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German Battleship Bismarck
Hello, short update this time around due to a lot of work I had to get done. Hope you like it as a preise to the World War infobox coming soon !
The German Battleship Bismarck, named after chancellor Otto von Bismarck, was a German Super-Battleship, one of three constructed before the World War, along with Tirpitz and Friedrich der GroBe, both of which did not survive the war. Constructed in response to the growing presence of the Royal Navy in German waters, it was designed with a quasi-impenetrable armor, and would go on to be one of the "Three Unsinkable Killers" along with the French battleship Richelieu and the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, due to the number of ships they have directly and indirectly sunk, and the number of battles they participated in.
Completed a year before the start of the World War, Bismarck was transferred to Casablanca along with the rest of the Afrikaflotte based in Windhoek as well as an escort consisting of the Battleship Gneisenau, the Heavy Cruisers Prinz Eugen and Deutschland, the Light Cruisers Emden, Leipzig and Frankfurt, as well as several smaller destroyers. They would be the last ships able to leave port before the declaration of war, and the British naval blockade of Germany. While Gneisenau was assigned to the Mediterranean, Bismarck stayed with the Afrikaflotte, before being assigned to Battleship Task Force 1, assigned with raiding shipping between Canada and Britain, as well as sinking lone RN ships.
Bismarck would go on to leave a trail of destruction in its path, sinking six ships, including the carrier HMS Argus and the pride of the British fleet, HMS Hood. It was soon the prime target of every British ship in the area, and was slowly hunted down. After sinking HMS Anson off Ireland, Bismarck was intercepted along with the Cruiser Prinz Eugen by aircraft from HMS Courageous and most of Home Fleet. However, while Prinz Eugen was sunk, Bismarck held and managed to limp back to the french naval base of Brest, escorted by the battleship Strasbourg. From then on, Bismarck was out of action for a year and a half, undergoing repairs, until she saw action with the US and French fleets at Ushant. Although her role was only supportive, she managed to sink several British Light Cruisers, opening the path for Operation Constellation.
After the Battle of Ushant, Bismarck saw only limited engagement, and was finally recalled to Germany, as the first ship entering Wilhelmshaven from the Channel in four years. Bismarck underwent several refits and served as flagship of the German navies for about twenty years after the war ended, being deployed to several conflicts, notably the Crises in East Asia. She was finally decommissioned in 1971, and now serves as a museum ship at Wilhelmshaven's National Maritime Museum.
Other German Battleships deployed in the World War:
Scharnhorst-class
SMS Scharnhorst, assigned to Baltischerflotte, survived the war, saw limited action against Russia and Denmark-Norway, decom. 1955.
SMS Gneisenau, assigned to Afrikaflotte, then Task Force 24 (Med). Sunk at the Battle of Cape Bon, 1943.
SMS Wilhelm I, assigned to the Pasificherflotte, sunk during the Naval Battle of Okinawa, 1944.
Bismarck-class
SMS Bismarck, assigned to Afrikaflotte, then Battleship Task Force 1, survived the war, decom. 1971
SMS Tirpitz, assigned to Deutschesflotte, sunk 1942 in British air raid on Wilhelmshaven.
SMS Friedrich der GroBe, assigned to Deutschesflotte, sunk at the Battle of the Norwegian Sea, 1941 .
The German Battleship Bismarck, named after chancellor Otto von Bismarck, was a German Super-Battleship, one of three constructed before the World War, along with Tirpitz and Friedrich der GroBe, both of which did not survive the war. Constructed in response to the growing presence of the Royal Navy in German waters, it was designed with a quasi-impenetrable armor, and would go on to be one of the "Three Unsinkable Killers" along with the French battleship Richelieu and the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, due to the number of ships they have directly and indirectly sunk, and the number of battles they participated in.
Completed a year before the start of the World War, Bismarck was transferred to Casablanca along with the rest of the Afrikaflotte based in Windhoek as well as an escort consisting of the Battleship Gneisenau, the Heavy Cruisers Prinz Eugen and Deutschland, the Light Cruisers Emden, Leipzig and Frankfurt, as well as several smaller destroyers. They would be the last ships able to leave port before the declaration of war, and the British naval blockade of Germany. While Gneisenau was assigned to the Mediterranean, Bismarck stayed with the Afrikaflotte, before being assigned to Battleship Task Force 1, assigned with raiding shipping between Canada and Britain, as well as sinking lone RN ships.
Bismarck would go on to leave a trail of destruction in its path, sinking six ships, including the carrier HMS Argus and the pride of the British fleet, HMS Hood. It was soon the prime target of every British ship in the area, and was slowly hunted down. After sinking HMS Anson off Ireland, Bismarck was intercepted along with the Cruiser Prinz Eugen by aircraft from HMS Courageous and most of Home Fleet. However, while Prinz Eugen was sunk, Bismarck held and managed to limp back to the french naval base of Brest, escorted by the battleship Strasbourg. From then on, Bismarck was out of action for a year and a half, undergoing repairs, until she saw action with the US and French fleets at Ushant. Although her role was only supportive, she managed to sink several British Light Cruisers, opening the path for Operation Constellation.
After the Battle of Ushant, Bismarck saw only limited engagement, and was finally recalled to Germany, as the first ship entering Wilhelmshaven from the Channel in four years. Bismarck underwent several refits and served as flagship of the German navies for about twenty years after the war ended, being deployed to several conflicts, notably the Crises in East Asia. She was finally decommissioned in 1971, and now serves as a museum ship at Wilhelmshaven's National Maritime Museum.
Other German Battleships deployed in the World War:
Scharnhorst-class
SMS Scharnhorst, assigned to Baltischerflotte, survived the war, saw limited action against Russia and Denmark-Norway, decom. 1955.
SMS Gneisenau, assigned to Afrikaflotte, then Task Force 24 (Med). Sunk at the Battle of Cape Bon, 1943.
SMS Wilhelm I, assigned to the Pasificherflotte, sunk during the Naval Battle of Okinawa, 1944.
Bismarck-class
SMS Bismarck, assigned to Afrikaflotte, then Battleship Task Force 1, survived the war, decom. 1971
SMS Tirpitz, assigned to Deutschesflotte, sunk 1942 in British air raid on Wilhelmshaven.
SMS Friedrich der GroBe, assigned to Deutschesflotte, sunk at the Battle of the Norwegian Sea, 1941 .
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