Search found 4398 matches

by dunmunro
Mon Oct 16, 2023 2:13 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

See CB4182/45 - RADAR MANUAL (Use of Radar) Low Angle Gunnery - RDF Type 284M – Power = 150Kw . Introduced into service January 1942. BB (aerial ASF @ 100ft) versus BB target: 30,000 yards (reliable) 32,000 yards (maximum) >>> Range varies approximately as fourth root of power and square root of ae...
by dunmunro
Sun Oct 15, 2023 6:27 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello all, "Paragraphs 18 and 19 refer to the ranges supplied by Type 279 radar not 284." Correct, however it means that R.D/F ranges were not passed automatically to T.S. and not entered automatically into AFCT. It was a choice, first of radar operator, and then of T.S. personnel to do s...
by dunmunro
Sat Oct 14, 2023 11:21 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello all, "...as each new radar range was noted, it would be transmitted to the AFCT, ..." This is possibly not the case. KGV GAR, chapter "Ratekeeping", explains that, on two other instances, either radar ranges were not reflected into plot because AFCT operators did not trust...
by dunmunro
Sat Oct 14, 2023 7:38 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello all, we have for KGV a long GAR + Enclosures but we don't have the most valuable Salvo Plot (luckily, we have it for PoW on May 24 and for Rodney on May 27), with all exact gun ranges, gun bearings, enemy inclination and precise fire timing from T.S., marked salvo by salvo. Salvo plot could h...
by dunmunro
Wed Oct 11, 2023 11:03 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello all, 284 radar got echos from Bismarck (even from 25.100 yards) and from all ships' fall of shots, but operator was unable to distinguish and " continued to look for Bismarck round about 25.000 yards " (https://www.kbismarck.org/forum/download/file.php?id=4164). Only " at 08:53...
by dunmunro
Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:41 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello all, this for reference from KGV GAR. 284 got target at 25.100 yards. Then 284 operator mistook Rodney's splashes as KGV's (and insisted on wrong range of 25.000 yards). First "corrected" range (unclear whether radar or optical) came only at 08:53 and it was 20.500 yards. Therefore ...
by dunmunro
Tue Oct 10, 2023 9:14 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello Mr. TTTT, German survivors accounts are reported by both Brennecke (who summarized several survivors accounts) and Baron von Müllenheim-Rechberg (G.O. and survivor himself). They both say that it was Rodney that hit Bismarck fore turrets. While Baron reports one generically decisive hit on Bi...
by dunmunro
Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:01 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Thanks, so it's (un)safe to say that the hit(s) that knocked out Anton and Bruno could have come from both Rodney and KGV? Had any of the few surviving Germans anything to say about it? I would guess very few, if any, Germans involved at the bridge, FC and main turrets survived. When you read some ...
by dunmunro
Tue Oct 10, 2023 6:26 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello Mr. TTTT, I would say that first straddles/hits came from both British ships at just around 09:00, with range already down to 20.000 yards for Rodney and 18.000-19.000 yards for KGV. KGV reports claim that flagship straddled and actually achieved a hit at 08:54, however this is very unlikely ...
by dunmunro
Wed Oct 04, 2023 6:33 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

The RF range obtained just before open fire was, in fact, quite accurate. and it agreed with KGV's radar range, although it would probably still been about 500 yds short, given Rodney's position relative to KGV. 0843 entry in the "16-inch Narrative" - 0843. Bismarck was sighted by “Rodney...
by dunmunro
Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:49 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello Byron, consistent straddling between salvo 18 and 22 (4 out of 5 consecutive salvoes straddling in 3 minutes from 09:00 till 09:03, while ship was sailing a straight course 85°) are IMHO good sign of quite accurate firing solution. However, just after that, no straddle was noticed anymore unt...
by dunmunro
Mon Oct 02, 2023 7:33 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hello Mr. Crandell, you write: "I have assumed that Bismarck's average rate of fire through the engagement of about one round per minute was related to the turn. If not so, then why? " Bismarck's salvoes sequence is highly uncertain, due to loss of her GAR. What we know is that she fired ...
by dunmunro
Sat Sep 30, 2023 7:30 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

USS Massachusetts at Casablanca in Nov 1942: From her Action Report: D. Rangefinders All rangefinders in the ship functioned satisfactorily when it was possible for them to see a target through haze and and smoke, which was seldom. Considerable difficulty was experienced by the rangefinder levellers...
by dunmunro
Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:10 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Rodney's FC gear was ~15 years behind KGV's. Rodney was not fitted with cross leveling gear or TIC gear at the time of the action, according to Admiralty comments as part of Rodney's GAR for 27 May. Please re-read my post, dunmunro. My remarks were specifically directed toward RODNEY alone. While o...
by dunmunro
Fri Sep 29, 2023 1:59 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: How close was the final battle?
Replies: 256
Views: 2587248

Re: How close was the final battle?

Hallo Dummunro, I doubt that Rodney and KGV would shoot very accurately while maneuvering. Did the AFCT get continuous inputs and thus provided continuous firing solution (like on the German C38 or the US Mark 37 FCS), or had it to be fed with data for every new calculation, i.e. were results gener...