Prinz Eugen towing Bismarck?

Discussions about the history of the ship, technical details, etc.

Moderator: Bill Jurens

Laurenz
Member
Posts: 180
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:57 am
Location: mainz germany

Tommy's

Post by Laurenz »

datas are correct. When PE stayed with Bismarck, PE would have needed fuel from the big brother.
Bismarck could not do anything outside against the rudder damage caused by weather conditions, thats true, too. But internally they could have cut the connections of the rudder in the case another ship could assist with a torpedo hit against the damaged rudder.
For shuttle:
Even big battleships as Bismarck had the opportunity to use torpedos.
Kind regards,
L.
Bgile
Senior Member
Posts: 3658
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:33 pm
Location: Portland, OR, USA

Re: Tommy's

Post by Bgile »

Laurenz wrote:datas are correct. When PE stayed with Bismarck, PE would have needed fuel from the big brother.
Bismarck could not do anything outside against the rudder damage caused by weather conditions, thats true, too. But internally they could have cut the connections of the rudder in the case another ship could assist with a torpedo hit against the damaged rudder.
For shuttle:
Even big battleships as Bismarck had the opportunity to use torpedos.
Kind regards,
L.
Why do you say these outlandish things? Please ... at least read about some of these things if you are going to make posts about them.

Bismarck's crew worked for a very long time trying to disconnect the damaged rudder and failed. You actually think someone can shoot a torpedo at another ship and hit a small target like a rudder? And what the explosion would do to Bismarck?
Lutscha
Member
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 5:20 pm
Location: Germany

Post by Lutscha »

Another torpedo against her stern? German ships were notorious to loose them, but at least the rudder is gone... O_o

You should start to consult serious sources and stop posting nonsense.
shuttlefan101
Member
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: BURKE VA

Post by shuttlefan101 »

ya but there taking a big risk, there two. but it might work, then used PE as a great sea anchor, which would give bismarck limited steering, at least she'd be able to make port.
Nikki
User avatar
Karl Heidenreich
Senior Member
Posts: 4808
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:19 pm
Location: San José, Costa Rica

Post by Karl Heidenreich »

I would like to sea a 18,000 ton cruiser towing a 50,000+ ton battleship in rough seas, in middle of the war, with enemy ships, planes and submarines en route to the French Coast.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
shuttlefan101
Member
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: BURKE VA

Post by shuttlefan101 »

but would she have been able to make port with Prinz Eugen help or for the matter her sisters help.
Nikki
User avatar
Karl Heidenreich
Senior Member
Posts: 4808
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:19 pm
Location: San José, Costa Rica

Post by Karl Heidenreich »

Maybe in peacetime with clear skies and the prayers of the faithfull. But not in war with rough seas.
Nope, don´t think so.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
shuttlefan101
Member
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2007 1:21 pm
Location: BURKE VA

Post by shuttlefan101 »

come on you and i both know she didn't have a prayer on her own to get back to port .. ok i can see this is a fight i'm not going to win
Nikki
iankw
Member
Posts: 196
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 11:41 pm
Location: Rotherham, England

Post by iankw »

PE didn't have the fuel to do it, shuttle. OK so she could refuel from BS, but you can't be at the front towing and at the back refuelling at the same time! So a very complicated procedure would have to follow for PE to nip back and forth to tow/refuel/tow/refuel. You think the RN are just going to watch while this happens?

As for blowing the rudder off with a torpedo, I think the RN would supply them just to save themselves the shells.

Let us not forget also that, whilst BS was a beautiful ship, very powerful, and full of dedicated and brave sailors, her survival would have meant the deaths of many merchant seamen. It's a sad fact that such a beautiful ship was being controlled by an evil regime.

regards

Ian
User avatar
RF
Senior Member
Posts: 7760
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:15 pm
Location: Wolverhampton, ENGLAND

Post by RF »

To attempt a towing operation would have been more feasible by using tugs and other expedible ships operating from the Biscay ports. However they would not have reached Bismarck in time even if they had been able to set sail.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
Laurenz
Member
Posts: 180
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:57 am
Location: mainz germany

:-)

Post by Laurenz »

Dear Bgile,
dear Lutscha,
i know the that the rudder damage caused the flooding of some parts in the stern section.
This thread dicuss the theoretically that Lütjens kept PE beside Bismack, correct?
The weather conditions were too bad for divers, correct?
When your ship is not able to manouvre and the enemy is one day behind you, the conclusion is you will lose your ship. So its better to take risk to have a small chance than to do nothing. And a torpedo from another ship is a possible solution.
And Bismarcks 2 rudders were so small?
Another possebility is to towl the damaged rudder by PE. Maybe it would have helped to move it again.

Kind regards,
L.
User avatar
wadinga
Senior Member
Posts: 2471
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:49 pm
Location: Tonbridge England

Towing

Post by wadinga »

All,

This business is all imagination. Try turning the steering wheel of your car to full right or left, then take the key out, then try and get somebody to tow it. It can't be done.

PG was good at ramming light cruisers and almost cutting them in half. Maybe this was a talent which could have been tried. However all it would have done is deliver two disabled ships to Tovey.

All the Best
wadinga
"There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today!"
Bgile
Senior Member
Posts: 3658
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2005 7:33 pm
Location: Portland, OR, USA

Post by Bgile »

Agree 100% with Wadinga.
Ricky

Re: Prinz Eugen towing Bismarck?

Post by Ricky »

It was not possible for P E to tow Bismarck even if she was there because Bismarck was almost constant attack by destroyers most of the night, its not possible to hook up a tow under constant torpedoe attack, not to mention the very rough sea conditions.
alecsandros
Senior Member
Posts: 4349
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 2:33 pm
Location: Bucharest, Romania

Re: Prinz Eugen towing Bismarck?

Post by alecsandros »

Ricky wrote:It was not possible for P E to tow Bismarck even if she was there because Bismarck was almost constant attack by destroyers most of the night, its not possible to hook up a tow under constant torpedoe attack, not to mention the very rough sea conditions.
... True,
still there is the possibility that there would have been no rudder torp hit, had PRinz Eugen been there.
Her flak, well trained crew, and simple confusing presence might have changed things significantly.

Without the rudder hit, there would have been no night-interception by Vian's destroyers or by HMS Sheffield.

We can't know what would have happened on the 27th - perhaps Ark Royal's torp-bobmers would have crippled both ships, and allowed the British heavy ships to converge on them and destroy them.

But insofar as the fatal torp hit on May 26th goes, my gut says there was a good chance that wouldn't have happened at all, provided the Prinz were nearby.
Post Reply