# Surface warfare > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Surface_warfare > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Surface_warfare.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_warfare > Source revision: 1322710113 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Military operations involving the use of surface warships}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2025}} [[Image:Fleet 5 nations.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational surface fleet, during [Operation Enduring Freedom](/source/Operation_Enduring_Freedom) in the [Oman Sea](/source/Oman_Sea). In four descending columns, from left to right: {{ship|Italian frigate|Maestrale|F 570|2}}, {{ship|French frigate|De Grasse|D 612|2}}; {{USS|John C. Stennis}}, {{ship|French aircraft carrier|Charles de Gaulle||2}}, {{ship|French frigate|Surcouf||2}}; {{USS|Port Royal|CG-73|6}}, {{HMS|Ocean|L12|6}}, {{USS|John F. Kennedy|CV-67|6}}, {{HNLMS|Van Amstel|F831|6}}; and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Luigi Durand de la Penne||2}}.]] {{War}} '''Surface warfare''' is [naval warfare](/source/naval_warfare) involving [surface ship](/source/surface_ship)s.{{cite web |title=Surface Warfare |url=https://www.ju.edu/nrotc/career-oportunities/surface-warfare.php |website=Jacksonville University}} It is one of the four operational areas of naval warfare, the others being [underwater warfare](/source/underwater_warfare), [aerial warfare](/source/aerial_warfare), and [information warfare](/source/information_warfare).{{cite book |last=Sabry |first=Fouad |title=Surface Warfare: Strategies, Tactics, and Operations |date=2024 |publisher=One Billion Knowledgeable |page=7 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Surface_Warfare/PYgMEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Surface+warfare%22&pg=PT7}} Surface warfare is the oldest and most basic form of naval warfare, though modern surface warfare doctrine originated in the mid-20th century. ==Description== Modern surface warfare dates from the mid-20th century, when surface, air, and submarine warfare components were blended together as a tactical unit to achieve strategic objectives. In [United States Navy](/source/United_States_Navy) doctrine, the two most important strategic objectives are [interdiction](/source/maritime_interdiction) and [sea control](/source/sea_control). * Interdiction is the process of intercepting an enemy transiting through a location. For example, German naval objectives against [Britain](/source/United_Kingdom) during [World War II](/source/World_War_II)'s [Battle of the Atlantic](/source/Battle_of_the_Atlantic) were primarily focused on preventing ships from arriving intact with their cargoes. * Sea control is the dominance of force over a given area that prevents other naval forces from operating successfully. For example, the mission of the [Allied](/source/Allies_of_World_War_II) navies in the Atlantic during World War II was to maintain sea control and prevent [Axis](/source/Axis_powers) naval forces from operating. The [Anti-access/area denial](/source/Anti-access%2Farea_denial) is an opposition to enemy's sea control without itself being an attempt to gain sea control. Surface warfare (SuW) is conducted by a surface ship to eliminate a threat, which may include [Anti-surface warfare](/source/Anti-surface_warfare) (ASuW), [anti-air warfare](/source/anti-air_warfare) (AAW), [anti-submarine warfare](/source/anti-submarine_warfare) (ASW), [naval gunfire support](/source/naval_gunfire_support) (NGFS), riverine operations, [mine warfare](/source/Naval_mine), and [electronic warfare](/source/electronic_warfare). In the second half of the 20th century, the importance of naval surface power was reduced as air and submarine warfare platforms demonstrated their capabilities, as in the [Battle of Taranto](/source/Battle_of_Taranto), the [Battle of Pearl Harbor](/source/Battle_of_Pearl_Harbor), and the [sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse''](/source/Sinking_of_Prince_of_Wales_and_Repulse). Following World War II, guided [anti-ship missiles](/source/anti-ship_missiles) required new{{clarify|date=October 2012}} tactics and doctrines. Small, fast, relatively cheap [missile boat](/source/missile_boat)s became a threat for large ships, much more serious than previous [torpedo boats](/source/torpedo_boats), as in the [War of Attrition](/source/War_of_Attrition), when [Egyptian missile boats](/source/Komar-class_missile_boat) struck and sank the Israeli destroyer [''Eilat''](/source/HMS_Zealous_(R39)) on 20 October 1967. ==Ships== Surface combatant ships include [battleship](/source/battleship)s, [aircraft carrier](/source/aircraft_carrier)s, [cruiser](/source/cruiser)s, [destroyer](/source/destroyer)s, [frigate](/source/frigate)s, and others. Surface combatants also include [mine warfare ship](/source/mine_warfare_ship)s, [amphibious command ship](/source/amphibious_command_ship)s, [coastal defense ship](/source/coastal_defense_ship)s, [amphibious assault ship](/source/amphibious_assault_ship)s, and many others. An important facet of naval warfare are however the support ships (that is, non-combat ships): freighters, [oilers](/source/Oil_tanker), [hospital ship](/source/hospital_ship)s, [tugs](/source/Tugboat), [troop transport](/source/Troopship)s, and other [auxiliary ship](/source/auxiliary_ship)s. In the U.S. Navy model, now widespread in the world, various types of ships would be primarily organized into the [carrier battle group](/source/carrier_battle_group). ==See also== *[Naval warfare](/source/Naval_warfare) *[Naval tactics](/source/Naval_tactics) == References == {{Reflist}} {{Military and war}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Surface Warfare}} Category:Naval warfare --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Surface warfare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_warfare) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_warfare?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.