The defeat in the First World War, it would seem, finally crossed out Germany from the contenders for naval dominance. According to the Treaty of Versailles, the Germans were allowed to have in service ships with a displacement of up to 10 thousand tons with guns with a caliber of no more than 11 inches. Therefore, they had to say goodbye to the hope of keeping even their very first dreadnoughts and be content with hopelessly outdated battleships of the Deutschland and Braunschweig types. When it became possible to replace the latter with ships of new projects (and this was allowed to be done no earlier than after 20 years of their being in service), it was these "Versailles" restrictions that led to the appearance of "capital" ships of the Deutschland type, unusual in all respects.
When it was created, the Germans proceeded from the fact that the new ship would primarily be used on enemy communications as a raider. The successful actions of Emden and Koenigsberg in 1914 against British shipping at the same time clearly showed that the weak armament of light cruisers leaves them no chance when a more serious enemy appears. Therefore, the "Deutschland" must be stronger than any enemy heavy cruiser and at the same time faster than any battleship. This idea, frankly, is not new, but previous attempts to implement it rarely led to the desired result. And only the Germans finally managed to embody it in metal as close as possible to the idea. "Deutschlands" with a very limited displacement received powerful weapons, decent (by cruising standards) protection and a huge cruising range. In the German Navy, the new ships were officially classified as battleships (panzerschiffe), in fact they were heavy cruisers, but due to the excessively powerful main battery artillery, they remained in the history of world shipbuilding as "pocket battleships".
Indeed, the armament of the "Deutschland" - two three-gun 11-inch towers and another 8 six-inch as a medium caliber - looked quite "battleship". The new 283-mm cannon (the Germans officially called it "28-cm", and therefore in the literature it is often listed as 280-mm) - with a barrel length of 52 calibers and an elevation angle of 40, it could fire 300-kg shells at a range of 42.5 km. To "shove" such artillery into cruising dimensions was made possible, firstly, by the all-round lightening of the hull due to the widespread introduction of electric welding and, secondly, by the use of fundamentally new engines - four twin diesel units with hydraulic transmission. As a result, the project left room for an armor belt with a thickness of 60-80 mm, and for anti-torpedo protection about 4.5 m wide (together with boules), ending with a 40-mm longitudinal bulkhead.
The entry into service of the lead "pocket battleship" coincided with Hitler's coming to power and resulted in a noisy propaganda campaign designed to instill in the layman that the revival of the German fleet began with the creation of "the best" ships in the world. In fact, these statements were far from the truth. For all their originality, the "Deutschland" and the "Admiral Scheer" and "Admiral Graf Spee" that followed it did not surpass all the "Washington" cruisers in terms of armor protection, and they were inferior to everyone in speed by an average of 4-5 knots. The seaworthiness of the "pocket battleships" at first turned out to be unimportant, because of which they had to urgently redo the bow of the hull. To top it all, it should be noted that their real standard displacement exceeded the declared one (10 thousand tons) by 17-25%, and the total displacement on the "Admiral Count Spee" generally reached 16020 tons!
The obvious limitations of the capabilities of "pocket battleships" in the light of the new naval doctrine announced by Hitler forced the construction of three more ships of the same type to be abandoned in favor of full-fledged battleships. In June 1935, an agreement was concluded in London, allowing Germany to have a fleet that was 35% of the British. Having won a diplomatic victory, the Germans could now build battleships quite legally.
The creation of ships went under the personal control of the Fuhrer. It is he who is considered to be the author of the new role assigned to the armored giants of the Kriegsmarine in the impending war. The fact is that, being unable to compete with the British fleet in a general battle, the Nazis intended to use their battleships as ocean raiders. It was in the actions of mighty ships against transport shipping that Hitler saw an opportunity to bring the "mistress of the seas" to her knees.
By the combination of parameters, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are often (and quite rightly) called battlecruisers. However, their continuity with their outstanding ancestors - "Derflinger" and "Mackensen" - is very arbitrary. The Scharnhorst project is largely descended from "pocket battleships". The only thing that the designers borrowed from the Kaiser battlecruisers was the armor scheme. Otherwise, the Scharnhorst is simply a Deutschland that has grown to normal size with a third 283-mm turret and a steam turbine plant.
The armor protection of the Scharnhorst according to the scheme was old-fashioned, but at the same time very powerful. A vertical belt of 350 mm cemented armor was mounted on the outside and could withstand 1016 kg 406 mm projectiles at ranges of more than 11 km. Above was an additional 45 mm belt. There were two armored decks: 50 mm upper and 80 mm (95 mm above the cellars) lower with 105 mm bevels. The total weight of the armor has reached a record value - 44% of the normal displacement! Anti-torpedo protection had an average width of 5.4 m on each side and was separated from the hull by an inclined 45-mm bulkhead.
The 283-mm guns of the SKC-34 model were somewhat improved compared to the previous model SKC-28: the barrel length increased to 54.5 calibers, which allowed the heavier 330-kg projectile to provide the same firing range - 42.5 km. True, Hitler was dissatisfied: he considered the German ships of the First World War period clearly underarmed and demanded that 380-mm guns be installed on the Scharnhorst. Only the unwillingness to delay the entry of battleships into service for a long time (and new weapons would delay their readiness for at least a year) forced him to compromise, postponing the rearmament of the ships at the time of their future upgrades.
The mixed placement of medium artillery in two-gun turrets and deck shield installations looks very strange. But this fact is explained very easily: the latter had already been ordered for the failed 4th and 5th "pocket battleships", and the Scharnhorst designers simply "disposed" them.
Already during the construction of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, it became clear that the attempts of the international community to limit the naval arms race had failed. The leading maritime powers immediately began designing super-battleships, and the Germans, of course, did not stand aside.
In June 1936, the Bismarck and Tirpitz, the largest warships ever built in Germany, were laid down at the shipyards of Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven. Although it was officially announced that the displacement of the new battleships was 35 thousand tons, in reality this value was exceeded by almost one and a half times!
Structurally, the Bismarck largely repeated the Scharnhorst, but fundamentally differed primarily in the main caliber artillery. A 380 mm cannon with a barrel length of 52 calibers could fire 800 kg projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 820 m/s. True, by reducing the maximum elevation angle to 30, the firing range, compared with the 11-inch, decreased to 35.5 km. However, this value was also considered excessive, since it seemed impossible at that time to fight at such distances.
The armor differed from the Scharnhorst mainly by increasing the height of the main belt and thickening the upper belt to 145 mm. Deck armor, as well as the width of anti-torpedo protection, remained the same. Approximately the same can be said about the power plant (12 Wagner boilers and 3 four-casing turbo-gear units). The relative weight of the armor has decreased somewhat (up to 40% of the displacement), but this cannot be called a disadvantage, since the ratio between protection and armament has become more balanced.
But even such giants as Bismarck and Tirpitz could not satisfy the Fuhrer's growing ambitions. At the beginning of 1939, he approved the design of the "H" type battleship with a total displacement of over 62 thousand tons, armed with eight 406-mm guns. In total, it was supposed to have 6 such ships; two of them managed to lay in July-August. However, the outbreak of war crossed out the plans of the Nazis. Surface ship construction programs had to be curtailed, and in September 1939 Hitler could only oppose 22 English and French battleships and battlecruisers with the "11-inch" Scharnhorst and Gneisenau ("pocket battleships" do not count). The Germans had to rely only on new raider tactics.
The first joint corsair operation "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" was carried out in November 1939. It resulted in the sinking of the English auxiliary cruiser Rawalpindi, a former passenger liner armed with old cannons. The success was, to put it mildly, modest, although Goebbels propaganda inflated this unequal duel to the scale of a major naval victory, and in the German Youth Library series they even published a separate book called The End of Rawalpindi.
In April 1940, both sisterships provided cover for the German invasion of Norway and for the first time engaged in battle with a worthy enemy - the battlecruiser Rinaun. The duel proceeded in conditions of poor visibility and continued intermittently for more than two hours. The Gneisenau scored two hits on the British, but also received two 381-mm shells, one of which silenced the rear turret. The Scharnhorst was not hit, but her forward turret was also out of action due to damage caused by the storm.
Soon another battle took place in Norwegian waters, which received a huge response in the navies of the whole world. On June 8, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau stumbled upon the British aircraft carrier Glories, escorted by the destroyers Ardent and Ekasta. Using radar, the Germans opened fire from a range of 25 km and quickly achieved hits that damaged the flight deck and prevented the aircraft from being lifted into the air. Glories caught fire, capsized and sank. Trying to save the aircraft carrier, the destroyers bravely rushed into a suicidal attack. Both were shot, but still one torpedo from the Ecasta hit the Scharnhorst. The battleship took in more than 2500 tons of water and received a roll of 5 to starboard; two artillery turrets - aft 283 mm and one 150 mm - were out of action; speed has dropped drastically. All this somewhat blurred the undoubted success of the operation.
The results of the first battle of battleships with an aircraft carrier inspired admirals with conservative views on naval warfare, but, alas, not for long. It soon became clear that the shooting of the Glories was just a tragic coincidence, an exception to the rule...
Finest hour "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" - their joint "ocean voyage" in January - March 1941. During two months of piracy in the Atlantic, they captured and sank 22 allied steamships with a total tonnage of over 115,000 tons and returned to Brest with impunity.
But then fortune turned away from the Germans. While in French ports, the battleships began to be subjected to massive air attacks. It was hardly possible to complete the repair of some damage, as the English bombs caused new ones. I had to take my feet. The breakthrough across the English Channel to Germany in February 1942 was the last joint operation of the Nazi super raiders.
On the night of February 27, the Gneisenau, which had just arrived in Kiel, was hit by a British 454-kg armor-piercing bomb in the area of \u200b\u200bthe first tower. The explosion caused huge destruction and a fire (230 powder charges of the main caliber flared up at once). 112 sailors were killed and 21 wounded. The battleship was towed to Gotenhafen (Gdynia) for repairs. During the latter, by the way, it was planned to replace the main artillery with six 380-mm guns. Alas, these plans remained on paper. In January 1943, all work was stopped, and on March 27, 1945, the skeleton of the Gneisenau was flooded in order to block the entrance fairway.
The Scharnhorst, after a lengthy repair (and it was blown up by two mines during the English Channel breakthrough), moved to Norway, where it then mainly settled in the fjords. On December 26, 1943, under the flag of Admiral Erich Bey, while trying to attack the allied convoy JW-55B, he was intercepted by British cruisers. The very first hit from the Norfolk cruiser disabled the German radar, which in the conditions of the polar night led to fatal consequences. Soon the battleship Duke of York joined the cruisers, and the Scharnhorst's position became hopeless. After stubborn resistance, the raider, mutilated by heavy shells, was finished off by torpedoes from British destroyers. The British picked up 36 people from the water - the remaining 1932 crew members of the fascist battleship died.
