been in outer space. Gotta go Enterprise.

[CountDeMoney]

Warspite is a fine selection (what didn't she do!), but I have to lean towards Enterprise for its total score card.  Every major operation in the Pacific, first on the offensive after Pearl, last flattop standing after Santa Cruz, and Doolittle to boot.

For sheer Brit balls, I go with the HMS Glowworm.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Enterprise had several famous starships named after her.  Someone had to say it. So there.

[jimmy olsen]

Thunderchild!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsb83Wl2NI

[Neil]

This is an excellent thread, and a tough question.  I could definitely see an argument for Enterprise.  Her story is the story of the whole Pacific War, after all.  She was the 'lucky ship' who got through it all, hardly slowing down when bombed or kamikazed, unlike the Saratoga.

I think I'm leaning a little towards the Warspite.  For one thing, I'm a bit of a dreadnought partisan, and Warspite had the most dramatic role in the greatest dreadnought battle of all time.  Narvik, shooting it out with the Italians in the Med, D-Day, fighting on even after the Germans wrecked X turret.  She had a 26,000-yard hit on an Italian dreadnought, she was Cunningham's 'Grand Old Lady' and she resisted being led to the scrapyards at the end.  She had a long and glorious history in a glorious age of naval warfare.

Are you sure that Victory doesn't rate a mention?  I mean, these two have the most formidable reps since the adoption of steam, but Victory has to be the greatest warship of the wooden era.

[katmai]

Enterprise. anyone who votes differently is a communist and a pussy.

[Ed Anger]

Thunderchild!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsb83Wl2NI

People wonder why some of us loathe you. Example # 55.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I'm not voting on this one, completely unable to decide 

I will second Neil though and say that Victory is the ship that comes to mind when I think of "the greatest warship". But that may be mere sentiment, Nelson was a childhood hero of mine.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Thunderchild!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsb83Wl2NI

Tim.  This is monstrous.  Monstrous.