Re: [GZG] John's Shipbuilding

["Eric Foley" <stiltman@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Bismarck's cruising speed was something like 28-32 knots.   There were 
relatively few British ships that were able to keep up with it.  The King 
George V class, battlecruisers, and true cruisers on both sides were able to 
stay with it, nothing that was able to match up with it very well in a 
straight fight.  The British battlecruisers were always envisioned as 
cruiser-killers and not things that were intended to stay up against real 
battleships, except that nobody seemed to ever tell the Admiralty that, and 
numerous instances in which they suffered catastrophic magazine explosions 
in such fights from armor that wasn't able to trade hits with battleships at 
all needed to happen before the Admiralty figured it out for themselves.

So yes, the Prinz Eugen and German destroyers were perfectly capable of 
staying with the Bismarck.

E

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <damosan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <gzg-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 16, 2006 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: [GZG] John's Shipbuilding


> > First, the German Navy had a minimal surface combatant force and as a
> > result focused on fast ships intended for independant commerce raiding
> > rather than decisive engagements with the RN's battleline.  Second,
> > the decision to ditch the escorts early on, which baffles me.
>
> Your first statement answers the second I think.  The Bismark was built as 
> a fast commerce raider wasn't it?  Did German escort vessels have the 
> range/endurance to keep up with B. while out at sea for any length of 
> time?
>
> --
> Damo
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