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[Colin Bishop]

I think it is now generally accepted that Bismarck was not the 'wonder ship' she was touted as despite her impressive appearance.

This video by Drachinfel looks at design alternatives on the same displacement which might have resulted in a more effective fighting ship. Quite interesting I thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_8macWls9o

Colin

[raflaunches]

I really like the look of the ‘Littorio’ Bismarck concept. Considering the relatively simple design changes just with the secondary armament it just goes to show that original design team weren’t really thinking of modern/future warfare of WW2. The switch to purely smaller 4.1” increasing the number of anti aircraft guns which could also take on destroyers of the era should have been common sense instead of having the mixed secondary armament she actually had.
A properly good video from Drachinfel

[ballastanksian]

I watched most of this and was impressed. I assumed that 4inch (ish) weapons were capable enough of dealing with escort vessels by this time, so the 15cm beasts were not really necessary.


(I had in mind a treatment of the remaining Hood hulls as Carrier escort ships in an alternative narrative where the RNAS stays independent and manages to acquire one Hood hull as a forth modern carrier and the said two escort behemoths bristling with 4inch AA and later loads of twin 4.7s and pompoms as well as two 15inch turrets to deter Panzerschiff type ships.)


I like everything that he presents and expecially liked his trilogy on recovering and salving the battleships after Pearl Harbour.


He and Mark Felton are fine producers of historical depth.

[Akira]

I have often wondered why Bismark was completed with so many different caliber weapon systems other than her 15" guns. Admittedly I am a bit biased, but the US navy's 5"/38 mount proved conclusively that a single gun could and would serve both purposes, anti-air and anti-ship, very well. To the same degree, I questioned why the Germans chose 20mm, 37, and just a few 40mm for close it anti-air. Again, concentrating on fewer caliber with greater numbers seems like it would  have been a better choice

[tonyH]

It almost goes back to the 1900's when Krupps made so many different variations of bore/calibre. Possibly just old habits...........