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Post by chris on Jul 12, 2015 11:50:59 GMT -6
WO, I understand that - hit where they hurt. Best, c.
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Post by dave on Jul 12, 2015 12:02:11 GMT -6
HMS Hood (1939)
Some interesting rare colour footage from 1939.
Not just of the Hood after her limited 1939 overhaul, but also of the Repulse, Warspite and Ark Royal amongst others.
WO WO I was shocked at how much water flowed over the HMS Hood. I had heard that she shipped a lot of water but was not expecting that much as shown in the film. I knew the Royal Navy had plans to upgrade her armor protection in the late 30's but after seeing how deep her bow plunged into the sea, I am not sure she could take on any more weight. I wonder if Ted Briggs was one of the signalmen shown raising the signal flags? Autumn of 1939 was the zenith of the RN's power and strength. I suspect the USS Houston and the cruisers USS Vincennes, USS Astoria and USS Quincy all experienced the same kinda of hell that the Bismarck did. The loss of the Hood was devastating because she had been hyped as the most powerful ship in the world and May 1941 was a dark time for Great Britain especially with the U Boats running wild in the Atlantic. But She still was the most beautiful ship ever. Regards Dave
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Post by welshofficer on Jul 12, 2015 12:03:40 GMT -6
As bad as it was on Bismarck, I think it was even worse on Scharnhorst off North Cape. QC,
The North Cape was not good, particularly given water temps, but the Scharnhorst's crew had 90 mins from realising she was in deep trouble (when Duke of York took out her No.1 boiler room at 18.20) to sinking (19.45).
The Bismarck's crew had all night to realise their crippled ship was "a sitting duck" and wait for the Home Fleet/Force H to come and sink her. She took over 400 gunfire hits that morning, a fair few of them 16" and 14". A testament to her design and construction, but unimaginable carnage.
WO
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Post by welshofficer on Jul 12, 2015 12:24:26 GMT -6
Dave,
Hood was due a complete reconstruction from 1941, and the designers had plenty of weight to play with e.g. she was not all or nothing armour as constructed 1916-20, and lighter more efficient machinery could have been installed. She had plenty of armour where she didn't need it, and her rear deck armour was perilously thin over magazines. That would have taken about 3 years.
Just completely overtaken by events, if you look at the reconstruction timetable. Renown went in for reconstruction in September 1936, and came out in August 1939. Valiant went in for reconstruction in March 1937 and came out in November 1939. Queen Elizabeth went in for reconstruction in August 1937 and came out in December 1940. After the Sudetenland crisis in September 1938, and with war clouds gathering, no more capital ships were going in for reconstruction and certainly not a battlecruiser with the Renown already missing. The battlecruisers were the weapon of choice against the "pocket" battleships. Hood was overhauled January-August 1939, basically a quick pre-hostilities maintenance job.
WO
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Post by Yan Taylor on Jul 12, 2015 12:32:37 GMT -6
Oh no Justin not the ill-fated Taskforce Z, funny enough HMS Electra which was a part of TF-Z was involved in the hunt for the Bismarck. Chuck, during WW2 the Germans still used some of their old WW1 stock, the two old Dreadnoughts SMS Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were still operation up to the end of the war. Ian.
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Post by welshofficer on Jul 12, 2015 12:38:42 GMT -6
Ian,
Those were a couple of the pre-dreadnoughts retained under Versailles!
Force Z was just a culmination of the RN being stressed to breaking point throughout 1941...look at the warship losses in that year? Hood, Ark Royal, Barham, Gloucester, Fiji etc etc.
Sending an anti-aviation desk admiral out to face the IJN summed it all up, and the IJN responded by relocating the 22nd Air Flotilla from Formosa to Indo-China....
WO
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