Naval History Forums

Hello Mr dunmunro. True enough. 'The Admiralty was taking calculated risks when it ordered RN ships to maintain the hunt for Bismarck despite their fuel state, as the Admiralty had provide options to refuel ships at sea.' But I think you have forgotten the last piece of information/advice the Admir...

Again I stand corrected by Mr dunmunro. The Royal Navy was conducting oiling at sea (OAS) pre-war and in the early years of the War. Thank you for the examples of destroyers being refueled by battleships in the Mediterranean – robbing Peter to pay Paul. And the use of RFA Brown Ranger during Operat...

I stand corrected on a technicality. While I concede that the RN had ‘Tankers’ from the outbreak of the Second World War, they were far from proficient in the practice of replenishment at sea (RAS) for some time. I respectfully submit that it was not until 1942 that the practice of RAS in the Atlan...

Hi Paul. I think you have identified one of the crtical issues, namely, slowing the Bismarck down. This was Tovey's problem when he was chasing Bismarck historically. And Ark Royal and it's Swordfish delivered. Could KGV and Repulse slow the Bismarck down in a 'short action'? I feel another critica...

The situation at 0800 25 May (Battle Summary 5):

Actually, two Fulmars from Victorious were lost, with one crew being recovered from their inflatable life raft, after 36 hours in the sea, and two of her Swordfish were also lost on recon missions, with one crew finding the aforementioned lifeboat, and being recovered after 8 days at sea.

Regarding the Bismarck's Arado AR196. I acknowledge that the weather was far from ideal for floatplane operations. Admiral Tovey reported the following: ACTION OF 27TH MAY. Weather: Wind—north-west, force 8.* (Fresh gale, 34-40 m.p.h.) Weather—overcast; rain squalls. Visibility—12-13 miles. Sea and...

Regarding the Bismarck's Arado AR196. I also found it unusual that the damage to the catapult had not been identified earlier. But, in some ways this highlights my assertion that the German Commanders were showing poor judgement regarding the potential use of their floatplane. That it, the Bismarck...

Greetings fellow Members. I have always wondered about how little use there was by either the German or British 'Commanders' of their shipborne aircraft/floatplanes. Bismarck is supposed to have carried four Arado AR196, and Prinz Eugen three. KGV and PoW were capable of carrying four Walrus each, ...

Greetings fellow Members. I have always wondered about how little use there was by either the German or British 'Commanders' of their shipborne aircraft/floatplanes. Bismarck is supposed to have carried four Arado AR196, and Prinz Eugen three. KGV and PoW were capable of carrying four Walrus each, ...

You might want to look into the following book: On His Majesty's Service - Observations of the British Home Fleet from the diary, reports, and letters of Joseph H. Wellings, Assistant U.S. Naval Attache, London, 1940-1941 Note - This book can be freely PDF downloaded at the USNWC Historical Monogra...

Greetings all. I wonder if anyone has found any hard evidence for the light cruiser HMS Neptune's involvement with the Bismarck 23-27 May 1941? The reason I ask is that HMS Neptune was granted the Royal Navy Battle Honour 'BISMARCK' (23-27 May). The basis for identifying if a ship was eligible for ...

Hello Mr. Dunmunro, your statements are based on British observations only (from remote ships, and even not in agreement among them). However any German open fire at 05:52 or 05:53 (as you seem to claim) would be against all official German reports written by German officers (who ordered this open ...

The Baron could have heard that statement later in the wardroom from someone else. He may even say that in his book. Admittedly hearsay, but this isn't a court of law. The problem is that we have a Bismarck survivor recounting hearsay in a book and using timings gained from other sources, and this ...

I will let you end the argument on the accuracy issue, because otherwise bismarck would obviously sink all the British ships easily at twice their range. Incidentally, even after the bismarck was lost, the Germans were still stronger. The two German cruisers were capable of penetrating the King Geo...