# Bismarck Tirpitz



## beaupower32 (Aug 17, 2009)

I posted this to give you guys the War Diary's of these ships. Lots of cool info in these. Also in here is Prinz Eugens War Diary. Enjoy!













The Tirpitz in Kafjord, Norway


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 17, 2009)

Excellent post BP!


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## beaupower32 (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks! What part of South Carolina are you from vikingBerserker


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Aug 20, 2009)

Great info Beaupower!! Thanks for sharing!!


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 20, 2009)

Spartanburg. I lived in Charleston for 4 years while in college in the late 80's. How I do miss the place.


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## wheelsup_cavu (Aug 21, 2009)

Great post Beaupower. 


Wheels


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## RabidAlien (Aug 21, 2009)

Awesome! Thanks!


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## Juha (Aug 22, 2009)

Hello beaupower!
Very interesting documents indeed! Thanks a lot for sharing them!
To me it was interesting to find out how well and fast Germans were able to decode RN tactical code. That on operational level that didn’t succeed is well knows as also the fact that LW recon flights didn’t produce much useful info during the Oper. Rheinübung.

Thankfully
Juha


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## stug3 (Mar 9, 2013)

View from the search-light platform overlooking the flight deck of HMS VICTORIOUS, showing the strike force of twelve Fairey Albacores of 832 or 817 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm loaded with torpedoes to strike at the TIRPITZ when she was at sea off the coast of Norway. The attack obtained no hits on the German battleship and two aircraft were lost. In the background can be seen HMS RENOWN, HMS DUKE OF YORK, and HMS BERWICK in line ahead.






A Fleet Air Arm flight deck party on board HMS VICTORIOUS leaning against the island of the aircraft carrier whilst they are awaiting the return of aircraft from patrol. The photograph was taken whilst VICTORIOUS was helping to cover Russian convoys.






On board HMS VICTORIOUS a shadowing Fairey Albacore returns. One of the Fairey Albacores that shadowed the TIRPITZ from an early hour and guided the striking force to their objective off the coast of Norway. The attack obtained no hits on the German battleship and two aircraft were lost. The Observer, Sub Lieutenant G Dunworth, is being carried from the machine after being hit by gunfire, note the hatch in the side of the aircraft.


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## stug3 (Mar 19, 2013)

HMS RENOWN at anchor in Hvalfjord, Iceland (Photograph taken from the aircraft carrier HMS VICTORIOUS) during the search for the TIRPITZ. The battleship aft of RENOWN is possibly USS TEXAS, which arrived in Iceland in late January to escort a convoy back to British waters.






HMS RENOWN






An aerial view of HMS VICTORIOUS at sea. Steam can be seen venting from the catapult towards the front of the flight deck.


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## fastmongrel (Mar 20, 2013)

stug3 said:


> An aerial view of HMS VICTORIOUS at sea. Steam can be seen venting from the catapult towards the front of the flight deck.



Its actually a steam line that bled steam to show landing aircraft the wind direction. Steam catapults didnt arrive until post war, wartime catapults were Hhydraulic usually with compressed air and explosive variants.


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## meatloaf109 (Mar 20, 2013)

More than possible. Classic USN design, Wide hull, thin superstructure, twin high hoists, I'd bet good money on Texas!


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## stug3 (Mar 30, 2013)

Tirpitz was on the top of the RAF's target list, seen here at Fættenfjord in March 1942.


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## Glider (Mar 30, 2013)

Excellent post. Looking at the Prinz Eugen diary I notice that the Bismark suffered a serious rudder failure *before *any combat took place. The PE who was following, was only able to avoid a dangerous situation by putting her rudder over to 40 degrees at high speed, a manouver that was offically banned.

Make you wonder if the Bismark had a weakness before the Swordfish torpedos hit home


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## Vassili Zaitzev (May 9, 2013)

Excellent primary sources. Many thanks BP!


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## parsifal (May 9, 2013)

Might have some KM shots at home, will have a look tonite


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## Njaco (May 9, 2013)

Hellava way to re-start a 4 year old thread! Cool pics!!


