<P> Regardless of their effects on World War I, tank technology and mechanized warfare had been launched and grew increasingly sophisticated in the years following the war . By World War II, the tank had evolved into a fearsome weapon and restored mobility . </P> <P> The years leading up to the war saw the use of improved metallurgical and mechanical techniques to produce larger ships with larger guns and, in reaction, more armor . The launching of HMS Dreadnought (1906) revolutionized battleship construction, leaving many ships obsolete before they were completed . Consequently, at the start of the war, many navies comprised newer ships and obsolete older ones . The advantage was in long - range gunnery, and naval battles took place at far greater distances than before . The Battle of Jutland (1916) was the only full - scale battle between fleets in the war . </P> <P> Having the largest surface fleet, the United Kingdom sought to press its advantage . British ships blockaded German ports, hunted down German and Austro - Hungarian ships wherever they might be on the high seas, and supported actions against German colonies . The German surface fleet was largely kept in the North Sea . This situation pushed Germany, in particular, to direct its resources to a new form of naval power: submarines . </P> <P> World War I was the first conflict in which submarines were a serious weapon of war . In the years shortly before the war, the relatively sophisticated propulsion system of diesel power while surfaced and battery power while submerged was introduced . </P>

Describe the effects of the new technology on warfare in ww1