The US Has Sunk The Largest Warship Since World War II - The Iranian Drone Carrier Shahid Bahman Bagheri

• 5.03.2026, 8:31

The vessel was the world's first ship designed exclusively to carry attack UAVs.

The United States has sunk the Iranian drone carrier Shahid Bahman Bagheri, the largest warship destroyed since World War II, writes Deutsche Welle (DW).

According to Die Welt, the vessel, with a displacement of about 42,000 tons, was the world's first ship designed exclusively to carry attack drones and could also carry missiles, helicopters and even small ships. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the sinking occurred in the Persian Gulf shortly after the military operation against Iran began on February 28.

For comparison, the displacement of the German battleship Bismarck, sunk in 1941, exceeded 50,000 tons, while the former flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the missile cruiser Moskva, which sank in the Black Sea in April 2022 after a Ukrainian attack, had a displacement of only 11,500 tons, DW writes.

Since the start of the operation, US forces have sunk or damaged more than 20 Iranian Navy ships, CENTCOM said, publishing photos of the strikes. Earlier, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said an Iranian ship had been torpedoed in international waters in the Indian Ocean, while CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the Iranian navy was no longer in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.

In the meantime, Iranian Navy spokesman Mohammad Akbarzadeh said the country has full control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for oil and gas transportation, and any ships trying to pass through it risk being attacked.

U.S. President Donald Trump, for his part, said the previous day that the U.S. Navy was ready to escort tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. He also instructed the US Development Finance Corporation to start political risk insurance for all maritime trade in the Persian Gulf.