She's the fjord she was moored in OTL at this time (just east of Trondheim). For OPERATION TUNGSTEN in April 1944 OTL she was in a fjord she was in a fjord several hundred miles to the north.
April 1942 Alternate Indian Ocean
- Thread starter Zheng He
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She's the fjord she was moored in OTL at this time (just east of Trondheim). For OPERATION TUNGSTEN in April 1944 OTL she was in a fjord she was in a fjord several hundred miles to the north.
I think the intention is because the water is shallow the depth charges will create a temporary cavity or bubble in the water supporting Tirpitz possibly breaking the keel or causing other structural damage.
Hmm. I mentioned this to my sister, and she wonders if this problem manifests when using products such as germicidal wipes, which often contain alcohol. Or when a health worker swabs one's arm for an injection. Or exposure to alcohol-based scents.
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Strangely enough...
...Discomfort but not the nasty reactions described, when arm swabbed before my flu jabs. The swabs may not contain alcohol. TCP does not affect me.
...Discomfort but not the nasty reactions described, when arm swabbed before my flu jabs. The swabs may not contain alcohol. TCP does not affect me.
Even regular bombs scoring near misses can cause heavy hull damage. At OTL Midway, a near miss along Akagi's stern jammed her rudders and probably crippled the ship just as much as Dick Best's direct hit and near misses were probably more damaging to the heavy cruiser Kinugasa than the direct hits because they opened the hull to seawater.
0300 Hours, 18 December 1942, Fættenfjord, Norway – While the Germans strengthened the defenses around the fjord considerably, they still were not expecting a night attack by carrier aircraft in the middle of December. The planes from USS Ranger’s first attack group arrived shortly before 0300 hours less one Wildcat and one Dauntless that turned back with engine trouble. As the two Avengers that led the strike aircraft to the target, orbited overhead, 13 SBDs from VS-41 dove on Tirpitz while the seven F4Fs from VF-41 strafed anti-aircraft gun installations along the shoreline. Led by the two flare dropping dive-bombers, the SBDs attacked in two separate groups hitting Tirpitz with four 500-pound bombs, two of which heavily damaged 5.9-inch gun turrets while a third hit bounced harmlessly off the deck armor. Coral Sea and Midway veteran Lieutenant Commander Bill Burch scored the fourth hit amidships that wrecked the catapults and destroyed both of the battleship’s Arado floatplanes. None of the attackers were shot down although one Dauntless failed to pull of its dive and a Wildcat spun into the water after it clipped a wing on the fjord’s wall as the pilot out of his strafing run.
A little more than 15 minutes after the Americans departed the Barracudas of No. 810 and No. 827 Squadrons and their fighter escorts arrived, much to the horror of the still surprised Germans. The Barracuda Mark IIs of No. 827 Squadron from HMS Victorious arrived first, having outpaced the more sluggish Mark Is while the four Fulmars accompanying the dive bombers led the way with a strafing attack. Led by a single flare dropper, the 10 Barracudas Mark IIs dove on the German behemoth, using the light from the fire on the ship’s catapults as an aiming point. The FAA pilots scored three direct hits with their big 1600-pound bombs. One hit was on the now destroyed catapults, adding to the damage and another bomb hit in between Caesar and Dora turrets disabling both by knocking them off their mounts. The damage was not as heavy as it could have been since the pilots held their dives well below the recommended release altitude of 3000 feet due inexperience with their new airframes and in order to ensure accuracy. The third direct hit was on the stern just above the rudders that repair crews were in the process of replacing. A fourth 1600 pound struck a repair ship alongside Tirpitz and penetrated straight through the decks before detonating causing the unfortunate vessel to roll over and sink. Gunners on Tirpitz and on shore managed to shoot down one Barracuda and one Fulmar.
Five minutes behind No. 827 Squadron was No. 810 Squadron and its escorting Martlets. The FAA pilots followed a similar pattern, strafing fighters first and then the flare droppers followed by the dive-bombers. Each dive-bomber dropped two 600-pound anti-submarine bombs and most were clean misses or hits that bounced off the battleships heavy deck armor, but some bombs added to the damage already done. Two bombs detonated in the water along the port side of the ship buckling the hull plates causing water to rush into several compartments, while two were expertly placed just outside the caisson wrapped around the ship’s stern to allow the installation of the rudder replacements. The damage caused by the concussion from the 1600-pound bomb that hit stern a few minutes earlier had already weakened the caisson and the two additional bombs caused a section of its wall to collapse causing water from the fjord to flood the area, wiping the progress made on installing the new rudders. Two of the 600-pound bombs that missed the battleship detonated under the hull of a harbor patrol boat causing it to flip over and sink with all hands. The anti-aircraft gunners succeeded in bringing done one of the Barracudas.
