Were battleships obsolete in WWII?

These vessels dominated the world's oceans but became obsolete very quickly. ... And then, very quickly, the battleship became practically obsolete. ... Battlewagons were still effective in the shore-bombardment role — indeed, the U.S. read more

Battleships and battle cruisers were in the process of becoming obsolete during WW2, due mainly to air power. The British sent Prince of Wales and Repulse, two fine capital ships, to fight the Japanese invasion, without air cover, and both were promptly sunk by the Japanese. read more

In many ways, the battleship represented the greatest-ever concentration of naval power in a single vessel. Between World War I and World War II, the big, fast, thickly-armored and heavily-armed warships dominated the world’s oceans. And then, very quickly, the battleship became practically obsolete. read more

After World War II, battleships were once again proclaimed obsolete. Most navies with surviving battleships retired them in the late 1940s and early 1950s. With the exception of the Soviet Union, no navy started to build any new battleships or battlecrusers, and the Soviets never completed theirs. read more