The Three surviving WW1 battleships

19 May 2026

Only three vessels survive that meet the criteria of battleships built before or during the First World War. While the other seven ships (such as the USS North Carolina or USS Missouri) are famous museum ships, they were all commissioned during the Second World War.

Here are the surviving battleships (and one "pseudo-battleship") from the WWI era and earlier.

Mikasa (Japan)

• Commissioned: 1902
• Location: Yokosuka, Japan

The Mikasa is the oldest surviving battleship in the world and the only remaining example of a pre-dreadnought battleship. Built in the United Kingdom for the Imperial Japanese Navy, she served as the flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō during the Russo-Japanese War.

She played a decisive role at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, which is often cited as the last great clash of pre-dreadnought fleets. Because she was built before the 1906 launch of the HMS Dreadnought, she represents a bygone era of naval architecture characterised by a mix of different gun calibres.

Georgios Averof (Greece)

• Commissioned: 1911
• Location: Thessaloniki, Greece

Technically, the Georgios Averof is a Pisa-class armoured cruiser, but the Hellenic Navy has officially designated her as a battleship for over a century. She is the only surviving ship of her type in the world. Built in Italy, she became the pride of the Greek fleet just before the outbreak of the Balkan Wars and WWI.

The ship was so effective during the Balkan Wars that she effectively neutralised the Ottoman Navy single-handedly. She remained in active service through both World Wars, eventually being decommissioned in 1952.

Averof Today2 — Georgios Averof as a floating museum in Palaio Faliro, Athens

USS Texas (BB-35)

• Commissioned: 1914
• Location: Galveston, Texas (Currently undergoing major repairs)

The USS Texas is the only surviving dreadnought battleship in the world. As a New York-class vessel, she represents the second generation of "all-big-gun" ships that made vessels like the Mikasa obsolete. Launched in 1912 and commissioned just as WWI began, she is the only remaining capital ship to have served in both World Wars.

During WWI, she patrolled the North Sea and was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet. She later underwent significant modernisations to fight in WWII, providing vital shore bombardment at D-Day and Iwo Jima.