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feralnumberfive · 2 years ago

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Okay this may be an odd ask, but are their any planes that you think that your blorbos would like, either in the sense that they’d just be interested in it or they’d actually want to fly it?

I'm so sorry to be answering this like three weeks after I got this, but I've spent time pondering this because I was so excited when I saw this ask! 💖 I saw this ask when I hopped on here during my break to make a post about the weather, and let me tell you when I saw this my heart soared (pun 100% intended). I've been trying to figure out what blorbos I want to use and what planes would best match their personality, what they would like to fly, and one that would be their favorite

You may be thinking "Pine, how does a plane match someone's personality?" 🤨 Very valid question, but performance, characteristics, handling, and role are important in aircraft and they all have their own unique "personalities" too oddly enough! I know I sound off my rocker for saying this, but trust me it's true

I'm going to use just three different characters because two of them came to my mind at the mention of "planes" and one because, well, he's the blorbo this blog is dedicated to! I'm not going to be very descriptive of these because then this post would be waaaay longer than it already is, so you're just going to have to trust me on my choices 👍

First we'll start off with none other than Mr. Luther Hargreeves!

Something neat about the show is that it actually shows us what kind of aircraft Luther is interested in! In his room we can see multiple aircraft models and paintings. From what I have seen these include a: Spitfire, B-24, B-52, Lancaster, A-36/P-51A, Ju-87, Short Sunderland, a handful of little made up airplane trinkets, and a USS Macon (ZRS-5) airship.

He also has a few rocket models, but I'm not really going to pay attention to those and more so focus on the planes instead. Excluding the last two items I mentioned, we can notice two interesting patterns amongst these aircraft models and paintings.

All of these models are of WWII aircraft, besides the B-52 and ZRS-5, so Luther really likes aircraft from WWII!

He likes Allied aircraft! The Ju-87 is the only Axis WWII aircraft out of the bunch. He especially loves Commonwealth aircraft. He has two different paintings of Spitfires, the Lancaster model, and the Short Sunderland model, which were all used by the Commonwealth (and sometimes other Allied countries but I'm not going to make it complicated)

So I'm going to give Luther the Supermarine Spitfire (no specific variant) for his favorite plane since he has three of them amongst the two paintings in his room.

I think Luther would then love to fly the X-15 since he likes space/rockets too and the X-15 is a rocket powered plane used by NASA

And finally, I think the Bristol Beaufighter best matches Luther's personality. The funny thing about this plane is that as soon as I saw this ask I knew I would be including Luther, and my mind immediately associated "Bristol Beaufighter" with Luther though I didn't know much about the plane. I knew of it, but didn't really know the role it played in the war so after looking it up, I think it fits him personality wise!

Next up is no one other than my beloved Armin Arlert!

For his favorite plane, I am going to give him the H-4 Hercules aka the "Spruce Goose" since he loves the ocean and was fascinated by flying things

A plane I think he'd want to fly is the Grumman Goose. Again, it's a floatplane but this one is way smaller than the Hercules and I think it would be fun to explore smaller bodies of water in. It can also land on land too so overall it's a neat little plane to explore in!

The plane I think best matches his personality is the E-2 Hawkeye. Like Armin, this aircraft isn't a fighter, but is instead used as an advanced battle management and strategic planner for its allies

And finally, the blorbo ever, Five Hargreeves!

He was a little bit difficult to choose for since he doesn't have anything related to aviation in his life besides causing the Hindenburg to crash, but since I've been interested in aviation for basically my entire life I know what planes boomers are attracted to lol

Five's favorite plane would be the P-51D Mustang since it's such a hotrod of an aircraft and a fantastic fighter. Like I said about boomers, this is a plane that they love (gotta be 100% honest nearly every avgeek loves the Mustang) Five wants a 1970s Corvette Stingray and while this may not be from the same era, hotrods and WWII fighter planes go together like bread and butter so I think he'd love it. The P-51 is also a timeless aircraft, just like how Five is like a timeless person (lol)

As for the plane I think he'd want to fly, it would be the Hawker Hunter. I think Five would like something that can go fast but also something that isn't too flashy but is still a classic aircraft. I think Five would also appreciate this old plane, that is certainly outdated, but is actually still used to participate in combat just like him

