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by dunmunro
Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:09 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

First a cross-section of various TD Systems:

Image

I'll post more in a few hours.
by dunmunro
Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:16 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Prince of Wales' Radar at Denmark Strait.
Replies: 29
Views: 4048

Re: Prince of Wales' Radar at Denmark Strait.

Holland would have certainly wanted radar ranging as much as possible, because of the stark difference in accuracy between radar and the typical accuracy of the small topside optical rangefinders then used on RN warships. The accuracy of Type 284 was 240 yards, but the typical accuracy of the optic...
by dunmunro
Wed Aug 05, 2009 5:17 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

dunmuro: Yamato also suffered from "... the structural arragement the belt do not allowed the torpedo bulhead to deform properly when hit and failed to resist the impact ..." and this was proven in December 1943 when a torpedo hit did far more damage than was expected because of the belt ...
by dunmunro
Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:05 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

There is one ship that checks out well, even for US experts: the Yamato disposition of side armour and ATS system. After the war this experts examined the drawings of Yamato and regarded the depth of her defense as a far more effective than theirs. Yamato also suffered from "... the structural...
by dunmunro
Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:38 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

Roskill, page 404: "In the PoW no results were obtained with either of her sets throughout the action. Yet the Suffolk using a set identical to that fitted to the battleship's main armament was successful in holding the Bismarck out to ten miles range. Whether the failure to obtain good ranging...
by dunmunro
Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:36 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

Roskill, page 404: " In the PoW no results were obtained with either of her sets throughout the action. Yet the Suffolk using a set identical to that fitted to the battleship's main armament was successful in holding the Bismarck out to ten miles range. Whether the failure to obtain good rangin...
by dunmunro
Sun Aug 02, 2009 10:42 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

I thought it was Roskill who performed the inspection and though I have lost contact with the report he produced, I seem to recall that it was inconclusive and that no actual defect was located. It seems odd to me that a defective set could give a good RDF range 13 hours after a battle in which a d...
by dunmunro
Sun Aug 02, 2009 7:17 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

PoW Radar

PoW had at DS: a type 281 AW set. a type 284 GS set. She was never fitted with a type 279. She may have had 4 type 285 sets, but there is some evidence stating that their installation was not completed until after DS. The statement by Paddon, the type 281 (not 284) radar operator, indicates that his...
by dunmunro
Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:16 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

The Gunnery Aspects Report, written about 2 weeks after the battle states that no radar ranges were used. The Type 281 radar operator Paddon, a Canadian stated that he was providing accurate ranges on "3" targets at 26000 yds, so obviously there was a problem with his set. I'll admit to be...
by dunmunro
Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:25 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

One other factor, is that KGV's type 284 did work and was providing ranges at the same distance as that when PoW opened fire. The accuracy of Hood's initial salvos also point to her type 284 functioning correctly, so we have Hood, KGV and Suffolk with functioning type 284 radars and then PoW's fails...
by dunmunro
Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:54 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

According to McMullen, the fire control radar was only calibrated to 24,000 yards. Of the search radar, which could also range on surface targets, he says: No range was obtained before opening fire from the air warning radar set; I think (but am not certain} due to having been switched-off and slow...
by dunmunro
Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:03 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

I have been reading through: Radar Development to 1945 , Burns (edit). and on page 93 it states: "The surface equipment, Type 284 was first fitted on the DCT in HMS KGV at a height of 30.6m in December 1940. Trials of these sets gave the following maximum reliable ranges: CL, Dido class: 32200m...
by dunmunro
Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:01 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: The Hit in Bismarck's bow
Replies: 42
Views: 9360

Re: The Hit in Bismarck's bow

Minor point; PoW's 'X' turret should read 'Y' turret!
by dunmunro
Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:26 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

Everything went wrong for PoW on the morning of May 24, but her gunnery was still quite good. Curious how easily a failure of a system is disregarded as a general fault in allied BB. The same failure in an axis one, specially Bismarck, would have been severely labeled as a design flaw and will be u...
by dunmunro
Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:26 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck and her contemporaries
Replies: 1296
Views: 215390

Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries

This issue is still not addressed even after I have bring it to the table several times: USS Washington was also firing at night, but under calm conditions and scored at least 9 hits out of 75 on Kirishima and possibly many more, up to 20, for a hit ratio of 12% to 26%. against: ... the barrage sta...