After the Barracudas and their escorting fighters departed, the Germans rapidly swung into action and began emergency damage control procedures, particularly on Tirpitz’ battered stern. The problem was they believed the attacks were over and it was now their turn to try to save their ship. The Germans realized their error just under 30 minutes after the FAA strike aircraft departed when they once again heard the hum of aircraft engines quickly followed by two VB-4 SBDs dropping flares around the stricken battleship. Hard on the heels of the flare droppers, 14 VB-4 SBDs tipped over into their 70-degree dives dropping their 1000 pounds at 1500 feet per standard US Navy doctrine. By now, smoke partially obscured the ship but four bombs still struck home. One bomb struck the bow but miraculously caused minor damage. A second bomb disabled a 5.9-inch gun turret and a hit alongside the funnel heavily damaged the boiler intakes. However, Midway veteran Lieutenant Norman “Dusty” Kleiss delivered the most crippling blow when he placed his bomb just about where the 1600 pounder that disabled the Caeser and Dora turrets struck. The weakened state of the deck at that point allowed Kleiss’ bomb to penetrate the armor before it detonated igniting propellant charges, blowing both turrets sky high and adding to the damage to the hull caused by the earlier hits near the stern. As the American dive-bombers pulled out of their dives and climbed for altitude, water was already rushing into damaged compartments and Tirpitz was starting to settle at the stern. Two Dauntlesses went down, one to gunfire and one to the frigid waters of the fjord when its pilot failed to pull out of his dive.
As the Germans desperately fought to contain the damage on Tirpitz’ wrecked stern their nightmare continued when the two groups of attacking Albacores arrived shortly after 0400 hours, less one plane that returned to HMS Victorious with engine trouble. After the lead planes dropped their flares, 13 biplanes dove at 65 degrees scattering their 250-pound anti-personnel bombs along the length of the ship. At least 12 and maybe as many as 18 bombs struck Tirpitz sending hot shrapnel from the bombs and fragments of sharp razor wire among the exposed damage control personnel and anti-aircraft gunners. Casualties were heavy and the screams of wounded men pierced the night air. Only one Albacore was lost to anti-aircraft fire.
A little more than 15 minutes after the Americans departed the Barracudas of No. 810 and No. 827 Squadrons and their fighter escorts arrived, much to the horror of the still surprised Germans. The Barracuda Mark IIs of No. 827 Squadron from HMS Victorious arrived first, having outpaced the more sluggish Mark Is while the four Fulmars accompanying the dive bombers led the way with a strafing attack. Led by a single flare dropper, the 10 Barracudas Mark IIs dove on the German behemoth, using the light from the fire on the ship’s catapults as an aiming point. The FAA pilots scored three direct hits with their big 1600-pound bombs. One hit was on the now destroyed catapults, adding to the damage and another bomb hit in between Caesar and Dora turrets disabling both by knocking them off their mounts. The damage was not as heavy as it could have been since the pilots held their dives well below the recommended release altitude of 3000 feet due inexperience with their new airframes and in order to ensure accuracy. The third direct hit was on the stern just above the rudders that repair crews were in the process of replacing. A fourth 1600 pound struck a repair ship alongside Tirpitz and penetrated straight through the decks before detonating causing the unfortunate vessel to roll over and sink. Gunners on Tirpitz and on shore managed to shoot down one Barracuda and one Fulmar.
Five minutes behind No. 827 Squadron was No. 810 Squadron and its escorting Martlets. The FAA pilots followed a similar pattern, strafing fighters first and then the flare droppers followed by the dive-bombers. Each dive-bomber dropped two 600-pound anti-submarine bombs and most were clean misses or hits that bounced off the battleships heavy deck armor, but some bombs added to the damage already done. Two bombs detonated in the water along the port side of the ship buckling the hull plates causing water to rush into several compartments, while two were expertly placed just outside the caisson wrapped around the ship’s stern to allow the installation of the rudder replacements. The damage caused by the concussion from the 1600-pound bomb that hit stern a few minutes earlier had already weakened the caisson and the two additional bombs caused a section of its wall to collapse causing water from the fjord to flood the area, wiping the progress made on installing the new rudders. Two of the 600-pound bombs that missed the battleship detonated under the hull of a harbor patrol boat causing it to flip over and sink with all hands. The anti-aircraft gunners succeeded in bringing done one of the Barracudas.
