Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Bismarck

The German battleship Bismarck is one of the most famous warships of the Second World War. The lead ship of her class, she was named after the 19th-century German chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
Bismarck's fame came from the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 (in which the battlecruiser HMS Hood, flagship and pride of the British Royal Navy, was sunk), from Churchill's subsequent order to "Sink the Bismarck" , and from the relentless pursuit by the Royal Navy that ended with her loss only three days later.
Displacement: 41,700 tonnes standard
50,900 tonnes full load
Length: 251 metres (823.5 ft) overall
241.5 metres (792.3 ft) waterline
Beam: 36.0 metres (118.1 ft) waterline
Draft: 9.3 metres (30.5 ft) standard
10.2 metres (33.5 ft) full load
Propulsion: 12 Wagner high-pressure;
3 Blohm & Voss geared turbines;
3 three-blade propellers, 4.70 m diameter
150,170 hp (121 MW)
Speed: 30.8 knots
Range: 8,525 nm at 19 knots
Complement: 2,092: 103 officers 1,989 men (1941)
Armament: 8×380 mm/L48.5 SK-C/34 (4×2)
12×150 mm/L55 SK-C/28
16×105 mm/L65 SK-C/37 / SK-C/33
16 × 37 mm/L83 SK-C/30
12×20 mm/L65 MG C/30 (Single)
8×20 mm/L65 MG C/38 (Quadruple)
Armor: Belt: 145 to 320 mm
Deck: 50 to 120 mm
Bulkheads: 220 mm
Turrets: 130 to 360 mm
Barbettes: 342 mm
Conning tower: 360 mm
Aircraft carried: 4×Arado Ar 196 A-3, with 1 double-ended catapult