Bismarck and Tirpitz entered service with the Kriegsmarine already during the war. The first combat campaign for the lead ship was the last. The beginning of the operation, it would seem, was going well: the unexpected death of the Hood in the eighth minute of the battle on May 24, 1941 shocked the British admirals. However, the Bismarck also received a fatal hit from a 356-mm projectile that dived under the armor belt. The ship received about 2 thousand tons of water, two steam boilers failed, the speed decreased by 3 knots. What follows is well known. Three days later, the Nazi battleship sank. Of the 2092 people on board, 115 were saved. Among the dead was Admiral Lutyens - former hero Atlantic raid "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau".
"Tirpitz" after the death of the sistership, the Germans used extremely carefully. As a matter of fact, he also had only one combat operation on his account - an almost fruitless campaign to Svalbard in September 1942. The rest of the time, the super-linker hid in the Norwegian fjords and was methodically "beaten" by British aircraft. In addition, on September 11, 1943, he received a severe blow from under the water: the British midget submarines X-6 and X-7 blew up 4 two-ton mines under its bottom. The last Nazi battleship was no longer able to go out to sea under its own power:
It should be noted that in the marine historical literature"Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" are often referred to as almost the most powerful battleships in the world. There are several reasons for this. First, the Nazi propaganda said so. Secondly, the British played along with her in order to justify the not always successful actions of their fleet, which was many times superior in strength. Thirdly, Bismarck's rating was greatly increased, in general, by the accidental death of Hood. But in reality, against the background of their brethren, the German super-battleships stood out not in better side. In terms of armor, armament and anti-torpedo protection, they were inferior to the Richelieu, Littorio, and South Dakota, not to mention the Yamato. The weak points of the "Germans" were capricious energy, the "non-universality" of 150-mm artillery, and imperfect radar equipment.
As for Scharnhorst, it is usually criticized, which again is not entirely fair. Although it had the same drawbacks as the Bismarck (to which, at first, poor seaworthiness was added, which forced the bow of the hull to be rebuilt), it deserves a good rating due to its smaller size in accordance with the cost-effectiveness criterion. In addition, it should be borne in mind that it was the second in the world (after the Dunkirk) completed project of a high-speed battleship, which was ahead of its more powerful "class brothers" in time. And if the Scharnhorst could be rearmed with six 380-mm guns, then it could generally be considered a very successful battlecruiser, surpassing the British Repulse in almost all respects.
Second World War became the golden age of battleships. The powers that claimed dominance at sea, in the pre-war years and the first few war years, laid on the stocks several dozen giant armored ships with powerful main-caliber guns. As practice has shown combat use"Steel monsters", battleships acted very effectively against formations of enemy warships, even being in the numerical minority, capable of terrifying convoys from cargo ships, but they can hardly oppose aircraft that with several hits of torpedoes and bombs can let multi-ton giants sink to the bottom. During the Second World War, the Germans and Japanese preferred not to risk battleships, keeping them away from the main naval battles, throwing them into battle only at critical moments, using them very inefficiently. In turn, the Americans mainly used battleships to cover aircraft carrier groups and amphibious landings in the Pacific Ocean. Meet the ten biggest battleships of World War II.
10. Richelieu, France
Battleship "Richelieu" of the same class, has a weight of 47,500 tons and a length of 247 meters, eight guns of the main caliber of 380 mm caliber placed in two towers. The ships of this class were created by the French to counter the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean. The ship was launched in 1939 and was adopted by the French Navy a year later. The Richelieu did not actually take part in the Second World War, except for a collision with a British aircraft carrier group in 1941, during an American operation against Vichy forces in Africa. In the post-war period, the battleship was involved in the war in Indochina, covering naval convoys and supporting French troops with fire during landing operations. The battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and decommissioned in 1967.
9. Jean Bar, France
The French battleship "Jean Bar", class "Richelieu", was launched in 1940, but by the beginning of the Second World War, it was never put into the fleet. At the time of the German attack on France, the ship was 75% ready (only one main battery turret was installed), the battleship was able to get from Europe to the Moroccan port of Casablanca under its own power. Despite the absence of part of the weapons, the Jean Bar managed to take part in the hostilities on the side of the Axis countries, repelling the attacks of the US-British forces during the Allied landing in Morocco. After several hits by the main caliber guns of American battleships and aerial bombs, the ship sank on November 10, 1942. In 1944, "Jean Bar" was raised and sent to the shipyards for repairs and rearmament. The ship became part of the French Navy only in 1949, never took part in any military operation. In 1961, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and sent for scrap.
8. Tirpitz, Germany
The German battleship Tirpitz of the Bismarck class, launched in 1939 and put into service in 1940, had a displacement of 40,153 tons and a length of 251 meters. Eight main guns with a caliber of 380 millimeters were placed in four towers. Vessels of this class were intended for raider operations against the merchant fleet of the enemy. During the Second World War, after the loss of the battleship Bismarck, the German command preferred not to use heavy ships in the maritime theater of operations, in order to avoid their loss. Tirpitz spent almost the entire war standing in the fortified Norwegian fjords, taking part in only three operations to intercept convoys and support landings on the islands. The battleship sank on November 14, 1944 during a raid by British bombers, after being hit by three aerial bombs.
7. Bismarck, Germany
The battleship Bismarck, commissioned in 1940, is the only ship on this list to take part in a truly epic naval battle. For three days, the Bismarck, in the North Sea and the Atlantic, stood alone against almost the entire British fleet. The battleship was able to sink the pride of the British fleet, the cruiser Hood, in battle, and seriously damaged several ships. After numerous hits by shells and torpedoes, the battleship went under water on May 27, 1941.
6. Wisconsin, USA
The American battleship "Wisconsin", class "Iowa", with a displacement of 55,710 tons, has a length of 270 meters, on board, which has three turrets with nine 406 mm main battery guns. The ship was launched in 1943 and entered service in 1944. In 1991, the ship was withdrawn from the fleet, but remained in the US Navy reserve until 2006, becoming the last battleship in the US Navy reserve. During World War II, the ship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, support amphibious operations and bombard the coastal fortifications of the Japanese army. In the post-war period, he participated in the Persian Gulf War.
5. New Jersey, USA
The Iowa-class battleship New Jersey was launched in 1942 and entered service in 1943. The ship went through several major upgrades, and was eventually decommissioned from the fleet in 1991. During the Second World War, it was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, but did not really participate in any serious naval battle. For the next 46 years, she participated in the Korean, Vietnamese and Libyan wars as a support ship.
4. Missouri, USA
The Iowa-class battleship Missouri was launched in 1944 and commissioned into the Pacific Fleet the same year. The ship was withdrawn from the fleet in 1992, and turned into a floating museum ship, which is now available for anyone to visit. During the Second World War, the battleship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups and support amphibious landings, and did not participate in any serious naval battle. It was on board the Missouri that the Japanese surrender pact was signed, which put an end to World War II. In the post-war period, the battleship participated in only one major military operation, namely the Gulf War, during which the Missouri provided fire support to the multinational forces from the sea.
3. Iowa, USA
The Iowa battleship, class of the same name, was launched in 1942 and was put into service a year later, fought on all oceanic fronts of World War II. At first, he patrolled the northern latitudes of the US Atlantic coast, after which he was transferred to the Pacific Ocean, where he covered aircraft carrier groups, supported landing forces, attacked enemy coastal fortifications and participated in several naval operations to intercept strike groups of the Japanese fleet. During the Korean War, she provided artillery fire support for ground forces from the sea. In 1990, the Iowa was decommissioned and turned into a museum ship.
2. Yamato, Japan
The pride of the Japanese imperial fleet, the Yamato battleship had a length of 247 meters, weighed 47,500 tons, had three turrets with 9 460 mm main caliber guns on board. The ship was launched in 1939, but was ready to go to sea on a military campaign only in 1942. For the entire duration of the war, the battleship took part in only three real battles, of which only in one was it able to fire on enemy ships from main battery guns. Yamato was sunk on 7 April 1945 by enemy aircraft after being hit by 13 torpedoes and 13 bombs. Today, the Yamato-class ships are considered the largest battleships in the world.
1. Musashi, Japan
"Musashi" is the younger brother of the battleship "Yamato", has similar specifications and weapons. The ship was launched in 1940, was put into service in 1942, but was ready to go on a military campaign only in 1943. The battleship participated in only one serious naval battle, trying to prevent the Allies from landing troops in the Philippines. On October 24, 1944, after a 16-hour battle, Musashi sank in the Sibuyan Sea, after being hit by several torpedoes and aerial bombs. Musashi, along with her brother Yamato, is considered the largest battleship in the world.
First, some facts for thought.
In 1982, during the Falkland Islands conflict, two of the newest destroyers of the British Navy were sunk by Exocet anti-ship missiles, whose warheads did not even explode. Relatively weak explosions, the remnants of unused fuel turned out to be quite enough to sink ships with a displacement of more than 4,500 tons, the basis of which were light, aluminum-magnesium alloys.
In the Persian Gulf in the mid-1980s, the American Oliver X. Perry-class Stark frigate was also hit by an Exocet anti-ship missile fired from an Iraqi fighter. This time warhead exploded, and the frigate received a huge hole in the side the size of the gate of the locomotive depot. Only absolute calm at sea and the fact that the missile hit the freeboard saved the frigate from death.
So, the most interesting thing is that armored or armored cruisers the beginning of the 20th century, the displacement and dimensions of which are not much larger than those of these ships, in all these cases they would have gotten off with relatively small holes. And this makes us remember the ships, whose time, it would seem, has irretrievably gone. We are talking about battleships.
ABOUT THE SURVIVABILITY OF BATTLESHIPS
Someone will say that aviation during the Second World War and the subsequent appearance of nuclear weapons delivered a "sentence" to the battleships. However, not everything is as simple as it seemed twenty years ago.
Firstly, nuclear weapons tests showed that battleships were very resistant to damaging factors nuclear explosion and are guaranteed to be destroyed only when they are at a minimum distance from the epicenter. Moreover, there was no struggle for survivability on the "experimental" ships.
Secondly, in their time, even when they died, battleships demonstrated amazing resistance to combat damage.
Let's just give some examples. In May 1941, in the Atlantic, an English squadron led by the battleships King George V and Rodney met with the German battleship Bismarck. The artillery battle resulted in a genuine beating of the Bismarck, since the latter's fire control system was disabled by one of the very first volleys. And yet, the British were able to succeed only when the Germans ran out of 381-mm ammunition and the Rodney began to shoot the German battleship almost point-blank, while at the same time the Bismarck was hit by cruisers and destroyers with torpedoes. But the battleship went under water only after the Germans themselves opened the kingstones and blew up explosive charges.
The Japanese battlecruiser "Hiei" in 1942 near the island of Guadalcanal, already abandoned by the crew, withstood several raids by carrier-based and base coastal aviation of the Americans. Having received four hits from heavy bombs and four torpedoes, she remained afloat and was flooded only by an emergency team that landed on her from Japanese destroyers.
