Chapter 44: The battle of the South Iceland Bassin part 2.
Chapter 44: The battle of the South Iceland Bassin part 2.
As the German battlegroup started firing at 35 km’s of range, they closed the range at about 15 knots sailing at 22 knots while offering full broadsides. At this extreme range, the German could soon straddle the British ships thanks to spotting air craft although dispersal at such ranges meant the hit probability were still low. Contrary to British doctrine, the Germans maintained a high rate of fire of 2 shots per minute meaning that up to 3 shells could be in the air from each gun at any given time. Practice had revealed that this was as accurate as waiting for splashes as the splash used for each aim would at 1½-2 minutes away anyway. Using such tactics, the Germans closed to within extreme firing range of the British 15’’ Mark I in 10 minutes and had delivered 105 shots (12 barrels on 2 German battleships) scoring a single hit on Anson. This hit penetrated deep into the ship amidships destroying the turbines for the central propellers and causing significant flooding. However, over the next 10 minutes the German shells grew frightfully accurate and three more hits were made. Again, two on the Anson which penetrated deep into the forecastle and the bridge respectively. The hit on the forecastle again caused significant flooding while that in the bridge crippled the command, fire controls and damage controls. The hit on the Hood took out the A turret, but fortunately did not set off secondary explosions. In this period the British managed 155 shots in return, but at this range and without spotting aircraft, the accuracy was simply not up for it and only one hit was made on the Bismarck. Striking at 26 km’s it buried itself in the funnel and superstructure before exploding at the level at the armored deck, causing moderate damage except escape smoke into the fire control room for the amidships AA guns. During the next 10 minutes the German forces maintained their distance and landed a further 5 hits on the British heavy units. 2 on the slowing down Anson, one setting off a magazine leading to a powerful explosion and breaking the ship in two halfs, and two more on the Hood, these penetrating cleanly through above the belt and through the belt amidships.The latter damaging boiler rooms and causing flooding to a sufficient degree that the hit above the belt became below the waterline resulting in further flooding. Hood was now clearly sinking and the German battleship Moltke now focused its fire on Repulse causing a single hit which penetrated cleanly though and caused minimal damage. The British managed to land hit in return with one shell shattering on the belt of the Bismarck and one going into and exploding in the forecastle of the Tirpitz, but above the waterline. A third shell struck turret Bruno but shattered on the heavy front plate armor.
Repulse now attempted to extradite itself form the battle and send in the destroyers Jersey, Jaguar, Kingston, while it attempted to escape with Edinburgh. The damaged and slowed cruiser Edinburgh and the destroyer Kandahar was left behind while the destroyer Jarvis had already sunk.
The attacking British Destroyers were met by two heavy German cruisers, the Hipper and Prinz Eugen and 5 German destroyers each of them racing ahead and trying to prevent the attack from saving the Repulse. Closing at more than 60 knots it took a little more than 10 minutes the gap and enforce evasive maneuvers by the German ships. By then, Repulse had been shot and hit a further three times from the Stern chase, each hit penetrating deeply below deck with the last one setting off a magazine explosion. In the end, the British task force had been completely destroyed, the only consolation had been the dispatch of an accurate description of the disaster.
As the German battlegroup started firing at 35 km’s of range, they closed the range at about 15 knots sailing at 22 knots while offering full broadsides. At this extreme range, the German could soon straddle the British ships thanks to spotting air craft although dispersal at such ranges meant the hit probability were still low. Contrary to British doctrine, the Germans maintained a high rate of fire of 2 shots per minute meaning that up to 3 shells could be in the air from each gun at any given time. Practice had revealed that this was as accurate as waiting for splashes as the splash used for each aim would at 1½-2 minutes away anyway. Using such tactics, the Germans closed to within extreme firing range of the British 15’’ Mark I in 10 minutes and had delivered 105 shots (12 barrels on 2 German battleships) scoring a single hit on Anson. This hit penetrated deep into the ship amidships destroying the turbines for the central propellers and causing significant flooding. However, over the next 10 minutes the German shells grew frightfully accurate and three more hits were made. Again, two on the Anson which penetrated deep into the forecastle and the bridge respectively. The hit on the forecastle again caused significant flooding while that in the bridge crippled the command, fire controls and damage controls. The hit on the Hood took out the A turret, but fortunately did not set off secondary explosions. In this period the British managed 155 shots in return, but at this range and without spotting aircraft, the accuracy was simply not up for it and only one hit was made on the Bismarck. Striking at 26 km’s it buried itself in the funnel and superstructure before exploding at the level at the armored deck, causing moderate damage except escape smoke into the fire control room for the amidships AA guns. During the next 10 minutes the German forces maintained their distance and landed a further 5 hits on the British heavy units. 2 on the slowing down Anson, one setting off a magazine leading to a powerful explosion and breaking the ship in two halfs, and two more on the Hood, these penetrating cleanly through above the belt and through the belt amidships.The latter damaging boiler rooms and causing flooding to a sufficient degree that the hit above the belt became below the waterline resulting in further flooding. Hood was now clearly sinking and the German battleship Moltke now focused its fire on Repulse causing a single hit which penetrated cleanly though and caused minimal damage. The British managed to land hit in return with one shell shattering on the belt of the Bismarck and one going into and exploding in the forecastle of the Tirpitz, but above the waterline. A third shell struck turret Bruno but shattered on the heavy front plate armor.
Repulse now attempted to extradite itself form the battle and send in the destroyers Jersey, Jaguar, Kingston, while it attempted to escape with Edinburgh. The damaged and slowed cruiser Edinburgh and the destroyer Kandahar was left behind while the destroyer Jarvis had already sunk.
The attacking British Destroyers were met by two heavy German cruisers, the Hipper and Prinz Eugen and 5 German destroyers each of them racing ahead and trying to prevent the attack from saving the Repulse. Closing at more than 60 knots it took a little more than 10 minutes the gap and enforce evasive maneuvers by the German ships. By then, Repulse had been shot and hit a further three times from the Stern chase, each hit penetrating deeply below deck with the last one setting off a magazine explosion. In the end, the British task force had been completely destroyed, the only consolation had been the dispatch of an accurate description of the disaster.
