The Alumni Club of the Faculty of Engineering in Rijeka invites you to a lecture by Branko Belamarić, PhD, M.Eng., titled “Battleships – The Pinnacle of Naval Power and Technological Development”, which will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Faculty Council Room.
For nearly three centuries, battleships were the symbol of military, economic, and political power for major naval powers. From magnificent wooden sailing ships, through the first ironclads and dreadnoughts, to the massive battleships of World War II, their development reflects the extraordinary progress in science and engineering.
In fact, battleships were the driving force behind numerous technological achievements – from the development of high-quality steel, ship structures, and artillery to steam turbines, propulsion systems, and the scientific study of ship stability and hydrodynamics. Many of these achievements soon found applications in commercial shipbuilding as well.
The lecture will present the fascinating development of these engineering giants and their role in world history, and explain how ships once considered almost indestructible lost their strategic importance in just a few decades with the emergence of aviation, aircraft carriers, and missile weaponry.
It is a story about the pinnacle of shipbuilding, an arms race, and the surprisingly rapid disappearance of one of the most powerful symbols of naval power.
