Naval History Forums

I don't think Cameron has a hidden agenda or interest in proving the British couldn't sink the Bismarck. But there is one thing that I agree with you: "the Bismarck sank as a direct result of the actions of the Royal Navy", no matter if the Germans scuttled their ship or not.

Hello. What is WI 2/1979? A journal, magazine....

Thanks, I understand the point now, but I think that how this affected the Bismarck is debatable. In the Denmark Strait where the seas were high and Bismarck's short rolling period "supposedly" would be a disadvantage, the Hood was quickly straddled with the first salvos. You are right Mül...

All I can say is that the man is a German "Gefreiter" and he is cutting a thick armor plate during the breaking up of a ship.

In the excellent Bismarck article written by William H. Garzke, Jr. & Robert O. Dulin, Jr. and originally published in Warship International No. 2, 1994, there is a paragraph commenting on the stability of the ship: "The Germans devoted great attention to the displacement and stability of t...

For some reason, aircraft that head straight for you are difficult to shoot down (at least according to M-R). Another reason often given, but which I am unqualified to verify, is that the Swordfishes' extremely slow speed might have worked to their advantage: Bismarck's flak was designed to track m...

Could somebody explain why the Bismarck was unable to shoot down any of the attacking Swordfish torpedo planes? Was it because of a faulty antiaircraft battery? Bad weather? Limited visibility? Combination of all? I did some research and noticed that the 10.5cm SK C/33 guns were installed in two dif...

In 1953 the American battleships Iowa, Wisconsin, and the British Vanguard participated in NATO exercise "Mariner" in the North Atlantic. Any details about this operation?

It is a war grave but I think we must be realistic, the ship sank more than 60 years ago and there are no human remains down there anymore. Besides in another 60 years the wreck will be more deteriorated if not gone due to sea corrosion, but if it is raised now it could be preserved as a floating mu...

Thank you for your replies. I am enjoying this conversation. So basically what you are saying is that the 16" shell were are discussing would have a greater striking velocity at 39,600 yards (45º elevation) than at 30,500 yards (24º elevation) even if the distance is greater because it flies hi...

19,000 feet! That’s almost 6 kilometers high! :o I knew projectiles flew high when fired at long distance but this is far more than I thought. These guns could even be used as mortars and fire over a mountain when used for shore bombardment then! Anyway, what about the "minimum ordinate"? ...

I think the cause of the actual sinking might have been because the Bismarck was scuttled but we can't forget the fact that the British had practically destroyed the ship from stem to stern. If the Bismarck hadn't been scuttled she would have been sunk sometime later anyway.

How high in the air can a heavy projectile travel during its flying time? 100 meters? I suppose it will depend on the distance the guns are firing at (elevation of the barrels) and type of gun. At short range the trajectory will be very low and at long range it will be higher, but I am just curious.

Hello, I was wondering if it is technically possible to salvage the entire wreck of the Bismarck with today's technology considering the enormous depth it lies. Are there any antecedents of big ships being salvaged from such depth? What methods are usually employed to raise sunken ships and which on...

I would like to know what do you think about these two naval guns. Are the British 15" Mark I and the German 38cm SK. C/34 comparable weapons? I realize that the German gun was more modern and perhaps more accurate too, but I understand that the shells fired by the British rifles were heavier.