24 May 1941, - The failed hunt for the Bismarck
Why are you starting a new timeline when you are already working on four other open timelines and have another suspended, I hear you ask? Are you mad?
Well, the later question has been asked once of twice before....however, there IS a reason. I'm going overseas to Europe on the 20th August and will not return until the 19th October. So, no writing during that time. Although I am a fair way through my History of the Second HMAS Australia timeline, as well as my Salvos from Savo timeline, I doubt I can finish either before I go, although both will not be too far from the end. I reckon both will be finished quite quickly when I return, dropping my timelines that are active down to two.....which should be enough....but I always do love a naval timeline, so..... here we are. I will be only putting the one post up as a "teaser" I suppose you could call it, only really getting started when I return and the other two naval timelines are (quickly) finished. I may put up an order of battle before I go, or not, as time permits. Very little change for OTL there, aisde from the limited additions as shown.
Johnboy
24 May 1941, battleship Bismarck, North Sea
Both men were still in shock from the engagement that had sunk the Hood. A good form of shock, but still in shock. It was Luetjens that was the first to speak. “Whether to go on is the question.”
“Are you interested in my opinion sir,” asked Lindemann, the mighty battleship’s captain.
“Of course, I am interested in your opinion, my dear Lindemann. So, forward or back?”
“Return, sir.”
“Why?”
“Well, we have met two British capital ships and routed them. It establishes our superiority. There is nothing heavy enough behind us to obstruct our passage.”
“I agree,” said the Admiral, “except in regards our turning back.”
“I don’t understand” voiced the ship’s pragmatic captain.
“We are superior to the British, we have proved that. This means we can go ahead, to..” said Luetjens, who had started to cough.
Yet another delicate cough interrupted the conversation. It was the senior engineer. “Yes Commander, what is it?” asked Lindemann.
“I am sorry to interrupt sir, but…”
“Go on man.”
“The Admiral…”
Lindemann turned around and looked at his superior. He had stopped coughing, but now his face was puce, his chest heaving, attempting to take in air as he clutched at his chest.
More shocks, thought Lindemann, some 30 minutes later, as he watched the Admiral’s body slipped int the sealed leather bag. They were still at a delicate stage. Finally, he turned back to his engineer.
“Go on with your report.”
“We were hit by a shell from one of the the enemy battleships.”
“I am aware, yet the machinery is undamaged and we are still at 25 knots.”
“It is not the engines, sir, it is the port fuel tanks. We are leaking oil.
“Much?”
“Not a lot, sir, but the oil remaining in the tank is unusable. Contaminated by seawater.”
“What quantity are we talking about?”
“200 tons I would say.”
“Just the one tank?”
“Yes sir.”
“Thank you, Commander, that is all.”
So, now the decision was his. The Admiral had wished to go on, but he could see little sense in that. The oil slick would advertise their position to any showing ships, aircraft or submarines, a sure indication they had passed that way. At 0712, the battleship Bismarck rounded on her pursuers, allowing the cruiser Prinz Eugen to continue on into the Atlantic, but to little success, the cruiser being struck by a torpedo launched from a Swordfish from HMS Victorious. Crippled, she was finished off by the battleship Ramillies and the light cruisers Birmingham, Edinburgh, Aurora and Kenya on the 26th of May 1941.
Bismarck was to fight another engagement with HMS Prince of Wales, but only one of brief duration. Each ship gained one hit on the other, with the German ship using the sea mist and fog, as well as a low scudding clouds, so slip past the British ships and return to Norway, reaching Bergen just after midnight on the 27th of May.
She left on the 1st June to return to Germany, escorted by three torpedo boats. Hit by two torpedoes from HMS Seawolf, she was to limp into Kiel on the 5th by way of Copenhagen. She was eventually repaired by DSM in Bremen from July 1941 to January 1942, the length of time extended by damage from an RAF raid in September 1941. She completed around the same time as the previously suspended heavy cruiser Seydlitz, the success of Bismarck against Hood igniting more enthusiasm in surface warships, despite the loss of Prinz Eugen.
