Re: Bismarck and her contemporaries by Bgile » Wed 5:50 pm There seems to always be a significant number of duds when heavy armor is encountered. However, a dud can sometimes be even more damaging than a bullet which explodes. For example, suppose a shell failed to explode and instead was deflected through the bottom of the ship?
Re: Bismarck at DS after the second turn by Antonio Bonomi » Wed 4:17 am
Bismarck at DS after the second turn - Page 16 - Naval History Forums
If Bismarck had trouble steering with propellers alone, other factors caused that most likely: Her big size when compared with P.Eugen? Convergent design of her propeller shafts? Did the Hipper or Scharnhorst classes have convergent shaft designs too?
Bismarck´s steam plant was a high temperature/high pressure on, at 58 kg/cm2, while the American´s was a little lower at 40 kg/cm2. Bismarck´s steam would attain a higher steam jet velocity, what would need a matching high rpm turbine for efficiency, which Bismarck´s single reduction gearing could not reach.
Bismarck's draft at 49406 tonnes = 10.2 meters. so we subtract 170cm from this @ 48.437 tonnes/cm = 8234 tonnes or 49406 -8234 = 41172 tonnes, which is less than I thought, but if we consider that Scharnhorst could make 29 knots with ~118000 shp, @ 39000 tonnes, this actually fits, considering the poorer L/B of Bismarck, so my estimate above, is a bit optimistic. Again, this only makes sense ...
Lest we forget, Sink the Bismarck was based on the 1959 historical novel Hunting the Bismarck by C.S.Forester. Forester made no pretense about it being anything more than a novel.