Unluckiest Warship

General naval discussions that don't fit within any specific time period or cover several issues.
VeenenbergR
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by VeenenbergR »

RF wrote:
In that scenario Scharnhorst is again surprised by the arrival of DOY, but would have a better chance of escape by using its superior speed to outrun DOY, and sacrificing the German destroyers to prevent the Allied destroyers going after Scharnhorst.
In that rough sea I suppose the Allied destroyers could not match the speed of the Scharnhorst, so there would be no need to sacrifice the German destroyers.
And even if they would have matched that speed, the superior armament of the Scharnhorst (still intact) could have prevented any serious attack from nearby.

In essence if the German destroyers had been left with her, she would have an improved chance to avoid damage and escape, while risking the loss of 1 or even more destroyers (see the similar battle a year before when the Germans lost a destroyer when it took the British cruisers for German ships).
lwd
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by lwd »

My impression is that the German DDs like rough weather even less than the British ones. I'm not at all sure that the historical record supports a lone BB being able to fend off attacks from numerous DDs.
Bgile
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by Bgile »

lwd wrote:My impression is that the German DDs like rough weather even less than the British ones. I'm not at all sure that the historical record supports a lone BB being able to fend off attacks from numerous DDs.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were unable to prevent even one destroyer from getting close enough to torpedo Scharnhorst. I think other destroyers are the best defense against destroyer attack.
JtD
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by JtD »

But it is different weather the ships are closing or one is running from the other. Sea state also plays a role.
lwd
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by lwd »

My comment was in regards to this:
VeenenbergR wrote:...And even if they would have matched that speed, the superior armament of the Scharnhorst (still intact) could have prevented any serious attack from nearby. ...
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Adolfo Ceño
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by Adolfo Ceño »

Difficult question!
How about the "Wasa"?
She had a certanly short career...
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RF
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by RF »

Agreed - I believe I mentioned this some months ago.....
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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Kyler
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by Kyler »

HMS Defence (Armored Cruiser during WW1)
"It was a perfect attack, Right Height, Right Range, Right cloud cover, Right speed,
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
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RF
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by RF »

Talking of WW1 there was also the unfortunate demisr of SMS Karlsruhe in 1914.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
richtea
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by richtea »

What about HMS Dasher,
at anchor, most of the crew below decks getting changed for
shore leave and then she explodes and sinks.
SI VIS PACEM,
PARA BELLUM
downes51
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by downes51 »

HMS Defence (1907) had an unlucky career.

It failed to prevent the breakout of the Goeben and Breslau which is popularly blamed for the bringing of Turkey into the war in 1914.

Shortly thereafter, scheduled to join Admiral Cradock's fleet in the South Atlantic in the hunt for Von Spee's squadron it was reassigned, causing it to miss the battle of Coronel in which it could have made all the difference between victory and the crushing defeat.

Then at Jutland it was one of the cruisers that just blew up under fire and lost with the total loss of life of it's entire crew (903 people).

Not a very good record on the whole.
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RF
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by RF »

And making its name rather unfortunate.
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
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neil hilton
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by neil hilton »

I have 3 candidates.
HMS Curacoa, rammed and cut in two by the Queen Mary while escorting her.
WW1 HMS Audacious, sunk after hitting a mine in the open sea.
HMS Prince of Wales. Thumped by Bismarck and then sunk by Japanese planes, the first ever sunk that way!
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Gary
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by Gary »

HMS Vanguard (WW1)
IJNS Mutsu
RM Leonardo Da Vinci
HMS Natal

All suffered internal explosions and blew up.

Blucher proved to be a "cursed" name for Germany - losing 2 ships in both wars!
God created the world in 6 days.........and on the 7th day he built the Scharnhorst
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Karl Heidenreich
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Re: Unluckiest Warship

Post by Karl Heidenreich »

Gary:
HMS Vanguard (WW1)
IJNS Mutsu
RM Leonardo Da Vinci
HMS Natal

All suffered internal explosions and blew up.
An Iowa Class BB also suffered an internal explosion but it didn't blew up.
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
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