After working up, she, along with the heavy cruiser, joined her sister ship in Norway.
Well, the later question has been asked once of twice before....however, there IS a reason. I'm going overseas to Europe on the 20th August and will not return until the 19th October. So, no writing during that time. Although I am a fair way through my History of the Second HMAS Australia timeline, as well as my Salvos from Savo timeline, I doubt I can finish either before I go, although both will not be too far from the end. I reckon both will be finished quite quickly when I return, dropping my timelines that are active down to two.....which should be enough....but I always do love a naval timeline, so..... here we are. I will be only putting the one post up as a "teaser" I suppose you could call it, only really getting started when I return and the other two naval timelines are (quickly) finished. I may put up an order of battle before I go, or not, as time permits. Very little change for OTL there, aisde from the limited additions as shown.
Johnboy
24 May 1941, battleship Bismarck, North Sea
Both men were still in shock from the engagement that had sunk the Hood. A good form of shock, but still in shock. It was Luetjens that was the first to speak. “Whether to go on is the question.”
“Are you interested in my opinion sir,” asked Lindemann, the mighty battleship’s captain.
“Of course, I am interested in your opinion, my dear Lindemann. So, forward or back?”
“Return, sir.”
“Why?”
“Well, we have met two British capital ships and routed them. It establishes our superiority. There is nothing heavy enough behind us to obstruct our passage.”
“I agree,” said the Admiral, “except in regards our turning back.”
“I don’t understand” voiced the ship’s pragmatic captain.
“We are superior to the British, we have proved that. This means we can go ahead, to..” said Luetjens, who had started to cough.
Yet another delicate cough interrupted the conversation. It was the senior engineer. “Yes Commander, what is it?” asked Lindemann.
“I am sorry to interrupt sir, but…”
“Go on man.”
“The Admiral…”
Lindemann turned around and looked at his superior. He had stopped coughing, but now his face was puce, his chest heaving, attempting to take in air as he clutched at his chest.
More shocks, thought Lindemann, some 30 minutes later, as he watched the Admiral’s body slipped int the sealed leather bag. They were still at a delicate stage. Finally, he turned back to his engineer.
“Go on with your report.”
“We were hit by a shell from one of the the enemy battleships.”
“I am aware, yet the machinery is undamaged and we are still at 25 knots.”
“It is not the engines, sir, it is the port fuel tanks. We are leaking oil.
“Much?”
“Not a lot, sir, but the oil remaining in the tank is unusable. Contaminated by seawater.”
“What quantity are we talking about?”
“200 tons I would say.”
“Just the one tank?”
“Yes sir.”
“Thank you, Commander, that is all.”
So, now the decision was his. The Admiral had wished to go on, but he could see little sense in that. The oil slick would advertise their position to any showing ships, aircraft or submarines, a sure indication they had passed that way. At 0712, the battleship Bismarck rounded on her pursuers, allowing the cruiser Prinz Eugen to continue on into the Atlantic, but to little success, the cruiser being struck by a torpedo launched from a Swordfish from HMS Victorious. Crippled, she was finished off by the battleship Ramillies and the light cruisers Birmingham, Edinburgh, Aurora and Kenya on the 26th of May 1941.
Bismarck was to fight another engagement with HMS Prince of Wales, but only one of brief duration. Each ship gained one hit on the other, with the German ship using the sea mist and fog, as well as a low scudding clouds, so slip past the British ships and return to Norway, reaching Bergen just after midnight on the 27th of May.
She left on the 1st June to return to Germany, escorted by three torpedo boats. Hit by two torpedoes from HMS Seawolf, she was to limp into Kiel on the 5th by way of Copenhagen. She was eventually repaired by DSM in Bremen from July 1941 to January 1942, the length of time extended by damage from an RAF raid in September 1941. She completed around the same time as the previously suspended heavy cruiser Seydlitz, the success of Bismarck against Hood igniting more enthusiasm in surface warships, despite the loss of Prinz Eugen.
After working up, she, along with the heavy cruiser, joined her sister ship in Norway.
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