Naval History Forums

Yes, you are right about the air threat being underestimated, while secondary batteries were designed to deal with threats from destroyers and torpedo boats. Also the Germans suffered from a lack of proper organisation and weapon standardisation in the armaments production programs prior to Speer getting control.

Hood is always cited as beautiful ship and no arguement, Scharnhost and Gniesnau had beautiful lines that reflected their function as some of the best battle cruisers that ever put to sea. But as an old plastic model builder I love the Iowas, with special reverence for the Missouri. Huge but sleek, nine 16 inch guns well contained in its design and a set back housing that seemed to say: Try me.

True, but I think that perhaps Yamato looks even better in that respect.

Actually I'm a sucker for the old pre-dreadnought, even ironclad, designs. Ungainly, ponderous looking with mismatched calibre guns sticking out all over the place and ram bows they excited my imagination as a boy, and still do.

RF wrote:True, but I think that perhaps Yamato looks even better in that respect.

I couldn't agree more, RF!

Hi, actually the Yamato and the Iowas are very similar in looks, perhaps reflecting function dominating design. But every time I see I a photo of Yamato I am overwhelmed by its immensity and I forget to look at the aesthetics. I saw the Missouri in my home town harbor once and couldn't believe how big it looked, bigger looking than the Coral Sea which had visited a few decades earlier. I can't imagine how big Yamato would have looked. And if cultural impact is of any interest there is a now aged Japanese anime I used to watch with my daughter about Yamato being brought up from the sea bed and turned into a space ship. Only a battleship could experience that kind of fictional reverance.

BB-35, the USS Texas...why? Because it is the only one left....and we are losing it along with the great USS Olympia of SpanAmWar fame but also WWI service.
Wake up, the dominos are falling. If we cannot save these two ships forget the WWII ships that will need help in fifty years. The current efforts are foundering.

Al Sumrall
alsumrall2001@yahoo

Gentlemen,
Although I favour the British ships, Renown in particular, they always seemed a bit old fashioned possibly with the exception of Vanguard, I have to say that the German ships probably had the best lines, particularly Scharnhorst, with Bismarck always looking positively brutal! I know she was not a battleship, but to my mind Prince Eugen was the vey best looking ship of them all, everything about her is just right.

In my opinion the best looking battleships are from the era before airpower. No unsightly boxlike aircraft hangars on the deck nor strewn with AAA mounts. They looked cleaner and better balanced, visually speaking.

Hoodoo wrote:BB-35, the USS Texas...why? Because it is the only one left....and we are losing it along with the great USS Olympia of SpanAmWar fame but also WWI service.
Wake up, the dominos are falling. If we cannot save these two ships forget the WWII ships that will need help in fifty years. The current efforts are foundering.

Al Sumrall
alsumrall2001@yahoo

What is going on with these two ships?

I had heard a while back that Olympia was in bad shape (but just that and no more), but didn't know the Texas was also deteriorating. How sad...

Hi all, 1st post so I thought I'd get involved in a light hearted topic before some of the heavier going ones.

In no particular order....

Bismarck, it looks like a floating city, a particularly brutal looking floating city.
Iowas, sleek and menacing.
Vittorio Venito class, Gorgeous looking ships. You've got to give it to the Italians, they know how to design good looking machines.
Post refit HMS Renown, excellent balance of looking sleek and imposing with the updated superstructure.
Post refit HMS Warspite, good looking in her own right, but the legend of the ship just adds a little something extra that sets her apart.

Wordy wrote:Hi all, 1st post so I thought I'd get involved in a light hearted topic before some of the heavier going ones.

In no particular order....

Bismarck, it looks like a floating city, a particularly brutal looking floating city.
Iowas, sleek and menacing.
Vittorio Venito class, Gorgeous looking ships. You've got to give it to the Italians, they know how to design good looking machines.
Post refit HMS Renown, excellent balance of looking sleek and imposing with the updated superstructure.
Post refit HMS Warspite, good looking in her own right, but the legend of the ship just adds a little something extra that sets her apart.

For Beauty: HMS Repulse, Med Fleet, 1937-1938

Runner-up: HMS Tiger, post-WW1.

Warspite is very nice, but I like the looks of HMS Valiant (post-modernization) even better.

My nickel's worth...

Dare I say Vanguard-to me she was the epitome of elegance.

aurora