In October 1944, the Musashi battleship was subjected to continuous attacks by many dozens of American carrier-based aircraft for several hours and sank, only getting hit by 20 (!) torpedoes and 17 (!) Air bombs weighing 454 and 908 kg.
And one more example. To sink the battleship Yamato, the Americans launched 226 (!) Bombers and torpedo bombers into the air. This is more than all aircraft of these types attacked all American battleships in Pearl Harbor!
Finally, thirdly, almost all known facts the destruction of battleships by aviation refers either to cases of a surprise attack (Pearl Harbor), or to a situation where the sunken battleship did not have sufficient air defense systems, and one of the parties had overwhelming air superiority.
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For example, the Japanese battleships Yamato, Musashi, and Hiei had clearly unbalanced anti-aircraft artillery, since the relatively few 127 and 100 mm anti-aircraft guns were supplemented only with 25 mm machine guns, and there were no 37 or 40 mm artillery on these ships. There were also no naval anti-aircraft fire control systems associated with the radar.
The British battleship Prince of Wells and the battlecruiser Repulse, sunk in December 1941 in the South China Sea by Japanese base aircraft, also had unbalanced anti-aircraft weapons. On both ships, the universal installations of 102 and 133 mm calibers were not sufficiently supplemented with small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft artillery (only two or three eight-barreled 40-mm pom-pon submachine guns on each). As a consequence, both the Japanese battleships and the British ships were unable to repel the star-shaped raids by carrier-based or base coastal aviation.
In addition, the fate of the Prince of Wells battleship was affected by a tragic combination of circumstances - the explosion of a not very powerful aviation torpedo tore off the propeller shaft from the mounts, which turned the side of the ship. Emergency diesel generators were flooded, which, due to a design error, were placed in one compartment in the aft. Therefore, the ship was left without bilge equipment, and also left without the energy of the installation of a universal 133-mm caliber.
BATTLESHIPS AGAINST AVIATION
On the other hand, if the battleship was properly armed, it could successfully stand up for itself in single combat with enemy aircraft. Striking results were demonstrated in the fall of 1942 by the American battleship South Dakota in the battles off the Santa Cruz Islands. The ship had ten 127-mm two-gun universal mounts, sixteen quadruple mounts of 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (64 barrels in total) and forty-nine 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns. The ammunition load of 127-mm guns included shells with radio fuses. In the battle, the battleship was attacked by a total of over 50 Japanese dive bombers and torpedo bombers. The ship shot down 26 enemy planes with anti-aircraft artillery fire. At the same time, the enemy managed to drop only one (!) bomb on him. "South Dakota" not only did not allow itself to be seriously damaged, but moreover, it covered the aircraft carrier "Enterprise" with itself, so that it did not receive serious damage. But the aircraft carrier Hornet, next to which there was no battleship, was sunk.
In total, the Japanese lost 100 aircraft in this battle. And in the air there were 233 Japanese aircraft and 171 American ones. That is, one battleship "South Dakota" destroyed 26 percent of all aircraft lost by the Japanese in this battle!
In the same way, during the landing operations of 1944-1945, when the Americans were faced with numerous Japanese base aircraft, the massive anti-aircraft artillery fire of their battleships thwarted all air attacks on these ships. Not one of the American ships received any serious damage, even if it turned out to be without carrier-based aviation cover. At the same time, two or three air bombs or one or two kamikaze hits on aircraft carriers put these ships out of action for a long time.
The experience of the war clearly showed that if there were numerous anti-aircraft and universal artillery on board the battleship with fire control systems associated with the radar, its sinking by aviation forces required the involvement of tens and hundreds, namely tens and hundreds, of aircraft. And it became possible only in conditions of absolute air supremacy of one of the parties. It is absolute dominance in the air!
REASONS FOR THE "SUNSET" OF THE BATTLESHIP CLASS
In fact, the era of battleships was considered gone when jet aircraft appeared. During the Second World War, only the Soviet Tu-2 dive bomber was capable of lifting two or three 1,000-kg bombs at once. All other deck and coastal dive bombers could lift one such bomb at most.
Jet fighter-bombers immediately began to carry as many large-caliber bombs as a World War II heavy bomber or even a flight of such aircraft carried. Four - six bombs up to 1,000 kg on the hardpoints of one aircraft became standard equipment for heavy jet attack aircraft and fighter-bombers. A link of four jet aircraft of these classes could bring down about 16-24 such bombs on a ship (for comparison, during the Second World War, such a number of bombs could be carried by the entire air group of a heavy aircraft carrier or coastal aviation regiment). The absence of automatic fire control systems on the battleships of that time did not allow them to successfully respond to the speeds of jet aircraft. Information about air targets was taken from the radar screens visually, then transmitted by voice via telephone or radio to the fire control post of anti-aircraft artillery, manually entered into anti-aircraft fire control devices, then transmitted via communication lines to the guns, and there the gunners manually worked out these settings on anti-aircraft guns. tools. Naturally, the reaction time to the movement of air targets was huge, anti-aircraft artillery was late, did not have time to track targets. At best, she led a barrage.
The appearance of anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) did not immediately solve the problem. The control systems of the air defense systems of the first and second generations made it possible to fire only one target from each launcher. At the same time, the launchers of the air defense system on the battleship, even considering its size, could have four to six, no more. The ship could be attacked by not one, not two or three, but ten or more aircraft and missiles at the same time. Even quite numerous air defense systems of the first or second generations were not able to cope with such an attack. And everyone decided that the time of armored giants was gone. Nevertheless, in the opinion of the author of these lines, such ships were clearly in a hurry to “write off”, which we will discuss in more detail later.
In the same way, in my opinion, the idea that battleships are very vulnerable to strikes from under water is untenable. Let's look again at examples from World War II. German submarines managed to sink two British battleships, Royal Oak and Barham, but five aircraft carriers were sunk by Nazi submarines, including two large British ones, Eagle and Coreygers. The loss ratio speaks for itself.
It's a paradox, but modern realities have saved battleships from their most terrible enemies in the air - dive bombers and torpedo bombers. The main weapon of modern aviation - anti-ship missiles - again brought to the fore the issues of ship security.
Let's look at the main components of the possible combat power of modern battleships: security, weapons, energy.
WHAT CAN BE THE LOOK OF A MODERN BATTLESHIP
Modern achievements in metallurgy in the field of high-alloy steels and titanium alloys will allow the battleship to have armor equivalent in terms of protection to 356 - 380-mm armor of the past, but with a smaller thickness and mass, which will make it possible to redistribute the released mass and volumes for armament. As a result, anti-ship missiles, deadly dangerous for ships made of light alloys, will no longer carry a deadly threat for a modern battleship, encased in a shell equivalent to 356-380 mm armor.
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One of the most common anti-ship missiles in the West is the American Harpoon. It carries a warhead weighing 225 kg. In addition, this warhead is high-explosive, not suitable for penetrating thick armor. Thus, this missile is not able to penetrate inside the armored citadel of the ship, where the magazines of ammunition, below-deck rocket launchers, boiler room and engine room are located, and, having exploded there, cause irreparable damage to it. On approaching a target at a distance of about 100 km, this missile is equivalent in mass to a 305-mm high-explosive projectile, and its approach speed is two times less than that of the same projectile at the end.
Most anti-ship missiles (ASMs) carry a combined inertial and active radar guidance system. The missile is guided by the reflected radio signal at the largest object or at the target captured first. Therefore, target selection by the point of impact on the target is not carried out. Therefore, from the point of view of probability theory, the most probable point of impact of anti-ship missiles is the middle part of the hull and superstructures. Namely, this part of the design is most protected in battleships.
In the case of using the "French" booking system, when the armor belt extends from bow to stern, the thickness of the armor can vary from the equivalent of armor protection 102 - 127 mm at the extremities to 356 - 380 mm in the "citadel" area. That is, the freeboard on all or more of its length will provide sufficiently reliable protection against anti-ship missiles.
And even the use of the “all or nothing” reservation scheme, when the “citadel” is armored to the maximum, and the extremities are covered with only minimal protection, provides a high degree of security in the case of anti-ship missiles. Since, we recall, the most likely point of impact - the middle part of the ship - is protected to the maximum.
Moreover, even if the rocket makes a “hill” before hitting the target and hits the ship on the deck, not everything is as tragic for the battleship as for other types of ships. The fact is that it has an armored deck or even several decks with a total thickness of 127-180 mm, which makes them practically impenetrable for high-explosive warheads of anti-ship missiles.
Thus, to reliably destroy a battleship, an urgent development of missiles with a flight speed of the order of 650-700 m / s or more, with an armor-piercing warhead weighing 750-800 kg will be required, which will entail (while maintaining a flight range of 120-180 km) a sharp an increase in the mass of anti-ship missiles (up to about 3-5 tons) and, accordingly, a decrease in the number of these missiles lifted by one carrier aircraft. It will also require serious improvements to the carriers of such anti-ship missiles. And if now, in order to hit a large surface target, it is enough to bring one or two carrier aircraft with two to four missiles on each of them to the launch line of anti-ship missiles, then to attack a battleship, you will have to lift an entire aviation group into the air, including heavy aircraft capable of carry 3 - 5-ton heavy rockets.
As for guided bombs or air-to-surface missiles with laser or television guidance, when it is possible to aim a missile or bomb at a vulnerable spot, in these cases, the carrier aircraft themselves find themselves in the battleship’s air defense zone and can be neutralized.
As a result, we arrive at a situation where modern battleship it is necessary to attack with aircraft directly in order to strike from a dive with an armor-piercing bomb on the deck or hit it with a torpedo.
However, the risk of failure of fire control systems, weapon guidance and detection of surface and air targets remains as a result of the destruction of superstructures. This problem can be solved on a battleship due to its size: it is possible to duplicate and triple control and detection systems, create both centralized and local decentralized fire and weapon control systems.
WEAPONS COMPLEX FOR A MODERN BATTLESHIP
A modern battleship with a displacement of 55-57 thousand tons will be able to carry the entire range of weapons: strike, air defense and anti-aircraft defense (anti-aircraft and anti-submarine),
IMPACT WEAPONS
If we start from domestic standards, then the strike armament of modern battleships can be represented by main caliber artillery (14-16 inches), universal caliber (130 mm mounts), anti-ship missile systems(SCRC) long and medium range (BD and SRD), long-range cruise missiles (CRBD). For instance:
- 3 (with 16-inch guns) or 4 (with 14-inch guns) main battery turrets;
- up to 8 twin 130-mm gun mounts (4 mounts per board);
- below-deck vertical launch installations (UVP) of the PKRK BD, armored launchers (PU) of the PKR SrD and KRBD on the deck and superstructures (or below-deck UVP for the PKR SrD and KRBD).
