Search found 113 matches

by paul mercer
Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:17 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Rodney: hand to hand?
Replies: 414
Views: 82382

However, everyone is comparing Bismarck to a rather worn out Rodney with a tired crew and I would say it is advantage Bismarck. Except that Bismarck's crew were even more knackered from being constantly at action stations for three days. I was thinking more of both ships and crews being fully opera...
by paul mercer
Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:01 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Bismarck vs. Rodney: hand to hand?
Replies: 414
Views: 82382

Ok chaps, have studied all your arguments and it would seem that they would have been fairly evenly matched and this is where luck comes in. Remember both ships are trying to hit each other, not in a specific place but actually just trying to hit the opposing ship. A 'lucky' (or 'unlucky' if you are...
by paul mercer
Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:16 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Battleship Top Ten
Replies: 626
Views: 128846

Re: Arithmetic?

Surely it's 6 by 11inch v 4 by 15inch! Assuming nobody turned enough to open their x arcs, a arcs , whatever! Bekker spends 20 odd pages on Juno. To my mind, he must have met and interviewed Marschall after the War, for there is plenty of detail. Of course maybe it is a one-sided view :wink: Oops, ...
by paul mercer
Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:56 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Battleship Top Ten
Replies: 626
Views: 128846

An interesting discussion! Sorry I hav'nt been on the link for a while, but my pc has been playing up. A couple of points here, the twins not only encountered Ramilles and Malaya, but also Rodney and fled both times despite the British ships being far slower. Why? Because being a long way from home ...
by paul mercer
Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:04 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Proofing of Naval guns
Replies: 7
Views: 4158

Thanks chaps, but does anyone know HOW they were tested, i.e. were there special proof loads?
by paul mercer
Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:40 pm
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Proofing of Naval guns
Replies: 7
Views: 4158

Proofing of Naval guns

Here's a question for you technical chaps. How did the naval powers go about proof testing their guns? I'm aware that with shotguns a special cartridge that is two or three times the pressure of a normal one is used in the proof house in England, but if that criteria is scaled up to a 16" - wow...
by paul mercer
Wed Oct 10, 2007 11:55 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Battleship Musashi
Replies: 10
Views: 3982

Battleship Musashi

We've talked a lot about Yamato in these forums, but what was the history of the Musashi and how did she get sunk?
by paul mercer
Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:05 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: RFC equipped Yamato vs. Iowa
Replies: 462
Views: 66493

I watched a documentary on the Yamoto and her last voyage the other night in which they spoke to several surviving members of her crew. From what was said, it appears that the crew were given access to the ships stores and many, if not all had been drinking heavily, if an Iowa had come up against th...
by paul mercer
Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:16 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: RFC equipped Yamato vs. Iowa
Replies: 462
Views: 66493

I car'nt help thinking that the original question was meant to match Yamoto or her sister against an Iowa class on a 1 to 1 basis with equally trained crews and fire control systems. On that basis, the old boxing adage of a 'good big un will always beat a good little un' may well apply. Out of inter...
by paul mercer
Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:44 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Luck: Examples of the influence of Luck on Naval Battles
Replies: 14
Views: 5290

At the risk of going over old ground again I suppose that the one shell that hit Hood in a vital place or the torpedo that hit Bismarck's rudder has to be considered 'luck' - depending from whose point of view of course!
by paul mercer
Tue Aug 07, 2007 11:37 am
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: Mers-el-Kebir
Replies: 11
Views: 3846

They could have sailed and joined the British Fleet, if France was supposed to be an ally, why did'nt they?
by paul mercer
Wed Jun 13, 2007 11:13 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: hypothetical opponents
Replies: 26
Views: 8223

Did'nt Norfolk also score a hit on Scharnhorst's fire contol? Two hits on the fire control systems of two different ships - remarkable! As to the Bismarck v Rodney senario, why are we presumng that BS would fire first and more accurately, surely both ships would have positioned themselves so they co...
by paul mercer
Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:52 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: hypothetical opponents
Replies: 26
Views: 8223

Surely at the range the would be firirg at Rodney would be able to keep turning to keep her stern away and her guns bearing? I agree that Rodney was an oldish 'treaty' ship, but nevertheless she was fairly well armoured and packed a hell of a punch! As for KGV v BS instead of POW, if the senario was...
by paul mercer
Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:55 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: SMS MarkGraf V USS Texas.
Replies: 33
Views: 10382

Thanks yet again Tiornu. What puzzles me is that if a 1000lb bomb could penetrate and cause so much damage to what was probably the most heavily armoured ship ever built, how come there have been so much discussion in other threads about the penetration and damage capabilities (or rather lack of the...
by paul mercer
Wed Jun 06, 2007 7:36 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: SMS MarkGraf V USS Texas.
Replies: 33
Views: 10382

US 16" AP = about 40 lbs of explosive. US 16" HE = about 150 lbs. US Mk 14 torpedo = about 660 lb TORPEX. Wow, I'm not surprised that a torpedo knocks a big hole in the bottom! Presumably the ones carried by aircraft were a lot smaller, I understand that the one that hit Bismarck on the s...