Over the centuries, maritime nations have developed major classes of seagoing combatants that have enabled them to effectively carry out the protection of its shores or the projection of power. Whether it was the ship-of-the-line or battleship, in their respective eras, these major combatants reflected the leading edge of technology of the period and the will of the nation.

The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA's heritage can be traced to a more recent event. In 1906 the British Admiralty commissioned a totally new design, DREADNOUGHT. With an increased number of larger guns in her main battery, a more capable secondary battery, larger designed displacement, better armor and increased speed, DREADNOUGHT became the prototype for subsequent battleships built by other nations, including the United States.

Historically, and until most recently, the most capable class of major combatants, or capital ships, in the U.S. Navy were named for States in the Union.

While the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is a very visible, and powerful, example of a capital ship, her lineage is equally impressive. The first ship to bear the name NORTH CAROLINA was a ship-of-the-line in the 1820s. Following her was a Confederate ironclad in the 1860s, a World War I-era armored cruiser, a never-completed post-World War I battleship, the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA of World War II fame, and in 2007 a nuclear attack submarine.

While the focus is the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, information on the others named for the State are included in this site.

• Ship-of-the-Line NORTH CAROLINA
• Confederate Ironclad NORTH CAROLINA
• Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA (ACR 12)
• Battleship NORTH CAROLINA (BB 52)
• Battleship NORTH CAROLINA (BB 55)
• Nuclear Attack Submarine NORTH CAROLINA (SSN 777)