Battleship Bismarck
German warships

Battleship Bismarck

Bismarck class (two ships: Bismarck and Tirpitz)
Type: Battleship
History: Under the terms of the Anglo-German Naval Treaty of 1935, Germany was permitted to build up her naval strength to 35% of that of the Royal Navy. Shortly afterwards the German government decided on the construction of two new battleships which under the terms of the Treaty were limited to a maximum displacement of 35,000 tons standard. The ships were to be armed with a twin 38-cm (15-in) gun mounting which had been under development by Krupp since 1934. Design work, based on studies started in 1933, began almost immediately and it soon became clear that the requirements for the new ships could not be accommodated within the specified 35,000 tons. The Treaty terms were therefore ignored and the final design was for ships exceeding 40,000 tons. In 1938 the Treaty limit was raised to 45,000 tons, which theoretically legalized the design, but by her action Germany had gained a two-year advantage.

The battleship Bismarck, launched on Februray 14, 1939, is seen here during her extensive trials, which were carried out from Kiel, in the Baltic, between August 1940 and May 1941.

The design of the new ships, which became
the Battleship Bismarck and Tirpitz, was a mixture of both advanced and dated features, for although the German steel and armament industries had made substantial progress since 1919, ideas on general battleship construction had changed little. The best features were the use of a new high-tensile steel in a hull that was 90% welded, which resulted in a substantial saving of weight, the fitting of a very advanced fire-control system and an excellent armament. The beam was comparatively wide, which theoretically allowed more space for underwater protection compartments abreast of the magazines and machinery, but this area was not utilized to its full advantage and the structural arrangements for torpedo defence differed little from those employed in the First World War. The distribution of the armour and the machinery layout was similarly reminiscent of First World War practice and did not compare well with the systems employed in the battleships of other naval powers. The machinery itself, although efficient, absorbed a large amount of space and weight, this being partly due to a substantial amount of auxiliary machinery which included one of the better features - a large generating capacity of 7910 kW. The oil fuel capacity was also high at 6500 tons (a figure exceeded only by the US battleships, designed to operate in the vast area of the Pacific) which gave an endurance of 9280 nautical miles at 16 knots.
Contracts for the two ships were placed in 1936, the battleship Bismarck being laid down on July 1 of that year at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg and launched in February 14, 1939. She was commissioned on August 24, 1940 and immediately began an extensive programme of trials and training which continued until May 1941.
In that month, in company with the cruiser Prinz Eugen, she sailed for the Atlantic to raid and disrupt the Allied convoy routes. It was hoped to break out undetected, but late on May 23, while passing in fog through the Denmark Straits, they were sighted by the British cruiser Suffolk. She was soon joined by a second cruiser, the Norfolk, and despite efforts to shake them off the British cruisers began to shadow and report on the position of the German force.

On the morning of May 24, two heavy ships appeared from the southeast and at 0532 the leading vessel, the battlecruiser Hood, opened fire on Prinz Eugen at a range of 24,232 m (26500 yards). The second ship, the battleship Prince of Wales, opened fire shortly afterwards while the German ships replied at 0535 hrs, both firing on the Hood. The Bismarck straddled her target with her third and fifth salvos, the latter achieving one or two hits. At 0601 hrs the after magazines of the British flagship exploded. She broke in two and sank in three minutes, leaving only three survivors. Fire was shifted to Prince of Wales but after about ten minutes the British ship broke off the action and retired.
The German flag ship had been hit by three 14-in (355- mm) shells from the Prince of Wales - one damaged and contaminated an oil fuel tank, another hit the side armour and caused a leak which later put one boiler-room and one dynamo out of action, while the third hit did no importaut damage. The contaminated oil reduced the ship's endurance and the loss of one boiler-room reduced the speed by 2 knots, so it was decided to call off the operation and make for St Nazaire for repairs. The Prinz Eugen was undamaged, and later that day she separated and continued into the Atlantic.

The battleship Bismarck in combat with the British battlecruiser Hood. The picture was taken from the cruiser Prinz Eugen.

On the evening of May 24, Battleship Bismarck was attacked by Swordfish aircraft from the carrier Victorious and was hit by one torpedo, but no serious damage was done. Later that night she managed to evade her shadowers, and by making a wide sweep to the west, remained undetected until 1030 hrs on the 26th, when she was sighted by a Catalina flying boat of Coastal Commando. This aircraft had been directed into the area after signals from the Bismarck had been intercepted and decoded on an Enigma machine. That night she was again attacked by Swordfish aircraft, this time from the carrier Ark Royal, and was hit by two torpedos. One hit amidships caused only minor damage, but the second hit the stern and seriously damaged the steering gear. With both rudders jammed 15° to port she began steaming in circles, and then, using her propeller revolutions, started steering an erratic course to the northwest - towards the oncoming enemy. During the night she was attacked by destroyers of the 4th Flotilla, but they achieved little apart from the disruption of attempts to repair the steering gear.
On the morning of May 27, 1941 two battleships appeared on the northern horizon, the battleship King George V (Flag Admiral Tovey, C­in-C, Home Fleet) and Rodney. The latter vessel opened fire at 0847 hrs, followed one minute later by the flagship. At 0849 the German battleship replied and straddled the Rodney with her second salvo. However, she was straddled herself by Rodney's third and fourth salvos and a hit from the latter put A turret out of action. Five minutes later, at 0857, a direct hit put B turret out of action. Another hit destroyed the forward command post, killing most of the senior officers, and shortly afterwards the main fire-control positions, both forward and aft, were also destroyed.
By 0920 only X turret, under local control, remained in action and by 0940 the ship was silent. First Rodney and then King George V closed and fired on her at the point-blank range of 2743-3658 m (3000-4000 yards). When the British battleships finally ceased fire she was a floating wreck, very low in the water and on fire. At 1025 the cruiser Dorsetshire fired two torpedoes into her starboard side and, ten minutes later, a third into her port side. She heeled over and began to sink by the stern, and at 1040, her flag still flying, she capsized and sank in position 48°10'N, 16°12'W. There were 118 survivors.