Search found 41 matches

by hellomartin
Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:05 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck and Prinz Eugen are joined by Tirpitz
Replies: 62
Views: 23789

If Tirpitz to had joined operation Rheinuberg it could have resulted in one the greatest combined air, sea (and land) battles of Europe, and have quite possibly won WWII for Germany. Here is why..... I think we could assume the following: 1) a successful breakout into the Atlantic by the enlarged sq...
by hellomartin
Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:49 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

Ship-borne torpedos could be highly effective in WWII surface battles. It is worth remembering that the Scharnhorst was sunk by torpedos. Fifty two of them were fired at her by British warships during the Battle of North Cape. Earlier in the war, a single torpedo hit from another British warship on ...
by hellomartin
Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:09 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

Bgile, here is a quote from a paper on TDS posted elsewhere on this site: "A torpedo defense system (TDS) typically extended from the bottom of the belt to the turn of the bilge vertically, and from just forward of the foremost magazines to just aft of the aftermost magazines. Beyond this regio...
by hellomartin
Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:59 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

The TDS systems didn't cover the aft and bow areas of the ship (as Bismarck discovered to its cost). The H-39 design puts the tubes forward of the TDS, towards the bow, in a similar fashion to a submarine. Re my comment/image above, I checked the armament profile of the H-39 and it does indeed inclu...
by hellomartin
Wed Mar 19, 2008 12:14 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

I am still trying to figure out why a WWII capital ship would carry torpedos at all? Surely if a target were close enough to hit with a torpedo, it shouldn't be difficult to hit with a gun. Shells are obviously cheaper and less cumbersome to store than a torpedo. The only reason I can think of is th...
by hellomartin
Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:17 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

I don't have any specialist knowledge of this subject, but one would have thought that logically there would be no reason why a surface ship could not have bow and stern torpedo tubes, just like a submarine. It would then merely have to point itself at the target, which would not be much of a proble...
by hellomartin
Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:07 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Luftwaffe torpedo planes
Replies: 49
Views: 24341

Actually, it's a very good point. The Germans didn't seem to cotton on the way the British and then the Japanese did about the power of the torpedo attacks against capital ships.....then again, Hitler was never that interested in naval warfare....
by hellomartin
Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:25 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

RF, my understanding is that the H-39 gun turrets were assembled before the project was abandoned. The guns, as opposed to the turrets, were then dispersed to a number of locations, with some on the coast of France lobbing shells at Kent. This gun in Norway, I believe, is the only one remaining of t...
by hellomartin
Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:08 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

I was doing a bit of rooting around on the H-39 (I believe the numbers of the H class refer to the year of design). Although the keels of several of the six were laid down, but then abandoned, several of their big 40cm guns turrets were built and then diverted to be used as coastal batteries. One of...
by hellomartin
Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:51 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Domed covers on funnel searchlights
Replies: 39
Views: 9404

OK, I've found something new to toss into the domed searchlight saga.... Here is an image of the H-39 class that never got built, http://www.steelnavy.com/images/NNTHClass.htm/HKl0129p&p.JPG As Tommy points out, this designers used lessons from Bismarck for an improved (and enlarged) version. Th...
by hellomartin
Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:26 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: H-44: "the Super Bismarck"
Replies: 35
Views: 10015

H-44: "the Super Bismarck"

Does anyone have any insights into the H-Class German battleships that were to be successor to the Bismarck/Tirpitz but never got completed? I hadn't realised that two of the six planned got so far as being laid down. The H-39 design were similar to Bismarck but significantly larger, about 50' longe...
by hellomartin
Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:45 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Th story of the Hood and the Bismarck is 'cool' and 'awesome
Replies: 44
Views: 13074

CP, everyone is free to voice their opinion, which is what the men on the Hood died for. Anyway, I now certainly know more about the Battle of Flodden than I ever used to! Good to have you aboard and was really appreciative of your initial post, it was very heartening and thank you for sharing it wi...
by hellomartin
Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:36 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Th story of the Hood and the Bismarck is 'cool' and 'awesome
Replies: 44
Views: 13074

Well call me mentally challenged, but I thoroughly enjoyed making my Bismarck model when I was I kid. I am sorry, but I also happen to think the ship was bloody cool and awesome, as was Hood and all the others. I imagine the men who fought on them thought that way too. Bravo to John for helping his ...
by hellomartin
Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:04 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: SONAR in the ship
Replies: 59
Views: 23183

Hi Wadinga/Dave, I am relatively new here and I am wondering if anyone connected with this site has made contact with Blohm and Voss? I visited the shipyard in Hamburg a couple of years ago and saw the official ship-builders model. Amazingly, there are actually off-cuts of Bismarck still lying aroun...