In order to analyse Bismarck´s contemporaries I believe it´s fair to bring some info about the North Carolinas.
NORTH CAROLINA class.
The first pair of American treaty battleships were the North Carolina and Washington, laid down in 1937 and 1938 respectively. But their story started earlier, in 1935, as they were the result of a long series of design studies and compromises.
The requirement for "fast" battleships was becoming evident, forcing the USN away from the slow (23 knot) heavily armed and armored type it had traditionally preferred. The CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) expressed the view that was eventually adopted: enough speed to run down the fastest capital ships in the Pacific (the Kongo class, then rated at 26 knots). The four Kongo class battlecruisers were regarded as a particular "thorn in the side" by USN strategists in the years preceding WW II. This meant the new U.S. battleships should make a minimum of 27 knots. All subsequent U.S. battleships, except the special purpose Iowa class, would be designed to this standard. When polled, the senior officers with the Fleet favored the "battlecruiser" type (fast battleship) by a 9 to 7 margin. The senior officers in the War Plans Division favored the fast ship by a greater 5 to 1 margin.
In March of 1934, Japan had announced that she would not renew the naval treaties when they expired. As we have seen, the London Treaty of 1936, which was being negotiated as the North Carolinas were being designed, called for 14in guns and 35,000t, but had escalator clauses to allow 16in guns and 45,000t if a nonsignatory did not abide by the spirit of the treaty. Japan's noncompliance triggered these escalator clauses in time to provide 16in guns for the North Carolinas, but not equivalent armor protection. The design was by then too far advanced to allow much change in the protection scheme. In fact, the 16in guns were only possible because the design called for 12-14in guns in three quadruple turrets, and these had been designed with the same turret ring size as the triple 16in turrets BuOrd had wanted all along. BuOrd was not happy about reverting to the 14in gun for the new battleships, or with the risks inherent in developing a quadruple turret. Japanese non-compliance (also German and Italian, but that wasn't known then) allowed BuOrd to have its way and make America's treaty battleships the most powerful of the type.
The complexity and evolution of the design selection process is interesting. The following information on this topic is summarized from Norman Friedman's definitive book on the subject U.S. Battleships - An Illustrated Design History.
In all, 15 preliminary sketch designs were considered, and variations of the most promising were analyzed. Each was identified by a letter of the alphabet. The preliminary design finally chosen for further development ("K") was a 30.5kt proposal with 9-14in guns in three triple turrets, all forward of the superstructure (as in Nelson), and a 15in armor belt (immune zone 19,000-30,000 yards) on a 710ft hull. Several months passed before it was discovered that this layout did not result in the weight savings envisioned.
Sketch designs in the next step of the selection process, as the original "K" proposal was refined, eventually numbered 35! These were assigned Roman numerals. Variations in armament, armor, hull length, torpedo protection, speed, internal layout, in fact almost every specification, were explored. The first of this series were numbers I through V.
In January of 1936, Scheme IV was selected for further development. This design showed a 725ft hull on which was mounted 9-14in guns and a 12.125in belt (immune zone 21,400-30,000 yards); speed was down slightly to 30 knots. But the General Board wanted major changes, including 20-5in secondary guns (rather than the 12 carried by design IV). This resulted in three further sketch designs: IV-A, IV-B, and IV-C. None met the Board's requirements, particularly in terms of protection. By May of 1936 the General Board relented on very high speed--27 knots was perhaps adequate after all, if more armor could be worked in.
Designs numbered up to XV-E had been explored by the middle of June 1936. On June 25 the Board issued new tentative characteristics. Now they wanted a 28.5 knot ship with 11-14in guns and 16-5in secondary guns. The immune zone was to extend from 19,000 to 30,000 yards. This was a specification well balanced between speed, battery, and protection.
Preliminary Design responded with design XVI on 20 August 1936. This had a 714ft hull, 12-14in guns in three conventionally laid out quadruple turrets, an 11.2in belt sloped at 10 degrees, and a 27 knot speed. As the wrangling continued over the new battleship's design, XVI-A, XVI-B, XVI-C, and XVI-D appeared. XVI-C, in particular, was widely debated. It was 725ft long, carried 9-14in guns, a 13.6in belt, and made 30 knots. For a time this design was supported by the General Board.
In October of 1936 the characteristics of the new battleship were again revised by the General Board. Underwater protection was to be improved (tests had shown this to be necessary), the main armor belt thickened and more sharply angled, and more secondary guns worked in. Speed was allowed to decrease to 27 knots. This time the revised characteristics were signed by the Acting Secretary of the Navy, with the provision that the design allow 16in guns (in triple turrets) to be substituted for the planned 14in (in quadruple turrets) if necessary. A detailed design was then prepared which became the North Carolina class.
In March 1937 the gun caliber clause in the London Treaty was invoked, and in July 1937 BuOrd finally got the 16in guns they had campaigned for all along. 9-16in guns would be far more effective than 12-14in. And a triple turret was far less risky that the proposed quadruple turret. The North Carolina design, as planned, had been well balanced, carrying 14in guns and adequately protected against 1,500lb 14in shells. But with the adoption of the 16in gun (then firing a 2,250lb shell), the immune zone shrank to 21,000-27,700 yards over magazines, and only 23,200-26,000 yards over machinery. Note that the ship's armor had not changed, just the standard of comparison. Also note that against the U.S. 16in/2,250lb shell, Japan's 16in gun battleships, the Nagato class, had no immunity at all! In fact, by the start of the Pacific war, North Carolina and Washington carried the new super heavy 2,700lb 16in shell, against which they (and most other battleships in the world) had virtually no immune zone. This new shell made the American 16in gun nearly equal to the Japanese 18.1in gun (3,220lb shell) carried by the giant Yamato class.
