HMS Rodney gunnery report for 27 May 1941

[dunmunro]

https://www.benjidog.co.uk/battleships/Rodney4.php

about 1/2 way down the page is a complete copy or her Gunnery Action report against Bismarck.

You'll note that one reply to the report is that Rodney scored no 16in hits for the first 20mins of the action:

The last comment on Longley-Cook's paper, by a senior person who's name I can't make out, says: "This is pretty grim reading. A failure of the Gunnery Team and no hits for the first 20 minutes. I would like to see this again after divisional and departments have remarked."

[dunmunro]

The above should read:

about 1/2 way down the page is a complete 27 page copy of her Gunnery Action report against Bismarck, along with Admiralty comments and replies.

[José M. Rico]

Thank you for posting this!

[paul.mercer]

https://www.benjidog.co.uk/battleships/Rodney4.php

about 1/2 way down the page is a complete copy or her Gunnery Action report against Bismarck.

You'll note that one reply to the report is that Rodney scored no 16in hits for the first 20mins of the action:

The last comment on Longley-Cook's paper, by a senior person who's name I can't make out, says: "This is pretty grim reading. A failure of the Gunnery Team and no hits for the first 20 minutes. I would like to see this again after divisional and departments have remarked."

If Rodney was on her way to the US for a refit, would she have had a full complement of her original crew or a 'scratch' crew put together for the voyage? if so this could be the reason for the poor shooting. Also, Rodney's captain was manoeuvring his ship to avoid getting hit which would make accurate firing difficult, even so, Rodney opened fire at 0947 and apparently scored the first hit which disabled Bismarck's forward turrets at 0902 -that's 15 minutes not 20!

[dunmunro]

https://www.benjidog.co.uk/battleships/Rodney4.php

about 1/2 way down the page is a complete copy or her Gunnery Action report against Bismarck.

You'll note that one reply to the report is that Rodney scored no 16in hits for the first 20mins of the action:

The last comment on Longley-Cook's paper, by a senior person who's name I can't make out, says: "This is pretty grim reading. A failure of the Gunnery Team and no hits for the first 20 minutes. I would like to see this again after divisional and departments have remarked."

If Rodney was on her way to the US for a refit, would she have had a full complement of her original crew or a 'scratch' crew put together for the voyage? if so this could be the reason for the poor shooting. Also, Rodney's captain was manoeuvring his ship to avoid getting hit which would make accurate firing difficult, even so, Rodney opened fire at 0947 and apparently scored the first hit which disabled Bismarck's forward turrets at 0902 -that's 15 minutes not 20!

As I've mentioned previously in other threads, KGV's FC was far superior to Rodney's and the probability is that she scored the large majority of the early hits. Trying to attribute specific hits to either ship is problematic, at best.

Most of your questions are answered by the gunnery report.

[Byron Angel]

Re Fire Control Tables, IIRC -
RODNEY - AFCT Mk I
KING GEORGE V - AFCT Mk V

Byron

[dunmunro]

Re Fire Control Tables, IIRC -
RODNEY - AFCT Mk I
KING GEORGE V - AFCT Mk V

Byron

KGV class had a Mk IX AFCT. They also had fully stabilized director sights and RFs along with superior cross leveling gear, not to mention Type 284 and Type 279 radar.

[Byron Angel]

Re Fire Control Tables, IIRC -
RODNEY - AFCT Mk I
KING GEORGE V - AFCT Mk V

Byron

KGV class had a Mk IX AFCT. They also had fully stabilized director sights and RFs along with superior cross leveling gear, not to mention Type 284 and Type 279 radar.

You are correct as to Fire Control Table, dunmunro. The AFCT Mk IX was fitted on all ships of the KGV Class.
It Was HOOD that had the AFCT Mk V.

B

[dunmunro]

Re Fire Control Tables, IIRC -
RODNEY - AFCT Mk I
KING GEORGE V - AFCT Mk V

Byron

KGV class had a Mk IX AFCT. They also had fully stabilized director sights and RFs along with superior cross leveling gear, not to mention Type 284 and Type 279 radar.

You are correct as to Fire Control Table, dunmunro. The AFCT Mk IX was fitted on all ships of the KGV Class.
It Was HOOD that had the AFCT Mk V.

B

I'm sure you meant to say that Hood had a Mk V Dreyer Table:

http://www.hmshood.org.uk/ship/fire_control.htm

[TTTT]

I've often read that Rodney had a reduced reserve crew on this mission, since she was going to to USA for a refit, but from this AAR it seems that the difference from her "standard crew" wasn't really that comprehensive.

[Byron Angel]

Re Fire Control Tables, IIRC -
RODNEY - AFCT Mk I
KING GEORGE V - AFCT Mk V

Byron

KGV class had a Mk IX AFCT. They also had fully stabilized director sights and RFs along with superior cross leveling gear, not to mention Type 284 and Type 279 radar.

You are correct as to Fire Control Table, dunmunro. The AFCT Mk IX was fitted on all ships of the KGV Class.
It Was HOOD that had the AFCT Mk V.

B

Hi dunmunro,
Once again, thanks for catching my error - definitely a brain fart on my part.

Byron

[Thorsten Wahl]

https://www.kbismarck.org/forum/viewtop ... f=1&t=9246

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