Lastly, and I hate to be that person but I'm totally going to be that person, I think the F-22 Raptor matches Five personality wise. I feel like this is too obvious of a plane to give to Five (I was actually going to give him the Me 163 for this one) but I feel that the most deadly assassin in his world deserves the (potentially) most deadly plane in our world. The F-22 is stealthy, fast, extremely agile, extremely maneuverable, and just like Five it can kill without ever being seen by the enemy. If it does have to engage in close combat, it is a fearsome opponent and almost always has the upper hand

The fun thing about this is that there are sooooo many other aircraft that would match these characters too so the possibilities are almost endless. Thank you so much for this fun ask, and I am so sorry for not being able to answer it until now! If I ever want to ask my doctor about an autism diagnosis and they ask why, I am going to show them this post 🫶

#this is a long ass post I expect no one to look at but it involves my blorbos and planes and I couldn't have been happier to make it ❤️#asking me anything aviation related is the equivalent of asking a toddler if they want candy #ask #stillateenageabomination

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pacificeagles · 7 months ago

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https://pacificeagles.net/the-guadalcanal-landings/

The Guadalcanal Landings

As the largest invasion fleet assembled so far in the war approached Guadalcanal to begin the landing operations, the first order of business for VAdm Frank J. Fletcher’s Task Force 61 was to clear the immediate area of air opposition, and then to assist with the softening up of the beaches. At 0530 the first wave of 93 aircraft took off to attack the landing areas, including no less than 44 fighters for strafing and air cover. Taking off in the pre-dawn darkness many of the pilots got lost and failed to join up with their formations, so it was a rather disjointed force that made its way to Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Fighters from Wasp’s VF-71, eleven in all, swept in low towards the seaplane base at Tulagi. A unit of H6K flying boats from the Yokohama Kokutai was caught on the water preparing to take off for dawn searches, and a unit of A6M2-N floatplane Zeros was also unprepared. All the aircraft were quickly flamed by the Americans, seven H6Ks and six Zeros in all. Several supporting boats and shore installations were also burned, removing any chance that the Tulagi unit could interfere with the landings. SBDs from Wasp followed up these attacks by dropping bombs on various shore installations, all without encountering any serious anti-aircraft fire.

At Guadalcanal the Saratoga Air Group took the lead. The Lunga Point airfield was approaching completion, but 12 VF-5 fighters strafed every likely target, including the “pagoda” and several hangars. There was no return fire from anti-aircraft guns, even though several guns were in position around the airfield. There were even two Type 11 radar sets, but these were apparently not operating that morning having failed to provide any warning. 26 SBDs followed up the strafing attack by bombing structures around the airfield. The attack caused Japanese troops and construction crews around the field to flee for the hills, and the airfield was captured without incident two days after the marines came ashore. All bombing missions were halted after midday as the operation was proceeding well – the Guadalcanal landings were unopposed, and the marines on Tulagi had the situation well in hand despite heavy fighting.

Tanambogo after being bombed by Wasp aircraft

Afternoon Air Attacks

At Vunakanau airfield near Rabaul, the 4th Kokutai was preparing for a mission of its own when news of the American landings arrived. The 4th was slated to attack a newly discovered Allied airfield at Rabi, on the eastern tip of New Guinea and 27 G4Ms were bombed up and ready to depart when the new threat became evident. RAdm Sadayoshi Yamada, commander of the 5th Base Air Force, elected to send these bombers to Guadalcanal instead, judging that the new landings were a more significant threat. Keen to strike early, Yamada ordered the 4th to attack with bombs instead of re-arming them with potentially more deadly torpedoes. The Tainan Kokutai was to supply 18 Zeros as escort, even though Guadalcanal was at the extreme limit of the Zero’s range – well over 500 miles from Rabaul. At about 10am, just 90 minutes after news of the American invasion had arrived, the 4th and Tainan Kokutai were on their way to Guadalcanal.

Even though no land-based radar was yet operational at Lunga, the Allied intelligence network provided early warning of the incoming strike. Coastwatcher Paul Mason, stationed near Buin in southern Bougainville, radioed “24 bombers headed yours” to Turner and Fletcher at around midday when he spotted the 4th Ku bombers at high altitude. The message arrived in plenty of time but there were nevertheless difficulties in preparing a defensive effort.