The modern development of information technologies provides high automation of fire control of the battleship's main caliber artillery. Similar modern development means of mechanization and automation allows you to automate the loading processes as much as possible. Cooling the barrels with outboard water will provide a significantly higher rate of fire for the main caliber guns compared to the predecessors of previous years. The 356-406-mm artillery caliber will make it possible to have guided projectiles in the ammunition load, which will provide a sharp increase in firing accuracy. Thus, it will be possible to achieve a significant reduction in the consumption of ammunition when performing fire missions to support landings on the coast occupied by the enemy.
As a result, a modern battleship will be able to perform the following tasks:
- strike with the main and universal artillery calibers at the enemy's defensive positions on the coast with the support of landings;
- to attack with cruise missiles objects in the depths of the mainland;
- strike at enemy ship formations with long and medium range SCRC, and when approaching - with artillery.
ANTI-AIR WEAPONS
Air defense systems can be represented by the following elements:
- anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) long-range (BD) and short-range (MD) located in the under-deck UVP;
- anti-aircraft missile and gun mounts (ZRPK), anti-aircraft artillery systems (ZAK), as well as a universal artillery caliber used to solve air defense tasks.
A multifunctional automated anti-aircraft weapon control system based on high-performance computers will provide airspace control, tracking and simultaneous engagement of a large number of targets - from ranges of hundreds of kilometers and to the immediate vicinity of the ship. And the large size of the battleship will make it possible to have a significant ammunition load for air defense systems.
Thus, the battleship will be able to solve the following air defense tasks:
- form the basis of the air defense orders of warships;
- to hit carriers of anti-ship missiles and high-precision weapons (HTO) at extreme ranges by means of air defense systems of the database or to prohibit their attacks;
- to directly hit the anti-ship missiles and weapons of the WTO when they approach the ship with the means of the MD, ZPRK and ZAK air defense systems;
- to hit attacking aircraft carrying free-falling bombs by means of air defense systems outside the zone of dropping their bomb load.
At the same time, air defense is echeloned. Having broken through the zone of destruction of long-range air defense systems, the attackers aircrafts and weapons are in the zone of fire of 130-mm guns and air defense systems MD. Finally, the last frontier is the 30-mm ZAK and ZPRK. A breakthrough through such a layered air defense will be associated with significant losses.
ANTI-SUB WEAPON
A modern battleship can be equipped with enough effective means PLO, primarily by helicopter, as well as anti-submarine guided missiles (PLUR) and torpedoes in universal rocket-torpedo launchers (URTPU), rocket launchers (RBU). This will make it possible to hit enemy submarines (submarines) both at a great distance and if they are detected in the immediate vicinity of the ship. The presence of a significant ammunition load of PLURs, anti-submarine torpedoes and reactive depth charges will make it possible to fight enemy submarines actively, offensively, until the enemy is destroyed, and not be satisfied with just disrupting an attack by an enemy submarine.
IN A nutshell - ABOUT ENERGY
The experience of operating nuclear surface and submarine ships unambiguously indicates that the most promising for a modern battleship is a nuclear power plant. It will not only reduce the cost of maintaining the daily activities of the ship, but also provide an unlimited range.
However, if the battleship will be created for operations not so much in the ocean as in coastal waters, which implies frequent calls to ports, then, of course, it would be more appropriate to use a conventional power plant.
ON THE ADVANTAGE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN BATTLESHIPS
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First of all, together with the escort ships, the battleship forms a powerful naval strike group capable of solving a wide range of tasks. The high combat stability of the battleship will make it necessary to attract large forces not only of ships and carrier-based aircraft, but also coastal-based aircraft to counter it. This will weaken the influence of the latter on other forces of the fleet, and this will ensure greater freedom of action.
But even in ocean theaters, the presence of battleships can significantly increase the combat potential, especially of airborne landing formations. Thus, during the first Iraqi war (early 1990s), there was an enormous psychological impact on Iraqi soldiers of artillery fire from 16-inch guns of the main caliber of American battleships. The introduction of guided projectiles into the ammunition load of the main caliber made it possible to achieve the highest firing accuracy.
The battleship, like no other ship, is suitable for displaying the flag. An aircraft carrier, for all its impressiveness, is not able to anchor in view of the coast of the state where undesirable processes are taking place, since even one battery of six-inch howitzers, secretly exposed to direct fire, can cause irreparable damage to the “master of the seas”. And not only six-inch howitzers - even a single tank with a 100-mm cannon, with a good combination of circumstances, can deliver a fatal blow to an aircraft carrier. Similarly, modern cruisers and destroyers close to shore are highly vulnerable to artillery fire.
The armored giant, on the other hand, is able not only to withstand shelling with artillery up to and including 203.2 mm caliber without much damage, but also to give a crushing rebuff almost instantly. And the impressive size of the ship and the caliber of its guns can make many hotheads cool down and not take things to extremes.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Of course, the opponent may object to all these arguments, taking as an example the same United States, where they refuse their Iowa-class battleships.
However, the fact is that, firstly, these battleships were built during the Second World War and they could not be adapted to modern weapons systems, primarily air defense systems. In addition, it was not possible to replace 127-mm twin gun mounts with Mk38 guns with modern 127-mm automatic mounts with water-cooled barrels without serious and costly design improvements. Secondly, after the collapse of the USSR, the Americans adopted the concept of the so-called "non-contact war" as the basis of their strategy. This strategy is based on the defeat of the enemy by the forces of the Air Force, carrier-based aviation and cruise missiles in conditions of absolute superiority in forces and absolute supremacy in the air. Landing from the sea is supposed only after the complete suppression of enemy defenses on the coast.
The examples of Iraq and Yugoslavia are just such cases, the war was waged against states exhausted by the blockade. To face an adversary more or less equivalent to the United States in last years didn't have to. But if such a collision is simulated, it will immediately become clear that relying only on air and missile strikes is futile. It is no coincidence that the United States is by no means in a hurry to launch a war against Iran or North Korea, since it is not sure that it will not receive an adequate rebuff. As well as in the fact that it will be possible to avoid the destruction of their ships by means of enemy weapons, primarily anti-ship missiles. That is, their ship groups can be inflicted with the so-called "unacceptable damage."
In addition, it is worth looking closely at the cost-effectiveness criterion. Which option is more effective: to make two hundred - two hundred and fifty sorties of carrier-based aircraft, or to fire 800-900 shells from 356-mm or 406-mm guns, including 200-300 guided ones, with the same effectiveness of hitting targets? The answer suggests itself.
In addition, exploratory R&D is being carried out in the United States to create the so-called "ships - carriers of weapons." These are ships of large displacement, with powerful protection, carrying a large number of a variety of weapons - artillery and rocket. So far, due to the lack of an urgent need, their creation has not been translated into a practical plane. However, in case of threats, preliminary developments can be quickly transferred to the stage of direct implementation.
Therefore, do not rush to reject the idea of reviving the class of battleships on the move. It is possible that the renaissance of this class of ships is yet to come.
(A. Lobanov, "Soldier of Fortune")
After Hitler came to power, Germany secretly began building large ships. At the end of the thirties, the so-called "Z" plan was developed, according to which the Germans were going to build eight battleships, five heavy cruisers, four aircraft carriers and 12 smaller cruisers. The "nails" of the program were to be the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz.
The Anglo-German agreement on naval armaments of 1935 allowed Germany to build two 35,000-ton battleships, but Bismarck and Tirpitz exceeded the established limit in terms of their displacement. The standard displacement of the battleship is 42,000 tons, and when fully loaded - 50,000 tons.
The main battery guns, eight 381 mm, were housed in four twin-gun turrets. All the towers had their own names: bow - Anton and Brun, stern - Caesar and Dora. And in that year, when the Wehrmacht pushed the borders of the Reich from the Pyrenees to the North Cape, from the Atlantic to the Oder, the ship became combat-ready.
"Bismarck" and "Prinz Eugen" in a military campaign
By May 1941, together with the cruiser Prince Eugene, he was already operating in the North Atlantic, but his first voyage was destined to become his last. The battleship had not yet managed to track down a single Allied convoy when the CVMF scouts themselves discovered it. The Hood and the Prince of Wales made visual contact with the German formation in the early hours of 24 May. The British ships began the battle at 5:52 am at a distance of 22 km. By 6:00 the ships were at a distance of 16-17 km. At this time, an explosion was heard on the Hood, apparently caused by the hit of the fifth salvo of the Bismarck, the ship was torn into two parts, and it sank in a matter of minutes. In addition to three people, the entire team, consisting of 1417 people, died. The battleship "Prince of Wales" continued the battle, but very unsuccessfully: he was forced to close up to 14 km with two German ships in order to avoid a collision with the sinking Hood. The battleship withdrew from the battle under a smoke screen, having received seven hits. The Hood was one of the largest losses suffered by the British Navy during World War II. The death of Hood was perceived by the English people as a national tragedy.
The Bismarck transfers fire to the battleship Prince of Wales after the sinking of the Hood. The most famous photo of "Bismarck"
Bismarck also got it hard. English sailors were not the ones to die with impunity. Three heavy shells hit the port side of the battleship, most likely all three from the Prince of Wales. The first one hit the battleship in the middle of the hull below the waterline, pierced the skin below the armor belt and ruptured inside the hull, as a result of which flooded power plant No. 4 on the port side. Water began to flow into the neighboring boiler room No. 2, but the emergency batches stopped the flow. The second shell pierced the hull above the armor belt and came out from the starboard side without exploding, but having made a hole with a diameter of 1.5 meters. As a result, about 2,000 tons of water poured into the tank, the fuel tank was damaged, and the battleship lost 1,000 tons of fuel. Plus a trace of spreading fuel ... The overall result of all these hits was that Bismarck's speed dropped to 28 knots. There was a trim of 3 degrees to the nose and a roll of 9 degrees to the port side, due to which the right screw was exposed from time to time. I had to take water into ballast tanks to eliminate the roll.
It was a clash of the titans - the largest battleships of the world at that time tested themselves and their strength, and the matter ended with the death of one of these giants.
And then came the hour of reckoning. A squadron of 47 ships and 6 submarines of Her Majesty chased the Bismarck. The Bismarck tried to reach the coast of France, but was again discovered and subjected to a torpedo attack by Swordfish aircraft from the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal. As a result of the raid, torpedoes hit the ship in one of the most vulnerable places. After that, with damaged rudders, the British battleships King George V and Rodney attacked from a distance of 20,000 meters, and later Norfolk and Dorsetshire joined them. Ultimately, on May 27, 1941, the German battleship sank, torpedoed by the British cruiser Dorsetshire. Almost two hours passed from the beginning of the battle to the death of Bismarck, the battleship showed extraordinary vitality. Hood - the flagship of the British fleet, drowned in 6 minutes, Bismarck could only be drowned in 74.
After the battle, the British calculated that in order to sink the Teutonic beast, they had to fire 8 torpedoes and 2876 shells of the main, medium and universal caliber (from 406 mm to 133 mm).
