Search found 1224 matches
- Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:43 pm
- Forum: World War II
- Topic: Japan's motivations for empire and its justification
- Replies: 20
- Views: 14225
Re: Japan's motivations for empire and its justification
The key factor to keep in mind is that Japan, by observing developments in Asia, came away with the lesson that a nation either colonizes or is colonized. To the Japanese, expansion was the only viable form of self-preservation. They weren't kidding when they said they attacked Russia in self-defense.
- Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:20 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
- Replies: 322
- Views: 87659
Re: Bismarck vs. Iowa
I don't know what it is about the French, but they seemed to have some pretty bad luck with depth charges. The night prior to the torpedo attack, a British team took a boat into the harbor and dropped a set of four depth charges near Richelieu's stern. The attack was deemed a failure as the charges ...
- Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:30 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
- Replies: 322
- Views: 87659
Re: Bismarck vs. Iowa
I don't believe we've seen anything indicating the Richelieu armor deck fell short of design specs. It's hard to critique the ship on the basis of the under-bottom torpedo hit, which may also have involved 1500 lbs of explosive in a shallow harbor. Unlike British or American ships, Richelieu had ebo...
- Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:33 am
- Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
- Topic: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?
- Replies: 206
- Views: 85951
Re: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?
The weakness of Bismarck's stern is related to the weakness in cruiser sterns in one respect. The point of weakness is at an armored bulkhead. In Bismarck, it was the bulkhead abaft the steering compartment. In the cruisers, it was the bulkhead closing off the citadel--a more serious matter. I belie...
- Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:09 pm
- Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
- Topic: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?
- Replies: 206
- Views: 85951
Re: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?
The main problem with the "scuttled or sunk" question is the word "or."
- Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:30 pm
- Forum: Naval Technology
- Topic: Elongation of Homogeneous Armor
- Replies: 38
- Views: 13729
Re: Elongation of Homogeneous Armor
The G&D account of Dunkerque's hits are incorrect in the details. Dunkerque suffered, I believe, four hits: one to the turret, two penetrating belt hits, and one that struck a largely unarmored section. Neither belt hit was below the waterline, but one was low enough to go through the deck slope...
- Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:10 pm
- Forum: Naval Technology
- Topic: Elongation of Homogeneous Armor
- Replies: 38
- Views: 13729
Re: Elongation of Homogeneous Armor
Dunkerque had two belt penetrations and no deck penetrations.
Nothing I know of in Jean Bart's experience indicates substandard performance of the deck armor.
Nothing I know of in Jean Bart's experience indicates substandard performance of the deck armor.
- Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:26 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
- Replies: 322
- Views: 87659
Re: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Did Bismarck fire any 38cm shells at the destroyers? Her 15cm battery was having a difficult enough time trying to stay on target as the ship slewed back and forth.
Bismarck was certainly shooting better than Rodney...until she wasn't.
Bismarck was certainly shooting better than Rodney...until she wasn't.
- Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:55 pm
- Forum: Naval Technology
- Topic: Battleship Vanguard Armor
- Replies: 65
- Views: 96093
Re: Battleship Vanguard Armor
The increase in wear with super-charges would not be a major factor since no gun afloat would fire more than ten (?) rounds at the increased velocity.
- Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:51 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
- Replies: 322
- Views: 87659
Re: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Regarding Nowaki, a piece on Avalanche Press referred to elsewhere on this site says the Iowa shot better than NJ, and attributed this to Iowa's guns being warmed up whereas NJ's were not. This lower accuracy during the warmup phase was thought to be caused by the (relative) lightweight constructio...
- Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:08 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
- Replies: 322
- Views: 87659
Re: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Friedman got the 660-lb figure from the damage report, which was based on intelligence regarding Japanese torpedoes. The Germans actually were using 300kg charges in their submarine torpedoes, though I doubt they had any torpedoes with pure TNT; they typically added aluminum and HND, sometimes ammon...
- Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:33 pm
- Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
- Topic: Bismarck Myths
- Replies: 179
- Views: 48078
Re: Bismarck Myths
Rodney's opening gunnery against Bismarck was pretty pathetic. I believe they didn't even straddle until the 17th salvo.
- Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:39 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck v Warspite
- Replies: 20
- Views: 8947
Re: Bismarck v Warspite
Barbettes A and B were more vulnerable due to the removal of a section of casemate armor. I believe the armor was originally 6in, but when the guns were taken out, their armor was also removed and replaced by 2in D steel. In Warspite's incremental armor scheme, the barbette armor was thinner under t...
- Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:46 pm
- Forum: The Ironclad & Pre-dreadnought Era (1860-1905)
- Topic: The REAL first 'all big gun' battleship
- Replies: 23
- Views: 25809
Re: The REAL first 'all big gun' battleship
I think my surname is German rather than English, and there may even have been a "von" in there. Any umlauts drowned on the way across the Atlantic.
- Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:49 pm
- Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
- Topic: Bismarck v Warspite
- Replies: 20
- Views: 8947
Re: Bismarck v Warspite
Understatement! Especially for the forward barbettes.