Naval History Forums

... Mmmm. Still hard to believe that a weapon platform like the Bismarck could be so lethal against Hood and PoW and just a few days later a totally ineffective combatant. Regards Steve To get a fair idea why this is not only NOT surprising but very much to be expected, you might want to look at Ge...

phil gollin wrote:
...
So the first idea that the scuttling order may have been given/passed was post-war ???

No - the survivors reports (dating I think from late '41) already mention scuttling Bismarck. So by then the Allies should have been well aware that the Germans hastened Bismarck's end.

Ciao,
Ufo

Hej Phil! Here on kbismarck you will find the reports from the survivors rescued by the Germans. As for the Allied PoW there are some sources available: In the National Archives at Kew you shall find the file: ADM 186/806 Interrogation of German naval survivors 1941 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.u...

Well - allow me to start with some general comments on this topic: I think it is a good thing to do to continue analysing those days gone by. One might find new clues, one might unearth new sights, one might just be able to put together two previously unrelated findings – well – and sometimes one ge...

At Eugene Slovers pages there is plenty to learn about the fine old art of Naval Gunnery: http://www.eugeneleeslover.com/GS-USN-PAGE.html Just browse and enjoy. And here: http://www.fischer-tropsch.org/primary_documents/gvt_reports/USNAVY/USNTMJ%20Reports/USNTMJ_toc.htm you find the more or less com...

Hej!

That's wonderful news!
Many Thanks for letting us know!

Ciao,
Ufo

Hej Keith!

Have you tried contacting Bugsier in Hamburg for information?
http://www.bugsier.de/index.php?language=uk
Since they had the tug for neigh on twenty years they might have some photos and some history on her. If you are lucky even from the time before she joined Bugsier's fleet.

Ciao,
Ufo

P.S.
Antonio, I do very much look forward to getting my hands on your analysis of the Denmark Straights Battle!

Ufo

Hej Antonio! The map of Bismarck’s last stand you present seems to be a worked up copy / paste from the official Admiralty file: Battle Summary No. 5; “Chase and Sinking of German Battleship Bismarck 23-27 May 1941” as amended in 1946 when the captured German records had been worked into the ‘Naval ...

In February 1941 the Seekriegsleitung, the German Naval High Command, discussed a memoir about the performance of the Kriegsmarine vessels during the first year of the war and of subsequent requirements for further projects. In depth and length the bad sea keeping qualities of Scharnhorst and Gneise...

The one the Mearns expedition found, they claim is Ceasar. They found very characteristic splash marks on its faceplate that match the direct hit it suffered. So that one is accounted for. The next is a guessing game. To me it looks on the pictures of the Cammeron expedition (John Assmussen’s page) ...

Seems every expedition is granted one turret. The David mearns Expedition claimed to have found Caesar, different from the one (I think unidentified one) found initially by Ballard. The picture they show http://www.hmshood.com/hoodtoday/2001expedition/index.html looks different from the turret the C...

If I find time, I sit down and do some precise calculations. For the moment from a quick guestimate: no! That battleships move sideways (or in fact in any direction) from the recoil of their guns is an (quite common) urban myth. The idea is said to be born from aerial pictures of BBs firing broadsid...

What are the advantages of the "All or nothing" over the "Incremental" armor scheme and viceversa? I think when you look at a certain armour scheme you also have to think about the context the ship is used in. For a ship that spends it’s life operating in various task forces as ...

For the German part you may find something here: http://german-navy.tripod.com/ (sorry – it seems to fill your whole screen with useless advertising windows – but then – lucky us to get all of this information and pictures for free these days.) Fine pictures though. And have a look there: http://www...