Battle of Denmark Strait
The Battle of the Denmark Strait, also known as the Battle of Iceland, was essentially a short-lived engagement lasting just over a quarter of an hour. But it was a clash of the titans - the largest battleships of the world at that time tested themselves and their strength, and the matter ended in the death of one of these giants.
In the early morning of May 24, the weather cleared up and visibility improved. The Germans followed a course of 220 degrees at a speed of 28 knots, and at 0525 Prinz Eugen's hydroacoustics detected the propeller noise of two ships on the port side. At 0537 the Germans visually spotted what they initially thought was a light cruiser at a range of 19 miles (35 km) to port. At 05.43 another silhouette was discovered, the combat alarm was sounded. On Bismarck, they still have not decided what exactly they are observing, mistakenly believing that these are heavy cruisers. But the fact is that the accurate identification of enemy ships was of great importance for the upcoming battle, since it was necessary to determine the type of shells for firing. Prinz Eugen's artillery commander, Lieutenant Commander Pauls Jasper, decided by will that they were observing British heavy cruisers, and ordered the guns to be loaded with the appropriate shells. In reality, Hood and the Prince of Wales were rapidly approaching the Germans, on a course of 280 degrees, with a speed of 28 knots. It is likely that Vice Admiral Holland, aware of the weakness of the battlecruiser Hood in long-range combat, wanted to get as close as possible in order to gain advantages or at least negate possible advantages for the enemy. So Lutyens had no choice whether to get involved in the fight or not. The fight was inevitable.
The British also failed to recognize the silhouettes, and deciding that Bismarck should have been the leader, Holland ordered Hood and the Prince of Wales to open fire on the leader. After that, the British ships turned 20 degrees to starboard, thereby taking a course of 300 degrees. At 0552, Holland finally figured out that Bismarck was not the leader and gave the appropriate commands, but for some reason Hood continued to track the leader - Prinz Eugen. The Prince of Wales followed the command correctly and turned his sights on Bismarck, who followed in the wake of Prinz Eugen at a distance of about a mile. To everyone's surprise, at 05525 Hood opened fire at 12.5 miles. Following him spat out the first volleys and the Prince of Wales. Both ships fired volleys from the forward turrets, the stern turrets could not be put into action due to the too acute approach angle. Admiral Lutyens reported to the command by radiogram “He entered into battle with two heavy enemy ships” - and surrendered to the elements of battle.
The first shells from the Prince of Wales were divided - part flew over Bismarck, part fell into the sea at the stern. The Prince of Wales immediately began having technical problems with the opening of fire, and for a start, the first gun of the first bow turret failed. The next volleys of Wales also missed the target, whistling over the Aryan heads and exploding in a safe distance. Hood's first volleys fell short, however, dousing the cruiser with water from explosions - let me remind you that Hood opened fire on Prinz Eugen.
The shells of the bastards of the British began to fall closer and closer, and the German guns were still silent. Bismarck's artillery commander, Lieutenant Commander Adalbert Schneider, requested "go-ahead" for firing, without waiting for commands from the ship's command post. Adalbert was at the fire control post on the foremast. Finally, at 0555, when the British turned 20 degrees and thus helped the Germans to understand that they were dealing with Hood and the King George V class battleship, Bismarck opened fire, and immediately after him - Prinz Eugen. At this time, the distance was about 11 miles (20,300 meters). Both German ships concentrated their fire on the enemy's lead ship, the battlecruiser Hood. Bismarck's first volley is undershot. At this time, the commander of Prinz Eugen orders the commander of the mine-torpedo warhead, Lieutenant Reimann, to load the port side torpedo tubes with torpedoes with a diameter of 53.3 cm and open fire, without waiting for commands from the bridge, as soon as the ship reaches the torpedo fire zone, at the discretion of the lieutenant. The 5th salvo of Wales again overshot, but the sixth, it is possible, hit the battleship, although the Prince of Wales did not record a hit. The return fire of the Germans cannot be called anything other than sniper fire. At 05.57 Prinz Eugen recorded the first hit, his shells hit Hood in the mainmast area. Explosions of shells caused a large fire, the flames spread to the second chimney.
Bismarck also got it, that was the famous hit that pierced the fuel tank, and now the battleship left a trail in the form of a wide oil stain. Lutyens ordered Prinz Eugen to fire on the Prince of Wales, and Bismarck's gunners to open fire with second-caliber guns on the Prince of Wales.
At 0600, Hood and Prince of Wales began to turn 20 degrees to port, thus allowing the aft turrets of the main battery to come into play. And just at this time, the fifth volley of Bismarck covered Hood with direct hits. The distance at that time was already less than 9 miles (16668 m). At least one 15-inch projectile from the salvo pierced through Hood's armor belt, flew into the powder magazine and exploded there. The explosion that followed horrified the witnesses with its force. Hood, Great Hood, for 20 years the largest ship of the line in the world, the pride of the Royal Navy, split in two and sank in just three minutes. At the point with coordinates 63 degrees 22 minutes north latitude, 32 degrees 17 minutes west longitude. The stern part sank first, stern up, followed by the bow, stem up. No one had time to leave the ship, everything was so fast. Of the 1418 people on board, only three survived ... Admiral Holland and his staff, ship commander Ralph Kerr and other officers died. The three survivors were picked up from the water by the destroyer Elektra and later landed in Reykjavik.
After Hood's explosion, Bismarck veered to the right and shifted his fire to the still-alive Prince of Wales. The British battleship was also forced to tuck in order not to crash into the sinking remains of Hood, and thus found itself between the sinking Hood and the Germans, presenting an excellent target. The Germans did not miss theirs. At 0602, a Bismarck shell explodes in the conning tower of the Prince of Wales, killing everyone there except for the battleship's commander, John Catterall, and another man. The distance was reduced to 14000 meters, now even the shells of the largest anti-aircraft caliber Prinz Eugen could reach the poor fellow Welsh, and of course, anti-aircraft installations also opened fire. If the English battleship did not want to share the fate of Hood, he had to run away. And quickly. The British put up a smoke screen and rushed to retreat at maximum speed. They got it hard - four hits from Bismarck and three from Prinz Eugen. Finally, burning with revenge, the British fired three volleys from the “Y” turret, controlled at the time of firing on their own, but to no avail, all the volleys missed. At 06:09 the Germans fired their last salvo and the Battle of Denmark Strait ended. Many sailors from the Prince of Wales, probably after this trip, put candles in the church in memory of their savior, Admiral Lutyens. The fact is that the British were amazed by the fact that the German raiders did not finish off the Prince of Wales. Most likely, there is only one reason - Lutyens was in a hurry to get away from the main British forces hurrying to the battlefield, and decided not to waste time chasing. There is no doubt that Lutyens and the sailors of the raiders, inspired by victory, wanted nothing at that moment more than to catch up with Welsh and send Hoodoo to the company, but the circumstances - due to the choice made by Lutyens - were stronger.
Prince Eugen did not suffer from the fire of the British in any way, except for the deck that became wet from close explosions and several fragments that clinked powerlessly against this deck. But Bismarck got it hard. English sailors were not the ones to die with impunity. Three heavy shells hit the port side of the battleship, most likely all three from the Prince of Wales. The first hit the battleship in the middle of the hull below the waterline, pierced the skin below the armor belt and burst inside the hull, as a result of which the power station No. 4 was flooded on the port side. Water began to flow into the neighboring boiler room No. 2, but the emergency batches stopped the flow. The second shell pierced the hull above the armor belt and exited from the starboard side, without exploding, but having made a hole with a diameter of 1.5 mm. As a result, about 2,000 tons of water poured into the tank, the fuel tank was damaged, and the battleship lost 1,000 tons of fuel. Plus a trace of spreading fuel ... The third shell pierced the boat without any other consequences.
The sum total of all these hits was that Bismarck's speed dropped to 28 knots. There was a trim of 3 degrees to the nose and a roll of 9 degrees to the port side, due to which the right screw was exposed from time to time. I had to take water into ballast tanks to eliminate the roll.
Technically speaking, nothing serious happened to Bismarck. He did not lose combat capability, the speed remained sufficient, only 5 people from the crew received minor injuries - in other words, scratches. The most serious consequence was the loss of a considerable part of the fuel.
After the battle, the raiders remained on the same course, following in a south-westerly direction. Lutyens had two options - either to return before it was too late to Norway, or to continue the breakthrough to the Atlantic.
Today, all experts believe that the best way out was to turn back to Norway, along the way finishing off the Prince of Wales. Two ways - either the Danish Strait, or a shorter way, the passage of the Faroe Islands - Iceland, although there was a considerable risk of meeting with the main forces of the British - the battleship King George V, the aircraft carrier Victorias, the light cruisers Kenya, Galatea, Aurora, Neptune and Hermione, the destroyers Active, Ingelfield, Intrepid, Lance, Punjab and Windsor. There is also no doubt that Bismarck's commander Lindemann insisted on this option.
However, Lutyens informs the command, and orders the raiders to follow to France, to Saint-Nazaire. He was right about one thing, that Operation Rheinburg should be forgotten for the time being and the repair of Bismarck should be taken care of. Meanwhile, an undamaged Prinz Eugen could bite enemy convoys here and there. But why did Lutyens decide to bite into St. Nazaire instead of Norway, which was so much closer? Maybe because he was still thinking more about the raids in the Atlantic than about the situation in which he found himself? After all, raids from the ports of France were much more convenient than from Norway, and shorter. Or maybe because only two months ago he safely brought the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to Brest? Speaking in a stamp, we will never know about it.
At 09.50, commander Eugen Brinkmann received an order from Lutyens by semaphore to go to Bismarck's wake and visually assess the damage to the battleship - namely, fuel leakage. At 11.00 Eugen again led the column. The British ships continued their pursuit under Rear Admiral Wake-Walker, Suffolk to starboard, Norfolk and the newly born Prince of Wales to port. At noon, the Germans laid down on a course of 180 degrees, due south, and reduced their speed to 24 knots.
That's something that the Admiralty did not expect at all - the death of Hood. The indignant admirals immediately began issuing orders to involve all available ships within reasonable limits of the course in the hunt for Bismarck. Including those ships that were involved in the protection of convoys.
The British and Americans understood perfectly well what a Bismarck-class battleship Tyrannosaurus was like against helpless sheep in convoys, and the Bismarck raid demonstrated that it was worth destroying this Tyrannosaurus rex. That is why, having received intelligence about the exit of Tirpitz, they removed and tore everything they could from everywhere, and threw it across the proposed raid. Tirpitz's combat training was no worse than that of Bismarck, there was the cream of the Kriegsmarine, and they would not have died cheaply.
In general, most of the convoys in the Atlantic were left unguarded. The battleship Rodney (commander Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton) was heading to Boston for repairs, accompanied by the destroyers Somalia, Tartar, Mashona and Eskimo of the 6th flotilla, along the way accompanying the liner Britannic (27759 tons displacement, used as a transport for transportation military units) - they wrapped it too, not sparing the liner. It was said: "If the liner cannot follow you, leave one destroyer with it, and throw it to hell."
