Modifications to Tirpitz

[Admiral-scheer]

That is true Bgile that no shot actually hit the catapult.

The shot from POW hit one of the boats on top of the hangar and the boat was shattered (source: Battleship Bismarck a Survior's Story)

[Bgile]

That is true Bgile that no shot actually hit the catapult.

The shot from POW hit one of the boats on top of the hangar and the boat was shattered (source: Battleship Bismarck a Survior's Story)

Indeed. In any event it was apparently fragmentation from that hit which damaged the catapault, although the damage wasn't discovered until later.

[costas]

Thanks Bgile. Bad luck even for the War Diary.

[Admiral-scheer]

Earlier Costas mentionned some improvements on the Tirpitz that could have had a different effect durning Rheinbung. It is known that during the trials of the Bismarck in Baltic that it turbines (Blohm and Voss geared turibnes) had difficulty turning with both rudders locked.

But we know that the Tirpitz had Brown-Boveri geared turbines not Blohm and Voss geared turbines. Would this have made it easier to steer after the rudder hit? Didn't PE suffer a hit in the stern from HMS Trident and still managed to run with Brown-Boveri geared turbines? (Prinz Eugen having Brown-Boveri geared turbines I am not sure about)

[marcelo_malara]

Which would be the difference in the maker of the turbine in steering with the damaged rudder?

[Laurenz]

WoW, Antonios Tirpitz scedule is fantastic.
So we can point out that Tirpitz was in a better shape than Bismarck.

To the discussion here.
Maybe Lindemann did not trained the AA-guys enough, but who knows.
When i watched the interviews with swordfish pilots, they reported the difficulties to attack Bismarck, a wall of AA-shells in front of the cockpit.
Additionally the difficult task to set up the torpedo into the water.

Maybe a big number of triple based MG-42 would had been more sucsessful against the swordfish :-)

Kind regards,
L.

[Admiral-scheer]

Which would be the difference in the maker of the turbine in steering with the damaged rudder?

That is true but I am wondering if Brown-Boveri geared turbines had better steering without rudder assitence (Blohm and Voss geared turibnes did not).

[marcelo_malara]

Sorry, I still don´t grasp your point. The function of the turbine is convert the vapor pressure in rotational kinetic energy. They have no mechanism to point the shaft so the ship would be steered without rudder, like an outboard. So no matter the maker of the turbine is, the inability would persist. It has already been discussed in another thread, that the problem was that the shafts of BS were to close to the centreline of the ship to produce enough lever to overcome the lateral pressure of the seas and the force of the waves.

[Admiral-scheer]

I understand now, thank-you for the explanation Marcelo.

[costas]

Marcelo,
The propulsion plant in Tirpitz was more powerful; this generates more torque. Have they tried to steer the ship with screws alone?

[RF]

The proof here is of whether it was tried on Tirpitz and with what result.

[marcelo_malara]

Ok, I understand now the question of the turbine: just a matter of power. Let´s the experts answer if it was tried.

[Bgile]

I believe the Bismarck's steering problems were severe enough that no combination of screw rotation succeeded in allowing the ship to steer east.

A small difference in turbines wouldn't make any difference. The problem was with the hydrodynamics.