Search found 88 matches

by Saltheart
Wed May 09, 2012 10:48 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

With the Iowas the Americans used an 18 inch plate on a backing plate so maybe they had by then managed to make thick plates of good quality. .. They didn't. The Naval Research Lab in 1945 still found that this was intractable problem. The 18" Class B plates were of no better quality and were ...
by Saltheart
Tue May 08, 2012 4:45 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

Anyhow, If the battle was fought at 15km, I would be much more on the lookout for Washington exploding "a la Hood", as there was absolutely no immunity zone against Bismarck's heavy gunfire. 38cm impact at 15km would be at 570m/s, or 130MJ. Perforation would be ~ 500mm of Krupp KC n/A new...
by Saltheart
Tue May 08, 2012 4:41 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

Well the problem with 16" plates is the quality declining with increased thickness, or the resistance to penetration doesn't increase porportionally with increased thickness. The American ~15" homogenous plate thickness (its the main plate plus a backing plate) isn't providing much more r...
by Saltheart
Tue May 08, 2012 3:38 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

In reply to Dave Saxton. Yes I agree, I wouldn't expect a turret to survive heavy fire at 15km but that's what I was wondering about. I was wondering just how severe the damage would be and how badly it would affect Bismarck. It's one thing having a turret silenced it's another to have it smashed by...
by Saltheart
Tue May 08, 2012 1:34 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

At a similar range, KGV struck Bismarck twice on the main turrets. Both shots were deflected, but both turrets taken out. Theoreticaly, the 14"/L45 was more than capable of perforating the 340mm maximum armor, but real world obliquity thinks otherwise :) The 16"/L45 would allmost certainl...
by Saltheart
Tue May 08, 2012 12:48 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

If a 16 inch/45 shell weighing 2700 pounds fired from 15000 metres hit a Bismarck gun turret, what would happen? Would the shell penetrate clean through the face and detonate inside the turret completely detroying it or would it be rendered a dud but still obviously knock the turret completely out o...
by Saltheart
Sat May 05, 2012 11:00 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re:

G´day all All those bombs that hit Sharnhorst and went right through her in Brest did great damage. I have read only one account of serious bomb damage to Scharnhorst while in France, this on June 24th while she was conducting trials with a recently overhauled machinery north of La Pallice. A stick...
by Saltheart
Fri May 04, 2012 3:33 am
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck refuels and does repairs
Replies: 43
Views: 11586

Re: Bismarck refuels and does repairs

I like the scenario--but the odds of them being able to lift the entire bow of the Bismarck out of the water in the middle of the North Atlantic, especially when the entire British fleet was chasing him down, hell bent on vengeance at any price, are extremely unlikely even with the best equipped re...
by Saltheart
Fri May 04, 2012 3:23 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

I've noticed on the books page there is no mention of "Bismarck the final days of Germany's greatest battleship" by Niklas Zetterling and Michael Tamelander. It goes into great detail of the damage to Bismarck including the shot from Rodney that blew off the back of one of the main turrets...
by Saltheart
Fri May 04, 2012 3:11 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz shelling New York
Replies: 132
Views: 42756

Re: Tirpitz shelling New York

The Germans would undoubtly do this at night. Dash in and out under cover of darkness and be well on their way by dawn. As far as I know New Mexico had no radar at all in early 1942. Even in day light Tirpitz's radar ranged salvoes with absolutely state of the art fire control are likey going to hi...
by Saltheart
Fri May 04, 2012 3:04 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz shelling New York
Replies: 132
Views: 42756

Re: Tirpitz shelling New York

Hi Tommy, The shore batteries are alluded to in part on page one -old posts. Tirpitz can probably stand off beyond the range of most of these. Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen had special land bombardment additions to their firecontrol systems. These allowed them to be quite precise in shore bombardment at ...
by Saltheart
Wed May 02, 2012 11:48 pm
Forum: Bismarck General Discussion
Topic: Bismarck refuels and does repairs
Replies: 43
Views: 11586

Bismarck refuels and does repairs

Imagine if after the RN lost contact with Bismarck Lutjens chose not to head for St Nazaire anymore. Instead (and without making any long radio message) he heads in search of a support vessel. He wants to refuel, reammunition and do repairs. Then he'll decide again on whether to make for port or car...
by Saltheart
Wed May 02, 2012 11:33 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz shelling New York
Replies: 132
Views: 42756

Re: Tirpitz shelling New York

Of far greater concern to the Germans is air attack and protection from air attack into and out of the area, rather than an old, slow, badly over matched, battlewagon. Don't hold back on the battlewagon :) I agree completely about air attack. Whenever I've gone over this raid in my mind I've always...
by Saltheart
Wed May 02, 2012 11:02 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Tirpitz shelling New York
Replies: 132
Views: 42756

Re: Tirpitz shelling New York

Feb of 42.... Are the New Mexicos still on the east coast? Because if the tirpitz were to encounter any of them, her seagoing career would likely be much shortened I just checked them out and they were really good looking ships. 12x14 inch 50 calibre guns means a lot of trouble for Tirpitz. If it i...
by Saltheart
Wed May 02, 2012 10:37 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Washington
Replies: 229
Views: 52279

Re: Washington

If a turret is out of action then it's not firing and if you're in a fight to the death ... then the fact it's not firing is everything. Word! I never liked those quad turrets on Richelieu & Dunkerque. They were big targets, and one reasonably lucky hit and half their firpower is gone. Against ...