Unfortunately my primary source author Wolfgang Kähler does not provide number or details of Gneisenau’s expenditure but according to K/S, which appears to present the duel via German sources, Gneisenau never fired base fused HE projectiles. She accounted for 44 x 283 mm nose fused HE and 10 x 283 mm armour piercing projectiles. Scharnhorst accounted for 182 x 283 mm armour piercing projectiles and 13 x 283 mm nose fused HE projectiles.
H.M.S. Renown opened fire at 0505 hours. Gneisenau returned fire at 0511 hours. So, if the third 380 mm salvo was to land at the base of bridge structure (turret Anton?) causing a cease fire aboard Gneisenau then H.M.S. Renown would have a rate of one salvo fired pr. third minute..?!
Terje Langoy wrote:........that one of Gneisenau’s turrets was on target with its very first salvo. Given that turret firing sequence aboard Gneisenau was executed fore to aft then turret Caesar stands out as the candidate. Turret Caesar was not affected by ‘wooding’ as experienced by the forward batteries shortly before 0513 hours and should be able to maintain good range and thus land further hits or at least near-misses. ......
Do we dare to conclude that Gneisenau performed a very successful range ladder, sequential turret-salvos, whereas she landed one or two 283 mm hits already with her third salvo? This would provide a pretty accurate time of impact, both hits being landed at 0511 – 0512 hours.
Return to “Naval History (1922-1945)”
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests