Search found 10 matches

by beltsman
Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:08 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Crew indulgences near the end
Replies: 4
Views: 2055

Re: Crew indulgences near the end

I believe the crew were allowed to help themselves to food, cigarettes etc. but I would be very doubtful of any claims that some of them got drunk, if this was the case then discipline must have been very poor which I find difficult to believe on a ship like Bismarck. No doubt if the crew was told ...
by beltsman
Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:00 am
Forum: The Wreck of the Bismarck
Topic: Can we learn anything from the gun elevations?
Replies: 6
Views: 3171

Can we learn anything from the gun elevations?

Is there anything we can learn from the resting elevations of guns on the wreck? For instance, some are fully depressed - power or hydraulic failure? But other guns (even in the same turret) are at an elevation. The degree of elevation should allow us to work out the approximate range they were atte...
by beltsman
Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:13 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Crew indulgences near the end
Replies: 4
Views: 2055

Crew indulgences near the end

I heard/read that the crew were allowed to help themselves to food and drink after their situation became hopeless. Is this true? It was also said that some of the crew were intoxicated off the ship's alcohol stores. Is this true? I mean no disrespect by asking - I saw someone say it and wondered if...
by beltsman
Tue Apr 16, 2019 8:14 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: If Bismarck could have launched final plane...
Replies: 3
Views: 1170

If Bismarck could have launched final plane...

If the Bismarck could have launched one final flight with letters home, film, etc.,...

- What do you think we would learn?
- What photo or video would we see?
- Would the plane have made it safely?
by beltsman
Sat Dec 24, 2016 2:09 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How did so many survive?
Replies: 22
Views: 11864

Re: How did so many survive?

I forgot to say thanks, this is a great explanation. I wonder how long those trapped below deck survived for as the ship went down. Did they die of drowning, pressure, or suffocation? Most likely drowning for most, but maybe some were in watertight areas for quite some time? You're welcome. Glad yo...
by beltsman
Fri Nov 25, 2016 7:47 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Replies: 13
Views: 11146

Re: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

This was a very big battle for the very young American forces in the Pacific! Good write up :ok:

The battleship dual was intense for both sides. Extreme pummeling.
by beltsman
Fri Nov 25, 2016 6:20 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How did so many survive?
Replies: 22
Views: 11864

Re: How did so many survive?

Hello Beltsman and welcome to the forum. I'm certainly not an expert on Bismarck's crew and the details of precisely how they would have been distributed throughout the ship during the battle, still it is not hard to figure how you could have hundreds surviving the final cannonade. If you check thi...
by beltsman
Mon May 23, 2016 4:48 am
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Hypo: Bismarck in WWI
Replies: 0
Views: 8046

Hypo: Bismarck in WWI

If Germany had the Bismarck in its fleet prior to Jutland, how does that change the war? Is it enough to turn the tide? It would be difficult to ever sink the Bismarck, but I would think that ships of the time could at least do enough damage to its superstructure and guns to render it combat ineffec...
by beltsman
Mon May 23, 2016 4:45 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How did so many survive?
Replies: 22
Views: 11864

Re: How did so many survive?

What was the battle like for men below deck? How much did they know of what was going on? What did shell hits sound/feel like throughout the ship?
by beltsman
Wed Mar 16, 2016 4:42 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How did so many survive?
Replies: 22
Views: 11864

How did so many survive?

One that that I've always wondered about is how so many of Bismarck's crew went into the water. With the extreme amount of damage it took, reading that hundreds, and maybe upwards of 1,200+ men were in the water is astounding to me. - What are the estimates for casualties that never made it into the...