Battleship Ramilles (commander Arthur Reed) escorted convoy HX-127. Order: "Proceed immediately to the west so that the enemy raiders are between you and our forces pursuing him." And the convoy, accordingly, will be interrupted somehow.
The battleship Rivenge (commander Ernst Archer) formed a convoy in Halifax, on the same day at 15.00 he was already rushing at full speed to meet Bismarck, who had inflicted such a strong offense on the Grand Fleet of the Lady of the Seas.
On the morning of May 24, Lutyens decided that the cruiser should continue to follow independently, and at 14.20 he announced his decision to commander Eugen Brinkmann by semaphore. The order read: “During a rain squall, Bismarck will lie on a course due west. Prinz Eugen will follow the same course and speed for at least three hours after Bismarck's departure. The cruiser should then refuel from tankers Belchen or Loringen. Then act against enemy convoys independently. The code word for the start of the operation is Hood.
At this time, Karl Doenitz orders his wolves, all submarines in the North Atlantic, to completely stop fighting and be ready to help Bismarck. Doenitz wanted to arrange a grand trap for the British - to put boats in a certain square so that they would attack the British ships pursuing Bismarck. In accordance with this plan, Doenitz placed the boats U-93, U-43, U-46, U-557, U-66, U-94 south of the southern tip of Greenland.
At 15.40 a squall came up, and the word "Hood" sounded. Bismarck turned to starboard and headed west, speeding up to 28 knots. However, Suffolk was too close, Bismarck returned to his place at the stern of Eugen. Two hours later, the attempt was repeated, this time successfully. Prinz Eugen broke away, and Bismarck, just in case, at 18.30 opened fire on Suffolk from a distance of 18,000 meters. The cruiser retreated quickly under the cover of a smoke screen.
After which Bismarck fell upon the Prince of Wales, the exchange of volleys ceased at 18.56, there were no hits from either side. However, Suffolk left Bismarck's starboard side and joined Norfolk and Wales, fearing that Bismarck would catch him and finish him off after all. Thus, no one pursued Bismarck from the starboard side. A little later, it cost the British dearly.
In the meantime, it turned out that the battleship was extremely bad with fuel, so Lutyens was forced to decide to go straight to St. Nazaire, which he notified the command about. The battleship had about 3000 tons of fuel left, too little for maneuvers and attempts to break away from the pursuers.
If only they had refueled in Bergen... If only the fuel tank had not been damaged in the battle in the Danish Strait... History, what can you do with it! There is "if-would" and there is what is. Do not remake or replay.
Another extremely unpleasant consequence of the lack of fuel for the Germans - the undertaking with an underwater trap failed, as Bismarck had to turn around to straighten the course to St. Nazaire. The trap was left aside, but for the uninitiated, we note that diesel submarines and in the surface position are no match for surface ships in terms of speed. That is, the boats simply could not have time to change position. Dönitz ordered the boats at Biscay to prepare to cover the approaching Bismarck, and that was all Dönitz could do for the hunted battleship.
At 15.09, Admiral Tovey detached a separate group under the command of Rear Admiral Alban Kurteys, who held the flag on the cruiser Galatea. The group included the aircraft carrier Victories, light cruisers Galatea, Aurora, Kenya and Hermione. The task was set as follows - to get close to Bismarck and conduct a torpedo attack.
At 22.10, at a distance of about 120 miles from Bismarck, all of its torpedo bombers took off from the aircraft carrier in the amount of 9, 825 squadron under the command of Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmond. At 11:50 p.m., Esmond's torpedo bomber got a mark on the radar, but it was not Bismarck, but the American Coast Guard cutter Modoc. Bismarck was 6 miles further, he spotted the planes, opened fire and increased his speed to 27 knots. One Swordfish fought off the squadron while passing the cloud layer, the remaining 8 went on the attack at about midnight. Bismarck fired back from all types of guns, even the main and second caliber came into play. At first, Lindemann and helmsman Hans Hansen successfully dodged, and six torpedoes missed. But still the British got in. An 18-inch MK XII torpedo hit the starboard side in the area of the midship frame, hitting the armor belt, and the armor belt withstood the blow! Damage was minimal. The first victim appeared - Oberboatswain Kurt Kirchberg died. Six people were injured.
All torpedo bombers returned to the aircraft carrier despite the battleship's furious fire.
After the raid, Bismarck slowed down to 16 knots to ease the water pressure on the forepeak bulkheads and try to make some repairs. The distance between the opponents decreased, and at 01.31 already on May 25, the Prince of Wales opened fire. Bismarck did not remain in debt, and at a distance of 15,000 meters, two battleships exchanged two volleys each, to no avail. An unusually high spirit was maintained on board the Bismarck; according to the general ship broadcast, the crew congratulated Admiral Lutyens on his 52nd birthday - the admiral's birthday fell on May 25th.
The trinity, pursuing Bismarck, began to go in an anti-submarine maneuver due to fear of attacks by German submarines. At 03:06 Lutyens saw this as his chance, turning to the right. It worked - the British lost it. After that, Bismarck lay down on a course of 130 degrees - right on St. Nazaire.
For some time the British tried to re-establish contact, but finally gave up, and at 0401 Suffolk radioed guiltily: "Contact lost." Yesterday's order from Vice Admiral Wake-Walker to pull Suffolk off the starboard side of the Bismarck proved to be a mistake. Bismarck was given the opportunity to maneuver, and did not fail to take advantage of this opportunity. Stay Suffolk in his place, Bismarck could hardly break away.
Funny or not, the Bismarck never realized that they had come off. At 0700, Lutyens radioed: "One battleship and two enemy cruisers continue to pursue." At 0900 Bismarck sends another rather lengthy message to headquarters. Both messages were received by the command much later than 0900, but much worse, the British tracked these radio messages and roughly calculated Bismarck's position.
At 11.52 Lutyens received a congratulatory radiogram addressed to him from Raeder: “The most cordial congratulations on the occasion of your birthday! I have no doubt that in the coming new year of your life you will achieve new glorious victories, similar to the one you won two days ago!”
A few minutes later, Lutyens addressed the entire crew over the ship's broadcast: "Sailors of the battleship Bismarck! You have already covered yourself with glory! The sinking of Hood is not only a military victory, it is also a victory of the spirit. Hood was the pride of England. Now, of course, the enemy will gather all his forces and throw them against us. That is why I released Prinz Eugen yesterday on his own voyage - he will wage his own war against the merchant fleet of the enemy. He managed to escape. It's a different matter with us, we were damaged in battle, and now we must go to the French port. The enemy will try to intercept us on the way to the port, and impose a battle. The whole German people is with us, and we will fight to the last shell. For us now there is only one motto - victory or death!
Having thus encouraged the crew, Lutyens, meanwhile, receives another congratulation, this time from Hitler. The Fuhrer sent him the best about it and wished. Meanwhile, a party of sailors under the command of Walter Lehmann, the chief mechanic of the battleship, were building a false chimney to change the silhouette of the ship and confuse the brutalized Britons. On the night of the 25th/26th, Bismarck followed the same course and speed without any incident.
The last fight
On the morning of May 26, the battleship decided to repaint the top of the main and second caliber gun turrets yellow. Not an easy job, given the excitement, but it was done. However, it is not clear why, since the paint was washed off almost immediately.
And a few hours before the start of paintwork, from the town of Loch Erne, in northern Ireland, two flying boats Catalina of the Coastal Defense Forces took off. The task was simple and obvious at that time - to find the damned battleship! Any damn price! And at 10.10 Catalina Zet (crew commander Dennis Briggs) of 209 Squadron discovered the cursed battleship. The battleship also discovered it and immediately opened fire, quite well-aimed. Catalina dropped 4 depth charges on board - not in order to sink the battleship or damage her paint, but in order to make it easier to evade the viciously well-aimed fire of the Germans. The hull of the boat was riddled with shrapnel, which did not prevent her from sending a laconic radio command - “Battleship, bearing 240, distance 5 miles, heading 150, my coordinates are 49o 33 minutes north, 21o 47 minutes west. Transmission time is 10.30 am on the 26th.” 31 hours after Suffolk's loss of contact, the battleship was again caught in a lethal surveillance net.
But Tovey's ships were too far away, King George V 135 miles to the north, Rodney (at a max speed of 21 knots) 121 miles to the northeast. They had no chance of intercepting Bismarck, none. Provided Bismarck retains his speed and his strength.
This nightmare of the Admiralty could only be intercepted by Group H, under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir James Sommerville, coming from Gibraltar. However, the British admirals, having burned themselves with Hood, did not want to sink the battleship Rinaun (commander Roderick McGriggor), who led the group, and therefore he was ordered to stay away from Bismarck and not play a hero. The only way to delay the battleship, and at the same time not destroy their battleships, was air raids. This could be done with the aircraft carrier Ark Royal.
At 0835, ten Swordfish torpedo bombers took off from Ark Royal in search of the Germans, and as soon as the report from Catalina arrived, the two nearest Swordfish rushed to the battleship. At 11:14 they found him. A little later, two more torpedo bombers with additional fuel tanks flew up, replacing the first two.
At 1450, 15 Swordfish torpedo bombers, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Stuart-Moore, took off from Ark Royal (the commander of the aircraft carrier was Loben Mound) with the task of attacking Bismarck. At 15.50 they established radar contact with the battleship. During the attack, the British fired 11 torpedoes, none of which worked, as something was wrong with the magnetic fuses. Strong luck - but not Bismarck, but the British light cruiser Sheffield (commander Charles Larcom). He separated from the forces of N with the task of searching for Bismarck, was confused by the pilots with this same Bismarck, and mistakenly attacked. Two torpedoes exploded as soon as they fell into the water, three passed along the stern and exploded in a wave caused by the cruiser's course, the cruiser contrived to turn away from 6 others. At 1700, the torpedo bombers returned to the aircraft carrier, and it is unlikely that they were met with an orchestra. Lucky Sheffield, meanwhile, made contact with Bismarck - visually.
The British understood that this was their last chance. It's getting dark here. If Bismarck leaves now, he will be in France the next day. At 19.15, 15 Swordfish took to the air, mostly the same ones who demonstrated their combat skills on the cruiser Sheffield during the day. This time, the fuses on all torpedoes were installed with contact ones - the British used the mistake, which almost became fatal, for the good of the cause.
During all these disturbances, group H, led by the battleship Rinaun and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, entered the combat position of the German submarine U-556 (commander - Lieutenant Herbert Wolfart). The shooting position was perfect. But ... the boat did not have torpedoes, they spent their last "fish" on the ships of the HX-126 convoy a few days ago. All Wohlfarth could do was report back to HQ the details of the enemy group, its location, course, and speed. He did this, but it did not help Bismarck. What can I say - fate ...
