structure on Bismarck conning tower

[Ggasson]

I am trying to discover the purpose of the structure mounted between the top of the admirals bridge and below the upper searchlight deck. It consists of two parallel strips at the end of a walkway. Tirpitz does not seem to have it. If you have Kagero's " super drawings in 3D" it is clearly shown on p.26. I have Stephan Draminski's Anatomy of the Ship which has great drawings & 3d renders but is somewhat lacking in descriptive detail in places.
Does anyone know what it is?
Thanks

[wadinga]

Hi Ggasson,

Very intriguing. The Kagero representation matches well with photos in Breyer and Skwiot's German Capital ships, but I cannot figure out their function. These two panels were installed quite early on in the fitting out, appearing in photos from Spring 1940. They are in place even before the searchlight on the platform above is installed. They look like completely flat plates with projecting end plates.

But have you noticed there are similar units facing port and starboard on the sides of the gallery surrounding the upper rangefinder?

I have to admit I have no idea what they are at the moment. I find it hard to believe they are anything sophisticated like radar detector aerials which would surely be installed late on in fitting out.

Hopefully someone can come up with a solution.

All the best

wadinga

[marcelo_malara]

Brower´s said for it:

FuMO 21 radar (possible)

[Herr Nilsson]

It's the NES-Anlage = night recognition signal device

[hans zurbriggen]

Hello Mr. Ggasson,
as you have S. Draminski's AoS, you find the information at pag. 138, drawing C2/29, point 7, with description (supports with attachments for 9 night signal lamps: white, green and red).
Same structures are present at both Vormars sides.

hans

[Ggasson]

Yes, got it thanks Hans. The 3D renders in AoS book show the attachment points which are not shown in the Super Drawings in 3D by Kagero. These structures do not appear to have been fitted to the Tirpitz from looking at photos. There are also night signalling lamps rigged from the mainmast and also from the outrigger on the upper searchlight deck. Tirpitz seems to have had these...perhaps they superseded the the other type? I'm assuming these lamps were a standard feature on German ships of the period.

[Herr Nilsson]

NES.jpg (33.81 KiB) Viewed 1383 times

[wadinga]

Hi All,

Its hard to tell but I don't think Bismarck has anything installed on the starboard side rack in the Grimstadfjord picture. Maybe they were obsolete by the time Bismarck sailed. The projecting ends presumably stop the lights from being seen from the side.

All the best

wadinga

[hans zurbriggen]

Hello Mr. Ggasson
I have never seen any Tirpitz photo with them, too .

Hello Mr.Wadinga,
I am not sure I understand when you say 'rack' but Bismarck sailed with 'NES' for her mission. Images in Grimstadfjord show they were still in place both in front of tower under projector platform (Unteres Scheinwerferdeck) and at foretop (Vormars) sides: here starboard side.

hans

Grimstadfjord.jpg (19.81 KiB) Viewed 1345 times

[wadinga]

Hello Hans,

I suspect these flat featureless plates are merely mounting brackets for the lights, normally installed as two sets, but there appear to be no actual lights installed in Grimstadfjord. OTOH The photo quality may be inadequate to show them.

Herr Nilsson's picture shows the lights installed on similar flat plates on the bridge of a much smaller vessel.

All the best

wadinga

[Herr Nilsson]

I suspect these flat featureless plates are merely mounting brackets for the lights, normally installed as two sets, but there appear to be no actual lights installed in Grimstadfjord. OTOH The photo quality may be inadequate to show them.

The lights had to be removed in the daytime.

Herr Nilsson's picture shows the lights installed on similar flat plates on the bridge of a much smaller vessel.

It's Z39 in Boston.

Tirpitz

TP1.jpg (37.27 KiB) Viewed 1289 times

TP2.jpg (62.64 KiB) Viewed 1289 times

TP3.jpg (26.31 KiB) Viewed 1289 times

[Herr Nilsson]

Prinz Eugen

PG1.jpg (40.15 KiB) Viewed 1287 times

PG2.jpg (36.52 KiB) Viewed 1287 times

PG3.jpg (27.98 KiB) Viewed 1287 times