Bismarck Turret Installation Photos

[30knots]

I'm probably missing something here, but i can't see how a 'pole', swung out from the hull and suspended by wires, can 'guard the propellers'

[Terje Langoy]

Imagine the Scharnhorst entering Kiel by night. In the harbour, there's a lot of buoys floating around. Common for all of these buoys is that they're all connected to a heavy weight at the bottom, moored by a chain, a wire or whatever they would use for that purpose. In either case, say the ship pass close by one of these at night, just close enought to trade paint, there is a fair possibility that the wire, chain, etc could actually get tangled up in one of the propellers. But if a propeller guard were present to push the buoy clear of the hull as it passes by ...

[30knots]

Terje, i like the style of your posts. Thanks.

I think you've got it. I always wondered what those 'poles' were.

[rtwpsom2]

It was my understanding that these were meant to keep the rear of the hull from being pushed up against a quay, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the propeller. The cables that held it in place never went below the water.