The attack squadron of Swordfish this time flew under the command of Lieutenant Commander Kuda, and on the way to Bismarck flew over Sheffield to clarify the distance and bearing to the battleship, and this time nothing was fired at Sheffield, not a single torpedo. The pilots finally remembered how their own cruiser looks from the air.
The last hours of Bismarck
The attack began at 20.47, the battleship's artillery immediately opened barrage fire. But it did not help, at least two torpedoes hit the battleship. One or two hit the battleship from the port side in the middle of the hull, the other hit the stern on the starboard side. Hitting or hitting the port side caused practically no harm, Krupp steel saved, but the rudders jammed from hitting the stern in a position of 12 degrees to the left. Bismarck made a circulation, and then, almost uncontrollably, began to follow in a northwesterly direction. As before, not a single torpedo bomber was shot down, although several aircraft were damaged.
This time, the damage to the battleship was so severe that Lutyens radioed: “The ship is uncontrollable. We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Fuhrer! Although what does the Fuhrer have to do with it?
A hit in the stern not only jammed the rudders, but also led to the flooding of the helmsman and the compartments adjacent to it. That is, repair work could only be carried out under water. A group of divers entered the compartment, but it was impossible to work because of the strongest whirlpools. From the outside - that is, overboard, it was also excluded - there was too much excitement. They wanted to blow up the rudders and then be controlled by machines, but they were afraid that the explosions could damage or destroy the propellers. Bismarck was doomed. The most offensive - he was still in excellent even, not satisfactory condition, no serious damage, but the jamming of the rudders doomed him to uncontrollability and inevitable death.
After the air raid, the almost uncontrollable Bismarck began to scour in different directions, and approached Sheffield. In order to somehow have some fun, the Germans fired six volleys at the light cruiser at a distance of about 9 miles. They did not hit, but fragments damaged the cruiser's radar antenna and injured 12 people, of whom three later died. The cruiser was enveloped in a smoke screen and moved away. Contact with the battleship was lost, at 22.00 the cruiser reported the approximate bearing and distance to the battleship to the destroyers of the 4th flotilla (commander of the flotilla Philip Vaillant) Kossak, Maori, Zulu, Sikh and Piorun, the latter under the Polish flag, that approached it.
At 22.38, the Poles (commander Edzhenish Plawski) spotted the battleship, and received three volleys in response. Despite the fierce barrage, the destroyers rushed to the attack. At 2342, shrapnel shot down the radar antenna of the destroyer Kossak. After zero hours, the destroyers began firing illuminating shells, one of which fell on the battleship's forecastle and started a fire, which was quickly extinguished.
The weather for torpedo attacks was unsuitable - heavy seas, squalls with rain, almost no visibility. Not the last word left for Bismarck - the dying lion snapped aptly and strongly, even the Polish lancers did not dare to approach the "pistol shot".
There were no hits, although by 07.00 in the morning 16 torpedoes were fired at Bismarck.
Bismarck's last day met him with a storm from the northwest. His strength reached 8 points. In the conning tower of the battleship, the atmosphere was hardly cheerful. Everyone understood that the main enemy forces would soon attack the battleship. Bismarck somehow hobbled along at a speed of 7 knots and waited for the end - and what else was left for him?
At 0833, King George V and Rodney lay down on a course of 110 degrees, and 10 minutes later they spotted Bismarck at 23,000 meters.
Rodney opened fire at 0847, joined by King George V a minute later. The range was 20,000 meters. Bismarck began to snarl with the Anton and Bruno bow turrets, aiming at Rodney. At 0854 Norfolk entered with his eight 203mm guns, at 0858 Rodney's secondary caliber joined the main caliber, also opening fire.
At 09.02, the first hits began, several shells hit the forecastle, the foremast and disabled the rangefinder on the foremast. At 09.04 fire on Bismarck was opened by Dorsetshire (commander Benjamin Martin). Now two battleships and two heavy cruisers were firing at Bismarck. Of course, this execution quickly brought results - already at 09.08 the Anton and Bruno towers were out of order.
Fire control on the battleship switched to the stern command post, as the bow rangefinder was destroyed. Artillery officer Lieutenant Mullenheim-Rechberg commanded Bismarck's fire from the aft command post, fired 4 volleys from the aft towers and almost covered King George V, but at 09.13 a large-caliber projectile demolished the aft command tower along with a well-aimed lieutenant.
The stern towers began to fire independently, focusing on Rodney. Rodney fired 6 torpedoes, none hit. At 09.21, the Dora's aft turret went out of order - a shell exploded in the right barrel. By some incomprehensible miracle at 09.27, the bow towers suddenly came to life and fired one volley, after which they fell silent forever. 4 minutes down, at 09.31, the last salvo was made by the Tsar tower. A few auxiliary caliber guns remained in the ranks, but even those did not last long under the hurricane fire of the British. And at this time, the commander of the battleship Lindemann gives the order to leave the dying ship.
As Bismarck's fire weakened, the British came closer. Rodney turned out to be the most arrogant and approached at a distance of about 2500 meters, opening fire from everything that was possible, for a small amount not from pistols. At 09.40, the rear plate of the Bruno tower was torn out, the tower was engulfed in fire.
At 0956 Rodney decided to continue his torpedo practice and fired two more torpedoes, one of which appeared to hit Bismarck's port side. All the British ships approached for a pistol shot - it was impossible to miss even drunk, and they put shell after shell of all calibers into the dying battleship.
Amazingly, Bismarck did not sink! A little after 1000 Norfolk fired two torpedoes, one of which appeared to hit the starboard side. On board the stubbornly not sinking Bismarck, everything that can be imagined was destroyed. People started jumping overboard. All the guns were put out of action, their barrels froze in a variety of, sometimes bizarre, positions. The chimney and settings looked like a sieve. The aircraft hangar on the port side was completely destroyed. The main deck looked like the floor of a slaughterhouse. Only the mainmast survived, and Bismarck's battle flag fluttered from it!
At 10.16 Rodney ceased fire and went aside - the battleship ran out of fuel.
At 09.20, 12 torpedo bombers took off from Ark Royal, at 10.15 they flew up to Bismarck, but they didn’t get into the slaughterhouse - their fire could sweep them away like flies. King George V in a fever decided that it was the Germans, and opened fire on the planes - as if in retaliation for Sheffield, but having figured it out, the fire ceased. However, there was nothing for the planes to do there. The torpedo bombers only got to slowly circle over the ships and watch this drama - a unique opportunity.
At 10.20 Dorsetshire came close to Bismarck and fired two 21 inch MK VII torpedoes at the starboard side of the battleship. Both hit, but the dying Bismarck paid no attention to it. No, that is, visible effect. The cruiser turned around and fired another torpedo into the port side. The battleship finally began to sink, there was a strong roll to the port side, the port side guns went into the water.
Finally, to the delight of the weary British, at 10.39 Bismarck reluctantly capsized and sank at 48 degrees 10 minutes north, 16 degrees 12 minutes west.
Almost two hours passed from the beginning of the battle to the death of Bismarck, the battleship showed extraordinary vitality. The first hits began at 09.02, the fire stopped at 10.16, for 74 minutes in a row Bismarck was hit by everyone, from anti-aircraft caliber shells to torpedoes and 406mm "suitcases". Hood was drowned in 6 minutes, Bismarck could not be drowned in 74 - after all, the battleship's armor belt withstood all the blows, and in fact the battleship sank at the hands of the Germans themselves, they opened the kingstones! In the storm and the fear of the British, shells were fired:
380 40.6 cm shells from Rodney
339 rounds of 35.6 cm caliber from King George V
527 20.3 cm shells from Norfolk
254 20.3 cm rounds from Dorsetshire
716 15.2 cm shells from Rodney
660 rounds of 13.3 cm caliber from King George V
At 1100 hours, just 20 minutes after the death of Bismarck, Churchill announced to Parliament: “This morning at dawn, the British battleships entered the battle with Bismarck, who had lost control. How it all ended, I don't know yet. It seems that the Bismarck could not be sunk by artillery fire, and it will be finished off with torpedoes. Looks like we're doing just that right now. Yes, our loss, Hood, is great, but let's pay tribute to Bismarck, the most powerful battleship that our sailors have ever fought. We will destroy it, but the control of the North Sea is still very far away, it would be a mistake to reduce the victory over the German fleet to the victory over Bismarck. Churchill sat down, at this time a note was handed to him, he got up again and proclaimed: "I have just received a message - Bismarck has been destroyed!" Parliament greeted the news with shouts and applause.
Eternal parking of the battleship "Bismarck"
The impressive success of the Tirpitz battleship is the legacy left over from the legendary Bismarck, a battleship of the same type, a meeting with which struck fear into the hearts of the British forever.
In total, about 20 units under the British, Canadian and Polish flags, as well as 2 naval tankers and 13 carrier-based aviation squadrons - only in this composition in April 1944 did the British dare to approach the Alta Fjord - where, under the gloomy vaults of the Norwegian rocks, the pride of the Kriegsmarine rusted - Tirpitz.
The carrier-based aircraft managed to bomb the German base and cause serious damage to the battleship's superstructures. However, the next Pearl Harbor did not work out - the British could not inflict mortal wounds on the Tirpitz.
The Germans lost 123 men killed, but the battleship still posed a threat to shipping in the North Atlantic. The main problems were caused not so much by numerous bomb hits and fires on the upper deck, but by newly opened leaks in the underwater part of the hull - the result of a previous British attack using mini-submarines.
In total, during the stay in Norwegian waters, the Tirpitz withstood dozens of air strikes - in total, during the war years, about 700 British and Soviet aircraft took part in raids on the battleship! In vain. The British were able to destroy the super-battleship only towards the end of the war with the help of the monstrous 5-ton Tallboy bombs dropped by the Lancasters of the Royal Air Force. As a result of two direct hits and three close gaps, the Tirpitz capsized and sank.
Tallboy ("Big Boy")
Brief performance characteristics of the Bismarck-class battleships
Standard displacement: 41,700 tons; full 50 900 t
Main dimensions: length (total) 248 m; width (at the waterline level) 35.99 m; draft 8.68 m
Power plant: 12 Wagner-type boilers, three Bloem-und-Voss-type turbines with a total capacity of 138,000 hp, rotating three propellers
Maximum speed: 29 knots
Reservation: side belt thickness from 317 mm to 266 mm; decks 50 mm; armored deck from 119 mm to 89 mm; torpedo installation 44 mm; turrets of main caliber guns from 368 mm to 178 mm; towers of anti-mine guns from 102 mm to 38 mm
Armament: eight 15-in. (381-mm) guns of the main caliber, 12 - 6-in. (152 mm) and 16 - 4.1-in. (105 mm) universal guns, 15 - 37 mm and 12 - 20 mm automatic anti-aircraft guns, from four to six aircraft
Team: 2092 people
Battleship - Battleship:
in a broad sense, a ship intended for combat operations as part of a squadron;
in the traditional sense (also abbreviated as battleship) - a class of heavy armored artillery warships with a displacement of 20 to 70 thousand tons, a length of 150 to 280 m, with a caliber of main battery guns of 280-460 mm, with a crew of 1500-2800 people.
