Hello everybody,
@ Alecsandros,
well I see you know pretty well the KGV class quadruple turret problem originated by their own intention to have more guns ( 10 instead of 8 - 4x2 turrets or 9 - 3x3 turrets ).
I am glad about that because at the end that was the reality and had nothing to do with "teething problems" it was a design problem that reduced KG V to have only the twin turret correctly working at the end of the final battle against Bismarck on May 27th, 1941.
A well known design problem only located on the quadruple turrets loading mechanism that once the ship was twisting and turning at fast speed was showing up frequently.
When I read on specialized books about that ( Peter Hodges on The Big Guns 1860-1945 by Conway press ISBN 0 85177 144 0 ; from page 98 to page 105) I understood why they were using that as an additional excuse to justify what happened on Denmark Strait to Prince of Wales.
http://www.amazon.com/The-big-gun-Battl ... 0870219170
When Prince of Wales was firing on an almost straight run she had her 70/80 % firing output.
Once she started turning away the 2 quadruple turrets loading mechanism started providing the expected problems and she went down with only the twin turret still working = 20 % with 2 guns out of 10 usable. Exactly the same thing occurred to King George V on May 27th against Bismarck according to P. Hodges.
So it was not true that the guns problems were one of the reasons of the turn away in front of the enemy engaged, it was just the other way around, ... the turning away caused the problem on the 2 quadruple turrets, just as they should have expected and probably already experienced during trials.
This is the true, ... and the reason why I will never accept the gun efficiency justification to explain that retreat.
@ Dunmunro,
I agree with you about the progressive firepower reduction during a long engagement.
Peter Hodges declared a 68 % DoY efficiency against Scharnhorst, but only one gun on the twin turret defect free that day
.
@ Paul,
OK, I am glad of being helpful to you.
Bye Antonio
In order to honor a soldier, we have to tell the truth about what happened over there. The whole, hard, cold truth. And until we do that, we dishonor her and every soldier who died, who gave their life for their country. ( Courage Under Fire )