The specifications of the North Carolina class (as built) were as follows:
Displacement: (Washington) 37,484t standard; 44,377t full load Dimensions: 714ft 6in wl, 728ft 9in oa x 108ft 4in x 32ft 11in full load Machinery: 4-shaft General Electric turbines, 8 Babcock & Wilson boilers, 121,000shp = 28kts. Oil 6,260t, range17,450mn @ 15kts Armor: Belt 12in-6.6in on .75in STS backing, armor deck 5.5in-5in with 1.45in weather deck and .62-.75in splinter deck, bulkheads 11in, barbettes 14.7in-16in, turrets 16in face, 7in roof, 9.8in side, 11l8in rear, CT 14.7in-16in with 7in roof Armament: 9-16in/45 (3x3), 20-5in.38 DP (10x2), 16-1.1in AA (4x4), 12-.5in light AA (12x1), 3 aircraft Complement: 1880
In appearance, North Carolina and Washington were handsome, well proportioned and well balanced ships with a flush deck and a conventional layout. Twin funnels, a graceful prow, a tall fire control tower, and a cruiser stern were recognizable features of their design. I have always regarded them as the most handsome of all U.S. battleships (see my article "Great Capital Ships, 1920 to 1990").
North Carolina was commissioned on 9 April 1941, and Washington on 15 May 1941. Severe (unforeseen) propeller vibration problems on trials at speeds from 25-27 knots caused various propeller combinations (3, 4, and 5 bladed types of various diameters) to be experimented with. The North Carolina received the nickname "Showboat" due to her many trips in and out of New York harbor. On various trials during December 1941, Washington made 28 knots at 42,100t, and 27.1 knots at 45,000t at full power.
Like all wartime battleships, the North Carolinas received increased electronics and AA battery as the war went on. By August 1945 the Washington carried 15 quadruple 40mm Bofors mounts, 1-quadruple 20mm mount, 8-twin 20mm mounts, and 63-single 20mm mounts.
The best point of the class was probably their offensive firepower. Their main battery was second to none, with a broadside weight of 24,300 pounds. They (and the similar South Dakotas) also carried the best secondary battery, the best AA battery, and the best fire control of all treaty battleships. They were extremely maneuverable, with a tactical diameter of 575 yards at 14.5 knots. They had great range and endurance, again superior to the battleships of all other nations. They were seaworthy. Their underwater protection was superior to that of the other American 3rd generation battleships.
They were later criticized for being "unbalanced" (armament vs. armor), but it must be remembered that in fact they were adequately protected. If they had been completed with 12-14in guns (3x4) as originally planned, they would have been "balanced," and no one would have complained. Substituting the triple 16in gun turret for the quadruple 14in gun turret on a one-for-one basis did not make the ships any larger or heavier; it just gave them a much more effective offensive punch. It was only the marked superiority of the American 16in gun and super heavy 2,700lb shell (compared to the gun/shell combination carried by all other nations' Treaty battleships) that made them seem "unbalanced." A useful analogy might be this: which would you rather put your money on, a heavyweight boxer with a good chin and a good punch, or one with a good chin and a great punch? In theoretical comparisons made by BuShips in December 1941, the North Carolinas fared well against either King George V or Bismarck.
Both ships served throughout the Second World War, participating in a great many campaigns in both the Atlantic and Pacific. They proved to be very satisfactory in service, and were generally regarded as superior in operation to the very cramped South Dakota class which followed.
The most significant moment of North Carolina's wartime service occurred when she was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-15, on 15 September 1942. The torpedo hit on the left side just behind number 1 barbette (and abeam the forward magazine), and blew an 18x32 foot hole in the hull. This let in about 970t of seawater, and buckled the second and third decks. Within minutes the ship was able to make 24 knots. After the incident BuShips stated that the underwater protection system had performed much as designed and no changes were indicated. The North Carolina class underwater protection was superior to that of the subsequent South Dakota and Iowa classes (which verged on being defective due to unwise changes in the whole theory of underwater protection), although this was probably not realized at the time.
North Carolina, the famous "Showboat," was the only U.S. treaty battleship retained in active service post-war. In 1961 she was stricken from the Navy list, but preserved as a war memorial at Wilmington, North Carolina, where you can see her today.
Washington became the most successful American battleship of WW II. Her most glorious moment in the war came during the night of 13-14 November 1942, when she sank the Japanese battlecruiser Kirishima in a wild night action called the Second Battle of Guadalcanal. Kirishima and her accompanying cruisers and destroyers had just disabled the new U.S. battleship South Dakota, when Washington slipped to within 8,400 yards of Kirishima and overwhelmed her with 16in and 5in shellfire. Washington was not hit in this action, which was primarily a tribute to American radar, fire control, and the offensive firepower of the North Carolina class. It is interesting that Kirishima was one of the Kongo class battlecruisers that, back in 1935, had so markedly influenced the concept that eventually became the North Carolina class. Washington was sold for scrap in 1961.
It´s quite interesting the part where the author refers to the critics calling the North Carolinas as unbalanced (armament vs. armour) and the way he discards the falacy.
She didn't even come close!!! 
She left that for the Japanese!
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