Battleships were used in the 20th century to destroy enemy ships as part of a combat formation and artillery support for land operations. were evolutionary development armadillos of the second half of the nineteenth century.
origin of name
Battleship is a common abbreviation for the term "ship of the line". So in Russia in 1907 they named a new type of ships in memory of the old wooden sailing battleships. Initially, it was assumed that the new ships would revive linear tactics, but this was soon abandoned.
The English-language incomplete analogue of the Russian term "battleship" - battleship (literally: warship) originated in a similar way - the English term for a sailing battleship. In 1794, the term line-of-battle ship - the ship of the battle line - was abbreviated as battle ship. In the future, it was used in relation to any warship. Since the late 1880s, unofficially in the Royal British Navy, it has most often been applied to squadron ironclads. In 1892, the reclassification of the British Navy called the word "battleship" a class of super-heavy ships, which included several especially heavy squadron ironclads.
Dreadnoughts. "Only Big Guns"
The founder of a new breakthrough in the development of large artillery ships is the British Admiral John Arbuthnot Fisher. Back in 1899, commanding the Mediterranean squadron, he noted that firing with the main caliber can be carried out at a much greater distance if guided by bursts from falling shells. But the requirement made it necessary to unify all artillery in order to avoid confusion in determining the bursts of shells of the main caliber and medium-caliber artillery. Thus was born the concept of "only big guns" (orig. "all-big-guns"), which formed the basis of a new type of ship. The effective firing range increased from 10-15 to 90-120 cables (that is, almost an order of magnitude!).
Other innovations that formed the basis of the new type of ships were centralized fire control from a single general ship post and the massive use of electric drives and ship telecommunications (in particular telephone), which increased the speed and accuracy of aiming heavy guns. The guns themselves were greatly improved as a result of the transition to smokeless powder and the manufacture of guns from high-strength steels. Now only the lead ship was enough for shooting, and those following it in the wake were guided by bursts from its shells. Thus, building in wake columns again allowed in Russia in 1907 to return the term ship of the line. In the USA, England and France, the term "battleship" was not revived, and new ships continued to be called "battleship" or "cuirassé". In Russia, the "battleship" remained the official term, but in practice the abbreviation battleship was established.
The Russo-Japanese War finally established the superiority in speed and range of artillery as the main advantages in naval combat. Discussions about a new type of ships were held in many countries. For example, in Italy, Vittorio Cuniberti came up with the idea of a new battleship, and in the USA, the construction of ships of the Michigan type was planned, but the British managed to get ahead of everyone due to industrial and technological superiority.
The first such ship was the English Dreadnought, whose name has become a household name for all ships of this class. The ship was built in record time, going on sea trials on September 2, 1906, a year and one day after the official laying. The Dreadnought, with a displacement of 22,500 tons, thanks to the new type of power plant used for the first time on such a large ship - a steam turbine - could reach speeds of up to 22 knots. The Dreadnought was equipped with 10 305 mm caliber guns (due to the haste, the ship was equipped with two-gun turrets of the 1904 squadron battleships being completed). The second caliber of the Dreadnought was anti-mine - 27 guns of 76 mm caliber. There was no medium caliber artillery. The main side armor of the Dreadnought included two separate armor belts: the waterline was protected by 279-mm plates above which 203-mm armor went up to the level of the middle deck. Horizontal booking consisted of two armored decks, overlapping the upper and lower edges of the side armor belt. The upper armored deck of the Dreadnought, located at the level of its middle deck, extended from the bow to the aft beam and was a flooring of 18 mm soft steel plates. Below it, at the level of the lower deck, between the bow and stern barbettes, the main armored deck passed, consisting of two layers (25 + 18 mm) of mild armor steel. At a distance of about 3 m from the outer side, it smoothly descended in the form of a bevel to the lower edge of the main armor belt. The turrets of the 12-inch guns were protected by 279 mm armor in front and from the sides, had a 76 mm roof and a 330 mm rear. There was no integral armored longitudinal bulkhead. Its function was performed by protective 51-mm armor screens located in the area of artillery cellars.
The appearance of the Dreadnought made all other large armored ships obsolete. This played into the hands of Germany, which began the construction of a large navy, because now it could immediately begin building new ships.
For the first time ships of the line appeared in the 17th century. For a while, they lost the palm to slow-moving armadillos. But at the beginning of the 20th century, battleships became the main force of the fleet. The speed and range of artillery pieces became the main advantages in naval battles. Countries concerned about increasing the power of the navy, since the 1930s of the 20th century, began to actively build heavy-duty battleships designed to enhance superiority at sea. Not everyone could afford the construction of incredibly expensive ships. The largest battleships in the world - in this article we will talk about super-powerful giant ships.
10 Richelieu Length 247.9 m
The rating of the largest battleships in the world is opened by the French giant "Richelieu" with a length of 247.9 meters and a displacement of 47 thousand tons. The ship is named after the famous statesman of France, Cardinal Richelieu. A battleship was built to counter the Italian navy. The battleship Richelieu did not conduct active hostilities, except for participation in the Senegal operation in 1940. In 1968, the supership was scrapped. One of his guns was erected as a monument in the port of Brest.
9 Bismarck Length 251 m
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The legendary German ship "Bismarck" takes 9th place among the largest battleships in the world. The length of the vessel is 251 meters, the displacement is 51 thousand tons. The Bismarck left the shipyard in 1939. The Fuhrer of Germany, Adolf Hitler, was present at its launch. One of the most famous ships of the Second World War was sunk in May 1941 after prolonged fighting by British ships and torpedo bombers in retaliation for the destruction of the English flagship, the cruiser Hood, by a German battleship.
8 Tirpitz Ship 253.6 m
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On the 8th place in the list of the largest battleships is the German Tirpitz. The length of the vessel was 253.6 meters, displacement - 53 thousand tons. After the death of the "big brother", "Bismarck", the second of the most powerful German battleships practically failed to take part in naval battles. Launched in 1939, the Tirpitz was destroyed in 1944 by torpedo bombers.
7 Yamato Length 263 m
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The Yamato is one of the largest battleships in the world and the largest warship in history ever sunk in a naval battle. "Yamato" (in translation, the name of the ship means the ancient name of the Land of the Rising Sun) was the pride of the Japanese navy, although due to the fact that the huge ship was protected, the attitude of ordinary sailors towards it was ambiguous. The Yamato entered service in 1941. The length of the battleship was 263 meters, displacement - 72 thousand tons. Crew - 2500 people. Until October 1944, the largest ship in Japan practically did not participate in the battles. In Leyte Gulf, the Yamato opened fire on American ships for the first time. As it turned out later, none of the main calibers hit the target. The Last Campaign of Japan's Pride On April 6, 1945, the Yamato went on its last campaign. American troops landed on Okinawa, and the remnants of the Japanese fleet were tasked with destroying enemy forces and supply ships. The Yamato and the rest of the ships of the formation were attacked by 227 American deck ships for a two-hour period. Japan's largest battleship went out of action, having received about 23 hits from aerial bombs and torpedoes. As a result of the explosion of the bow compartment, the ship sank. Of the crew, 269 people survived, 3 thousand sailors died.
6 Musashi Length 263 m
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The largest battleships in the world include Musashi with a hull length of 263 meters and a displacement of 72,000 tons. This is the second giant battleship built by Japan during World War II. The ship entered service in 1942. The fate of "Musashi" was tragic. The first campaign ended with a hole in the bow, resulting from a torpedo attack by an American submarine. In October 1944, Japan's two largest battleships finally came into serious combat. In the Sibuyan Sea, they were attacked by American aircraft. Occasionally, main blow the enemy was inflicted on Musashi. The ship sank after being hit by about 30 torpedoes and bombs. Together with the ship, its captain and more than a thousand crew members died. On March 4, 2015, 70 years after the sinking, the Musashi was discovered by American millionaire Paul Allen. It is located in the Sibuyan Sea at a depth of one and a half kilometers. "Musashi" takes 6th place in the list of the largest battleships in the world.
5 Soviet Union Length 269 m
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Incredibly, not a single super battleship was built by the Soviet Union. In 1938, the battleship "Soviet Union" was laid down. The length of the ship was to be 269 meters, and the displacement - 65 thousand tons. To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the battleship was 19% complete. It was not possible to complete the ship, which could become one of the largest battleships in the world.
4 Wisconsin Length 270 m
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The American battleship Wisconsin is ranked 4th in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world. It was 270 meters long and had a displacement of 55,000 tons. He entered service in 1944. During World War II, he accompanied aircraft carrier groups and supported amphibious operations. Served during the Gulf War. The Wisconsin is one of the last battleships in the US Navy Reserve. Was decommissioned in 2006. Now the ship is in the parking lot in the city of Norfolk.
3 Iowa Length 270 m
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The American battleship "Iowa" with a length of 270 meters and a displacement of 58 thousand tons takes 3rd place in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world. The ship entered service in 1943. During the Second World War, "Iowa" actively participated in combat operations. In 2012, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet. Now the ship is in the port of Los Angeles as a museum.
2 New Jersey Length 270.53 m
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The second place in the ranking of the largest battleships in the world is occupied by the American ship "New Jersey", or "Black Dragon". Its length is 270.53 meters. Refers to the Iowa-class battleships. Left the shipyard in 1942. The New Jersey is a true veteran of naval battles and the only ship that took part in the Vietnam War. Here he played the role of supporting the army. After 21 years of service, it was withdrawn from the fleet in 1991 and received the status of a museum. Now the ship is parked in the city of Camden.
1 Missouri Length 271 m
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The American battleship Missouri tops the list of the largest battleships in the world. It is interesting not only for its impressive size (the length of the ship is 271 meters), but also for the fact that it is the last American battleship. In addition, the Missouri went down in history due to the fact that the surrender of Japan was signed on board in September 1945. The supership was launched in 1944. Its main task was to escort Pacific aircraft carrier formations. Participated in the war in the Persian Gulf, where he opened fire for the last time. In 1992, he was withdrawn from the US Navy. Since 1998, the Missouri has had the status of a museum ship. The parking lot of the legendary ship is located in Pearl Harbor. Being one of the most famous warships in the world, she has been featured in documentaries and feature films. High hopes were placed on heavy-duty ships. Characteristically, they never justified themselves. Here is a good example of the largest battleships ever built by man - the Japanese battleships "Musashi" and "Yamato". Both of them were defeated by the attack of American bombers, without having time to fire at the enemy ships from their main calibers. However, if they met in battle, the advantage would still be on the side of the American fleet, equipped by that time with ten battleships against two Japanese giants.
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