Best Battleship of WW2, page 2

Originally posted by blitzkrieg
i think u guys misjudged Bismarck, does anyone know how was it sunk?? was it sunk by the RN???
the answer is: NO!!!
the Germans scuttled the ship themselves 'cause they dont want it to be captured. plus, dont forget churchill nearly send the entire royal navy to sink Bismarck

"In pursuing the Bismarck the British employed eight battleships and battle cruisers, two aircraft carriers, 11 cruisers, 21 destroyers, and six submarines. The Bismarck was finally sunk on May 27, 1941, a week after it was first sighted by the British, but not before it sank the English battleship Hood � then one of the largest warships afloat � with a salvo from its guns. One of the German shells exploded in the Hood's magazine, and the entire ship vanished from sight in less than two minutes."
www.occultopedia.com/b/bismarck.htm
btw, i am a chinese from mainland china, i dont prejudice either

[edit on 26-9-2004 by blitzkrieg]

The Germany WWII battleship that scuttled itself was the Scharnhorst after being forced to leave Montevideo where it took refuge after the Battle of the River Plate. The Captain believed she was facing overwhelming odds so he scuttled to save his crew.

As regards the Bismark it was the Home Fleet that was sent after the Bismark not the whole navy by any stretch.

The Bismark only ever sunk one ship HMS Hood a WWI battlecruiser (Same guns as a Battlehip, but only thin armour sacrificed for increased speed)Because of the British numerical superiority in battleships, Hitler ordered the Kriegsmarine to target allied merchant shipping. Bismarck set off on this mission on her maiden voyage, leaving port on 18 May 1941. Three days later, she was spotted by Allied reconnaissance while refueling in a Norwegian fjord and was soon acquired by the patroling British cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk.

On 24 May 1941, accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, she was engaged in battle by the British battlecruiser HMS Hood and the newly commissioned battleship HMS Prince of Wales, which was still being worked up (Sea trial with new crew unfamilar with the guns etc). It is believed that one of Bismarck's shells penetrated the relatively thin deck armor of Hood and struck a powder magazine.

The result of the battle with Hood showed, most seriously, the effect of deploying a battlecruiser against a battleship, a role for which it was never designed.

Prince of Wales, half its guns out of action, escaped under a smokescreen, but not before striking the Bismarck three times, one hit causing water to be introduced into fuel storage. Bismarck headed for France and repairs, but continued to be shadowed by Norfolk and Suffolk and Prince of Wales, but eventually broke away and Prinz Eugen detached.

The British continued to shadow with an increasing number of ships, maintaining contact with radar. An attack was made by swordfish biplane torpedo planes from aircraft carrier HMS Victorious during the early evening of 24 May. The Bismarck sustained one hit. In subsequent maneuvering, it was able to break contact, though its crew was not aware of this, as they could detect British radar but did not know that the return signals were too weak. Bismarck was relocated, owing partially to her commander, Ernst Lindemann, foolishly transmitting a half-hour radio message. On 26 May, at dusk, she was attacked by British Swordfish torpedo planes from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. One torpedo hit jammed her rudder and steering gear, and she was rendered unmanoeuvrable. Throughout the following night she was the target of incessant attacks by the destroyers Cossack, Maori, Piorun (Polish), Sikh, Zulu led by captain Vian. On the early morning of 27 May 1941 she was engaged in an eighty-eight minute battle with HMS King George V, HMS Rodney, HMS Norfolk, and HMS Dorsetshire. After being struck by in excess of 300 shells and five or six torpedo hits she finally sank at 10:40 AM. Only 115 of 2,206 sailors survived.

I am surprise at the ignorance display by some of the posts on this thread.