After the Barracudas and their escorting fighters departed, the Germans rapidly swung into action and began emergency damage control procedures, particularly on Tirpitz’ battered stern. The problem was they believed the attacks were over and it was now their turn to try to save their ship. The Germans realized their error just under 30 minutes after the FAA strike aircraft departed when they once again heard the hum of aircraft engines quickly followed by two VB-4 SBDs dropping flares around the stricken battleship. Hard on the heels of the flare droppers, 14 VB-4 SBDs tipped over into their 70-degree dives dropping their 1000 pounds at 1500 feet per standard US Navy doctrine. By now, smoke partially obscured the ship but four bombs still struck home. One bomb struck the bow but miraculously caused minor damage. A second bomb disabled a 5.9-inch gun turret and a hit alongside the funnel heavily damaged the boiler intakes. However, Midway veteran Lieutenant Norman “Dusty” Kleiss delivered the most crippling blow when he placed his bomb just about where the 1600 pounder that disabled the Caeser and Dora turrets struck. The weakened state of the deck at that point allowed Kleiss’ bomb to penetrate the armor before it detonated igniting propellant charges, blowing both turrets sky high and adding to the damage to the hull caused by the earlier hits near the stern. As the American dive-bombers pulled out of their dives and climbed for altitude, water was already rushing into damaged compartments and Tirpitz was starting to settle at the stern. Two Dauntlesses went down, one to gunfire and one to the frigid waters of the fjord when its pilot failed to pull out of his dive.
As the Germans desperately fought to contain the damage on Tirpitz’ wrecked stern their nightmare continued when the two groups of attacking Albacores arrived shortly after 0400 hours, less one plane that returned to HMS Victorious with engine trouble. After the lead planes dropped their flares, 13 biplanes dove at 65 degrees scattering their 250-pound anti-personnel bombs along the length of the ship. At least 12 and maybe as many as 18 bombs struck Tirpitz sending hot shrapnel from the bombs and fragments of sharp razor wire among the exposed damage control personnel and anti-aircraft gunners. Casualties were heavy and the screams of wounded men pierced the night air. Only one Albacore was lost to anti-aircraft fire.
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0600 Hours, 18 December 1942, 160 Miles West of Trondheim, Norway, North Sea – By 0600 hours, all of the surviving aircraft were back on their carriers. In addition to the eight aircraft lost over the target, one Wildcat, one Martlet, and one Dauntless succumbed to damage on the way home and two Barracudas were lost in landing accidents. Given the nature of the mission, the 15% loss rate was deemed acceptable. The last aircraft to touchdown were the two goal keeper Fulmars from HMS Victorious with the mission commander Lieutenant Commander Bill Bruen admitting that loitering and waiting and counting the returning strike aircraft as they checked in with him was more stressful than actual combat. As soon as both fighters were recovered and secured in the hangar, Vice Admiral Lyster ordered the task force to head southwest at 24 knots. Lyster had five hours of darkness remaining and he wanted to put as much distance between his ships and the Norwegian coast before slowing down.
Onboard Tirpitz, the fires were mostly under control and the flooding was for the most part contained if not entirely stopped. Captain Topp was afraid his ship was not salvageable. Her mangled stern had settled into the fjord’s shallow bottom and the decks were awash while the massive holes left when Caeser and Dora turrets were blown overboard were clearly visible. Making matters worse, the seawater used to fight the flames, contaminated Tirpitz’ already damaged boilers. However, Topp was proud of his crew all things considered. Quick damage control to include flooding several compartments to prevent the spread of the fires may well have prevented the entire ship from blowing up. The question now was what to do about her but that was for others in his chain of command.
Onboard Tirpitz, the fires were mostly under control and the flooding was for the most part contained if not entirely stopped. Captain Topp was afraid his ship was not salvageable. Her mangled stern had settled into the fjord’s shallow bottom and the decks were awash while the massive holes left when Caeser and Dora turrets were blown overboard were clearly visible. Making matters worse, the seawater used to fight the flames, contaminated Tirpitz’ already damaged boilers. However, Topp was proud of his crew all things considered. Quick damage control to include flooding several compartments to prevent the spread of the fires may well have prevented the entire ship from blowing up. The question now was what to do about her but that was for others in his chain of command.
A couple of historical notes - the bit about the pilots holding their dives too long and thus limiting the penetrating power of the bombs happened during the OTL OP TUNGSTEN. Most of the damage is based on damage that occurred during TUNGSTEN with the damage to Caeser and Dora turrets taken from damage that occurred during an OTL bombing attack on Gneisenau. There was a caisson erected around Tirpitz' stern at this time OTL and I tried to replicate the damage that might have occurred after hits on the ships' stern and a couple of ASW bombs going off just outside of the caisson.
If the battle of the Barents Sea happens as per OTL then Hitler is going to be even less impressed with the German surface fleet.
Driftless
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Even if the ship could be patched up enough to move, it would require lenghty stay in a major shipyard (back in Germany?) High risk getting it there, and high risk during repairs.
BTW, I know I mentioned it in an earlier post, but for this mission Ranger's air group was reinforced with a few veteran dive bomber pilots from the first six months of the fighting in the Pacific by pulling them temporarily out of their instructor billets in Florida including Bill Burch and Dusty Kleiss. I had to get in a salute to Kleiss, the last surviving dive bomber pilot from OTL Midway, he passed away in April 2016 at the age of 100.
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