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## stug3 (May 17, 2013)

Hugging the Norwegian shore, the German battlecruiser PRINZ EUGEN makes her way southwards while under attack from Coastal Command aircraft on the evening of 17 May 1942. The heavy anti-aircraft barrage she put up shot down three of her attackers, and a follow-up wave was intercepted by enemy fighters and suffered heavy losses. No hits were scored by the RAF, and the ship made Kiel safely the following day.






Oblique photographic-reconnaissance aerial of the German warships, ADMIRAL SCHEER and PRINZ EUGEN lying in Lo Fjord (Drontheim), Norway. Lying in the lee of a snow-covered bluff, nearest the camera, is ADMIRAL SCHEER, protected by a torpedo boom. In the middle of the fjord is PRINZ EUGEN, also protected by a boom, undergoing repairs to her stern and rudder after being seriously damaged by a torpedo fired by HMS TRIDENT on 23 February 1942. She is attended by the repair vessel HUSCARAN, tugs and a sheer-legs platform aft, where some 30 feet of her after section have been cut away.


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## model299 (May 17, 2013)

Stug, there appears to be a smaller, destroyer type ship in front on that upper photo. Any idea as to the identity of it?


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## Denniss (May 17, 2013)

Prinz Eugen was a heavy cruiser, not a battle cruiser.


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## stug3 (May 18, 2013)

model299 said:


> Stug, there appears to be a smaller, destroyer type ship in front on that upper photo. Any idea as to the identity of it?



No, but a good guess could probably made from a detailed account of the battle, should be one online somewhere.





Denniss said:


> Prinz Eugen was a heavy cruiser, not a battle cruiser.



You're right about that.


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## parsifal (May 23, 2013)

The German heavy cruiser PRINZ EUGEN was torpedoed and severely damaged by a British submarine off Norway in February 1942. On 16 May she sailed from Trondheim in an attempt to reach her home port in Germany for further repairs. Coastal Command organised a strike for the following evening involving 12 No 42 Squadron Beauforts, inluding the Mk IIA seen here with its crew preparing for the operation.


http://ww2today.com/17th-may1942-heavy-losses-as-coastal-command-attacks-prinz-eugen

Dont know the escort as yet


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## silence (Aug 20, 2013)

Bismarck's log is a recreation after she was sunk. After her rudder was jammed they wanted to fly it back to Fleet but the compressed air launcher for the floatplanes had been damaged by a splinter from a PoW shell at the Denmark Straits.


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## redcoat (Aug 20, 2013)

Glider said:


> Make you wonder if the Bismark had a weakness before the Swordfish torpedos hit home


3 heavy German warships suffered major failures of their sterns when hit by a single torpedo, the Bismarck, the Lutzow on the 11/4/1940 and the Prinz Eugen on the 23/2/1942


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## silence (Aug 20, 2013)

redcoat said:


> 3 heavy German warships suffered major failures of their sterns when hit by a single torpedo, the Bismarck, the Lutzow on the 11/4/1940 and the Prinz Eugen on the 23/2/1942



Bismarck didn't lose her stern until she hit bottom. The swordfish stern hit would do similar damage to any other ship: you just can't protect against a hit there, no more than you can protect against Norfolk blowing off your main fire control.

Luetzow and Prinz Eugen make me think that the KM should have been built with transom sterns rather than waiting for the RN to make the modifications for them.


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## redcoat (Aug 21, 2013)

silence said:


> Bismarck didn't lose her stern until she hit bottom. .


Indeed she didn't, but there is evidence that the cause of her jammed steering was the stern collapsing on to the rudders.
More info;
Bismarck's Final Battle - Part 2


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## silence (Aug 22, 2013)

This is speculation without evidence (at least none mentioned) on the part of G&D: "we believe". This is only conjecture based, I believe, on the two other occurrences. 

Neither is there any witness testimony regarding this collapse, so we don't really know, which is not to say it could not have happened.

It is my understanding that the part of the stern which broke lose is aft of the rudders.

My personal opinion is that the ... emanations ... from the uncleaned litterbox for Bismarck's cat corroded the rudder shafts.


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