Hood: vulnerability to torpedo hits

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Tiornu
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Post by Tiornu »

I'm trying to think of a situation where Hood would be exposed to an S-boat presence. Maybe in the Med. The S-boats were certainly the best MTBs of the war, but they are still not an ideal torpedo platform. Even a full salvo of a destroyer's torpedoes was not enough to guaranteee hits in combat.
The torpedoes that hit PoW and Bismarck had warheads equal to roughly 400-450 lbs of TNT. A U-boat torpedo, more like 700 lbs.
paul mercer
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Post by paul mercer »

Gary wrote:The Cruiser HMS Newcastle was hit once by an S-boat but managed to limp back to harbour

So on that basis Hood could be vulnerable to a single German S-boat....


Turning it around.........An S-boat was vulnerable to just about anything

Not the same but arieal launched torpedo's were the nasty buggers

Look what the first Japanese torpedo did to Prince of Wales
Look what a swordfish did to Bismarcks rudder
Look what we did to the Italians at Taranto!
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RF
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Post by RF »

Taranto: the targets were all stationery.

In open sea Hood with its speed would be a difficult target to hit, BUT if a S-boat was encountered at night, ahead of Hood but not seen by her crew, there would be at least a theoretical opportunity for the Germans...

This scenario isn't too fanciful. The hilfskreuzer Atlantis encountered Nelson and Eagle on a moonless night, wasn't seen by the British as the two ships passed either side of Atlantis. Had Rogge the torpedo armament of a Zestorer then both British ships would have been sunk.....
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Gary
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Post by Gary »

Hi RF.

I dont think they would.

On the night in question, the German lookouts spotted Nelson before Nelsons lookouts spotted Atlantis.

Upon sighting HMS Nelson, no doubt Rogge felt a sudden need to go to the toilet :lol:

He gave orders to steer away quick before the British sighted Atlantis.
I dont know how long it would take to prepare a torpedo spread but he wouldnt have hung around to find out.
He definately did the right thing in getting the hell out of dodge
God created the world in 6 days.........and on the 7th day he built the Scharnhorst
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RF
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Post by RF »

Given Atlantis's actual armament, you are correct Gary. However as I understand it neither Nelson or Eagle sighted Atlantis, Nelson passing by at a range of 7,000 yards....

As an aside, the fictional film of Atlantis, ''Under Ten Flags'' starring Van Heflin as Rogge, and recently repeated on Channel Five, did depict an entirely fictional account of a night-time attack on a British cruiser using the underwater torpedo tubes, the cruiser being sunk with two torpedo hits out of two torpedoes fired.....
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Gary
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Post by Gary »

To be honest I think a night-time torpedo attack by a DD or CL is the ideal way to take down an enemy BB without getting pulverised by heavy shells.

Take Matapan for example.

The Italians had no idea the British were even there until it was to late, it was the ultimate "snake in the grass" attack - you dont even know the snake is there until it bites you.
If the 3 Italian ships had been Battleships and the 3 British ships had been light cruisers with their torpedo tubes locked and loaded that would have been far more effective than any 15 inch shells could do.
The 3 Italian ships would have been deadmeat.
As to how easy it is to obtain a firing solution in the dark though.............

But I do like the night time torpedo attack theory.
God created the world in 6 days.........and on the 7th day he built the Scharnhorst
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