Search found 1224 matches

by Tiornu
Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:43 pm
Forum: World War II
Topic: Japan's motivations for empire and its justification
Replies: 20
Views: 14066

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.
by Tiornu
Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:20 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Replies: 322
Views: 84838

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 ...
by Tiornu
Mon Apr 11, 2011 3:30 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Replies: 322
Views: 84838

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...
by Tiornu
Sat Apr 09, 2011 2:33 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?
Replies: 206
Views: 84242

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...
by Tiornu
Wed Apr 06, 2011 8:09 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?
Replies: 206
Views: 84242

Re: Bismarck: Scuttled or Sunk?

The main problem with the "scuttled or sunk" question is the word "or."
by Tiornu
Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:30 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Elongation of Homogeneous Armor
Replies: 38
Views: 13617

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...
by Tiornu
Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:10 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Elongation of Homogeneous Armor
Replies: 38
Views: 13617

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.
by Tiornu
Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:26 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Replies: 322
Views: 84838

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.
by Tiornu
Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:55 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Battleship Vanguard Armor
Replies: 65
Views: 92612

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.
by Tiornu
Fri Mar 25, 2011 5:51 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Replies: 322
Views: 84838

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...
by Tiornu
Mon Mar 21, 2011 6:08 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Iowa
Replies: 322
Views: 84838

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...
by Tiornu
Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:33 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck Myths
Replies: 179
Views: 46863

Re: Bismarck Myths

Rodney's opening gunnery against Bismarck was pretty pathetic. I believe they didn't even straddle until the 17th salvo.
by Tiornu
Sun Mar 06, 2011 7:39 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck v Warspite
Replies: 20
Views: 8734

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...
by Tiornu
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: 25291

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.
by Tiornu
Tue Mar 01, 2011 4:49 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck v Warspite
Replies: 20
Views: 8734

Re: Bismarck v Warspite

Understatement! Especially for the forward barbettes.