--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons…" description: "\"That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons would have to defend itself against wood and fabric biplanes with its main armament was a salutary reminder of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg" --- # That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons would have to… ![“That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons would have to defend itself against wood and fabric biplanes with its main armament was a salutary reminder of the changing face of sea warfare.” quote by Richard Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg) > “That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons would have to defend itself against wood and fabric biplanes with its main armament was a salutary reminder of the changing face of sea warfare.” [Richard Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how rapid technological advances can render massive, expensive warships vulnerable to relatively simple aircraft, underscoring the shift from heavy naval artillery to air power. **In simple terms:** Technological change reshapes warfare. Key Takeaway Big ships became obsolete quickly. Themes military technology strategic adaptation air power naval warfare innovation cycles Mood reflective cautious thoughtful Type historical observation strategic insight When to use this quote - World War I naval planning - interwar naval budgeting - modern defense procurement - strategic forecasting - military education Key Concepts aircraft vs battleship defense vs offense technological disruption cost vs capability Practical Applications - military strategy analysis - defense technology forecasting Questions to Reflect On - How does emerging tech challenge existing military assets? - What lessons can modern defense planners draw from past transitions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armament/) [Armament Salutary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armament-salutary-403685/) [Battleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battleship-403683/) [Battleship 48](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battleship-48-403682/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Maritime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maritime/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Battleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-battleship-403681/) [Naval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naval/) [Reminders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminders/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sea Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-warfare-403684/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warfare/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [The Battle for the Philippines was the greatest naval battle in history, judged in terms of the number of ships taking part, the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/the-battle-for-the-philippines-was-the-greatest-naval-battle-in/) [Richard Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/) > [Since time immemorial it had been the custom before a sea battle for the men to wash and don clean clothes in case of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/since-time-immemorial-it-had-been-the-custom-before-a-sea-battle-for/) [Richard Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/) > [“Apparently, the British Royal Navy had just recruited an elephant hunter to bring down a battleship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gaudi/apparently-the-british-royal-navy-had-just-recruited-an-elephant/) [Robert Gaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gaudi/) > [The Church is not a showboat; it's a battleship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/the-church-is-not-a-showboat-it-s-a-battleship/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > ['Battleship' is not a film that Francois Truffaut would have made. 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I had all my friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/the-first-movie-i-literally-ever-made-in-my-life-was-about-two-guys/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) > [“Thus, a battleship cost around £10m in 1940. Building that battleship today might cost £500m, but to build a battleship representing the same proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edgerton/thus-a-battleship-cost-around-10m-in-1940-building-that-battleship/) [David Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edgerton/) > [“That night, Julie and I play Battleship with our laptops-- that's what we call it when we sit across the table from one another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jac-jemc/that-night-julie-and-i-play-battleship-with-our-laptops-that-s-what/) [Jac Jemc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jac-jemc/) > [I drank enough whiskey to float a battleship around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynyrd-skynyrd/i-drank-enough-whiskey-to-float-a-battleship-around/) [Lynyrd Skynyrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynyrd-skynyrd/) > [I did not want 'Battleship' to be perceived as an American war film. I wanted to do everything I could to make the film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/i-did-not-want-battleship-to-be-perceived-as-an-american-war-film-i/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) > [The visual impact of a United States battleship springs from its ability to put Soviet ships on the bottom of the sea and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-visual-impact-of-a-united-states-battleship-springs-from-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I spent 34 months on the battleship Alabama, South Dakota-class. I was a gun captain. First we went to Russia for about 11 months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/i-spent-34-months-on-the-battleship-alabama-south-dakota-class-i-was/) [Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/) > [The big fun in 'Battleship' is that there are no current battleships in the Navy today. The battleships are about 1,000 feet long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/the-big-fun-in-battleship-is-that-there-are-no-current-battleships-in/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) ## More by Richard Hough > [The Battle for the Philippines was the greatest naval battle in history, judged in terms of the number of ships taking part, the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/the-battle-for-the-philippines-was-the-greatest-naval-battle-in/) [Richard Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/) > [Since time immemorial it had been the custom before a sea battle for the men to wash and don clean clothes in case of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/since-time-immemorial-it-had-been-the-custom-before-a-sea-battle-for/) [Richard Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/) [Explore all 3 Richard Hough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/) ## More Armament quotes > [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. 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Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-flynn/) > [We are firmly convinced, and we act on that conviction, that with nations as with individuals our interests soundly calculated will ever be found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-are-firmly-convinced-and-we-act-on-that-conviction-that-with/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Disarmament or limitation of armaments, which depends on the progress made on security, also contributes to the maintenance of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-quidde/disarmament-or-limitation-of-armaments-which-depends-on-the-progress/) [Ludwig Quidde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-quidde/) > [ I just want to give a lot of things - and just to respond. I agree with \[Hillary Clinton\] on one thing. The single… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-just-want-to-give-a-lot-of-things-and-just-to-respond-i-agree-with/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) [Browse all 123 Armament quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armament/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons would have to defend itself against wood and fabric biplanes with its main armament was a salutary reminder of the changing face of sea warfare.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Hough" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons-would-have-to-defend-itself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Armament" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons-would-have-to-defend-itself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/richard-hough-44807_armament_that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons_23204.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That a modern battleship of 48,000 tons would have to defend itself against wood and fabric biplanes with…” — Richard Hough", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Richard Hough", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hough/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That a modern battleship of 48,000...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons-would-have-to-defend-itself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/that-a-modern-battleship-of-48-000-tons-would-have-to-defend-itself/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```