
Some of the greatest warships have gone on to shape the history of the world and have even pushed their crews into unbelievable and incredible acts of bravery. Take a look at the very first submarine which is rumored to have lurked beneath New York harbor during the Revolutionary War, the smaller ships that rescued thousands from Dunkirk, or the destroyer in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Over the years, conflicts and wars have prompted extreme advances to ship designs and now they are faster, stronger, and smarter than ever before.

A look at Naval warfare's fastest combat ships and how the advantage of speed determined the outcome of some of the great seas battles of the last 150 years.

The legendary Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, which pitted Napoleon's French ships against a British armada under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Bad design, human error and the enemy sent great ships to tragic ends, like Britain's K13 submarine and HMS Hood, Sweden's 17th century Vasa, and Kublai Khan's fleet, sunk by the original kamikaze.

A look at how the art of deception was used by naval forces in the first half of the 20th century; in 1939, the German raider Atlantis was equipped with fake funnels, while its sailors dressed as women pushing strollers to fool Allied merchant ships.