Naval History Forums

The mining effect from such large high explosive warheads could have been catastrophic. There was the potential for a torpedo exploding several meters under the keel type of effect. Nonetheless, the Tirpitz was subjected to severe under water explosions when it was attacked by the X-craft and also d...

It would depend on how powerful is measured. In terms of firepower there were several capital ships with more powerful main batteries. The Nagato, Maryland, and Nelson classes carried 16-inch guns. The Hood carried eight 15"/42 guns. However, expanding our analysis to include other factors such...

dunmunro wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2019 1:32 am Season Greetings to everyone!

Despite the sometimes acrimony, I do wish everyone here season's greetings and a merry and successful new year.

Thank you. I too wish everyone a merry Christmas and a prosperous and happy new year.

The NC's IZ was from 18,000 yards to 28,000 yards vs the new 14"/50 firing a 1500 lb projectile. (see G&D) Malcolm Muir, in his book The Iowa Class Battleships included the IZ specs in an appendix as well as including some commentary in the General Board minutes about IZ that you may find h...

The important factors affecting oblique penetration performance have to do the head shape.

Tovey's report is valuable because rather than based on tests of small sample size, it is compiled from a larger sample size of empirical observations during operations of the fleet. It therefore represents a real world average. Included in that average would be sets mounted on both cruisers (a larg...

Ellis reported that the 284 on Suffolk could hold the Bismarck out to an absolute maximum of 13 miles on occasion. Examination of the records of the shadowing, indicate that contact was regained in most cases after resting the set, or if contact had been lost, at about 18,000 yards.

Hi Dave, I repeat that possibly the message (sent at 20:00 on March 27) was intercepted and decrypted. However it did never reach Cunningham, who was already at sea. Assuming that specific message, and that it is time documented correctly, was the only source of that particular Intel available to t...

Hello everybody, "OK so Mr Virtuani, do you believe Mavis Lever and Hugh Lee misremembered the long message being sent to Cunningham before he sailed? " Yes I do. I repeat that I don't know whether the message was intercepted and decrypted (it possibly was, at was time I don't know), but ...

We may not be too sure of Hinsley's "specifics" here. This is a return to the Luftwaffe Enigma was the leak theory disproved by Divita. The short X-3 message with the Luftwaffe message (assumed) details is way too vague and lacking in information to explain Cunningham's moves. The fatal me...

Yes, the chronology given by me above does need some correction. It was on the 27th, or X-1, that the second message, a long message, and the fatal, message was received. The source for this is Mavis Batey herself, as she wrote in her book: https://books.google.com/books/about/Dilly.html?id=V7utQAAA...

Hitler was always looking east. Now with his hubris unchecked he strikes east. Perhaps he prevails. A new Dark Ages commences.

The information was quickly transferred to Cunningham at Alexandria. Cunningham sent the flying boat and planned to sail just after dark. He went ashore for a round of golf, knowing the Japanese consul would be at the golf course. He also knew that the Japanese consul would inform the Italians that ...

The British cryptanalysts began to try and construct cribs under the assumption that the addressee of the message would be given with the phrase: “ per (the name of the addressee)”. A 19 years old linguist by the name of Mavis Lever discovered that the Italians were no longer using that phrase in th...

Winterbotham got some details wrong in his description of how Ultra set up Matapan. Winterbotham implied that it was the German Luftwaffe Enigma that revealed the plans to the British. Iachino did not send any naval messages prior to Matapan but had arranged the operation by giving all orders via la...