Naval History Forums

Thanks for getting these up Jose. Item no. 10 is a transatlanic undersea telecoms cable which by a bizarre chance runs straight across the wreck site. Any comments about the rest of the images are welcome. M

This is excellent. If i may thank Martin and Jose and all others.

On very quick look (all this could well be baloney):

#1 pass for now

#2 pass for now

#3 not a shell case expert

#4 looks familiar, part of mainmast or aft mast ?

#5 are we looking forward from aft at the port side admirals bridge ?

#6 unsure

#7 did they have EPRIBS(?) then ?

#8 this has got to be the main mast - maybe

#9 now this one follow on from earlier, hand rail and 'boxes' clearly visible, and it now looks like its on a mast

#10 no comments

#11 no comments

#12 the same i think

#13 is this the admirals bridge again ?

#14 is a reel of wire rope as far as i can determine

#15 no comments

#16 as per #5

sorry if this comes across cold, i don't mean it that way guys....really!!

i just want to add to the discussion, and give a quick response for thought.

i'd like to thank Martin and Jose again.

All the best.

30 knots, it is possible that it is from the same major piece of debris, which is the up-turned Admiral's bridge stack. There again, a lot handrails look the same! I would say we spent four or five hours criss-crossing the debris field, which is quite well dispersed since the ship capsized near the surface and a lot of superstructure had been blasted loose. I was particularly pleased to have found a chunk of the funnel.

Hi Martin,

I'm also pleased for you on your finding of a chunk of funnel.

Update on photo #9, its almost certainly the lower platform on the aft mast, you can see it in this photo, top left:

http://tinyurl.com/2wb5qv

Also, i think #5, #7, #11, #12, #13, and #16 are of the Admirals bridge. You can see similar underdeck framework/bracing detail shown in this photo:

http://tinyurl.com/yt6223

Many thanks and all the best.

More photos of wreck here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... =600560973

Hi Rico,
have these pictures been identified on the forum?
Nr.7 from the top: a signalman stand, upside-down, Admiralsbrücke!
Doesn't look right, no?
Rob.

Most pictures as for other forum members go ..contain an answer, and indeed the 'fire-hose cannister' is more likely a shell casing ( 3) But what about picture nr 2, can't make head nor tail....

Rob, if you mean the brass circular object, that is the Nachtfahranzeiger which was located on the main mast. There were lights around the rim to indicate to following ships the rudder position and the cross bars had light bulbs to illumniate the four arms in a combination of configurations to indicate current speed orders. We are seeing the back of the NFA here.

By referring to it as the ''back end'' presumably this means it is the side facing forward?

The reason for that query is of whether it could also be used for a ship ahead of Bismarck, such as the station taken by PE prior to the DS battle?

The side facing forward was obscured by the mast and the forward superstructure, so it had lighting only on the side facing aft, hence we do not see any of the lighting arrangements.

Hello Thomas,

it's probably not the NFA. The NFA can be seen here:

http://hmshood.com/hoodtoday/2001expedi ... inmast.jpg

In my opinion it looks different to the debris in this thread.



Here are my suggestions. I hope my translation of the german terms and definitions makes at least some sense :

First picture set: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1506#p14145

#1 crow’s nest of the rear Morse signal lamp at the mainmast (signal lamp is missing, but can be seen in the second set #8)

#2 part of radar antenna

#3 probably 38 cm shell casing (but hard to say without comparison of sizes)

#4 crane and underside of searchlight platform on the funnel

#5 searchlight mounting


Second picture set viewtopic.php?p=14175#p14175

#1 debris

#2 underside of a searchlight mounting

#3 probably 10.5 cm shell casing (once again hard to say without comparison of sizes)

#4 mainmast (retractable part is missing)

#5 small Morse signal platform on admiral’s bridge (this platform was attached shortly before Rheinuebung) (same as #16)

#6 rear signal platform (totally deformed)

#7 semaphore platform and bulwark of the 3 m-night-rangefinder on admiral’s bridge

#8 missing Morse signal lamp (see # 9 and first set #1) lying near the mainmast

#9 same as picture #1 in the first set with the "rear reserve AA battle control position" (I hope this is the right translation ) on top of the shelter for signalmen (#13)

#10 transatlantic cable

#11 bottom side of the admirals bridge /3.7cm AA gun on upper mast deck

#12 bulwark of the 3 m-night-rangefinder on admiral’s bridge

#13 shelter for signalmen on top of the rear signal platform

#14 wire reel

#15 3.7 cm AA gun

#16 small Morse signal platform on admiral’s bridge (same as #5)

Thanks for sharing these great photos. I visited the site of the wreck in 2009 while researching my novel Revontuli, that includes a chapter on the sinking. These pictures are the missing link that I would have liked to see then. Best regards, Andrew

Main guns did NOT have shell casings! All battleships used powder bags for the big guns.

Panzerfaust1945 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:39 am Main guns did NOT have shell casings! All battleships used powder bags for the big guns.

FYI German battleships did use shell casings.

NOT for the main battery guns! Have you ever even been inside a battleship turret, or barrette?