News of the incoming Japanese air attack was no real surprise, but the tactical situation meant that the Americans had to plan the defence carefully. Fletcher’s fighters had to defend two locations, about 60 miles apart – his own carriers and Turner’s landing force. Wildcats had to be kept on station to protect both locations, which were not mutually supporting. This placed an enormous burden on the three fighter squadrons and the Fighter Direction Officers responsible for their deployment. As the FDOs struggled to make sense of the likely attack direction, fighters were dispatched as either “CV CAP” for the carriers or “Screen CAP” (SCAP) for Lunga, with the carriers taking priority. Matters were not helped by the F4F’s short endurance, which meant that the CAPs had to be replaced regularly with fresh, fully fuelled fighters. Consequently, when the Japanese finally arrived over Guadalcanal there were just 8 SCAP F4Fs from Saratoga’s VF-5 on station.

Four of the Wildcats were led by Lt James Southerland. The FDO aboard the cruiser Chicago vectored his flight towards the incoming Japanese who were at the time inside a large cloud bank and out of sight. When the G4Ms burst out of the cloud bank Southerland’s fighters were just a few hundred yards away and he immediately led them into the attack, but the escorting Zeroes were equally alert and two F4Fs were shot down immediately, leaving Southerland to attack alone. He shot down one of the bombers and damaged another, before return fire damaged his fighter requiring him to break off. The second flight of Wildcats also made attacks on the bombers but without apparent success.

The remaining bombers arrived over Turner’s fleet and commenced bombing. Their aim was poor, and the bombs landed between transports and cruisers, but hit nothing – nevertheless the bombardiers claimed a destroyer sunk and transport damaged. Immediately afterwards the American fighters returned and damaged more of the G4Ms forcing a response from the escorts which resulted in two more F4Fs being shot down. The remaining Wildcats, some of them damaged, turned for home. Southerland was ambushed by more Zeros, culminating in a famous dogfight with the renowned Japanese ace PO1c Saburo Sakai who poured fire into Wildcat. Southerland was finally forced to bail out of his battered fighter and make his way towards the American lines. In all 5 of the 8 VF-5 Wildcats were shot down.

Sakai meanwhile followed up by attacking a nearby formation of SBDs. Making a poorly executed stern attack, Sakai was severely injured by the defensive guns of the dive-bombers – a bullet hit his skull and blinded him on one eye. Despite this severe wound, Sakai was able to maintain control of his Zero and set course for home. Battling blood loss and partial blindness, Sakai managed to fly the 550 miles home to Rabaul and land safely. He was evacuated back to Japan to recuperate but would fly again despite the loss of his eye.

Whilst the VF-5 Wildcats were fighting for their lives, 10 more F4Fs from VF-6 and eight from VF-71 attempted to intervene. Four VF-6 fighters under Lt Vincent de Poix were first to arrive as the bombers were beginning their withdrawal towards Santa Isabel Island. They made one firing pass on the formation of G4Ms before the escort was able to react, but soon the Zeros shot down one of the F4Fs and forced the others to scatter. The remaining six VF-6 fighters under Lt(jg) Gordon Firebaugh caught up with the bombers almost at the extreme range of their F4Fs. The Tainan fighters, now about 16 in number, again put up an excellent defence of the bombers, quickly shooting one Wildcat down. Firebaugh claimed two of the Zeroes whilst his charges finished off two more bombers, but Firebaugh was himself forced to bail out of his badly damaged fighter. The VF-71 fighters did not arrive in time to fight the Japanese.

In the defence of the invasion fleet half of the American fighters that were engaged were lost, 9 Wildcats in total. They managed to shoot down four bombers and two Zeroes, with two more G4Ms written off due to battle damage.

The Japanese launched one more attack on the 7th by nine D3A dive bombers. These aircraft lacked the fuel to fly from Rabaul to Guadalcanal and return, so it was planned that they would ditch near Shortland harbour on the return leg. These dive bombers only carried small 60kg bombs so it was doubtful they could do much damage to enemy warships. They arrived near Lunga almost an hour after the G4Ms left and attacked without escort. They scored a hit on the destroyer Mugford that killed 21 men. Five of the D3As were shot down by fighters and American AA fire, and the remaining four ditched at Shortland as planned.

To cap off a busy day of air operations, the US Fifth Air Force got into the action when it launched a raid by heavy bombers on Vunakanau airfield. 13 B-17s from the 19th Bomb Group took off from Port Moresby as the 4th Kokutai was busy attacking Guadalcanal, and they reported bombing the airfield despite strong fighter opposition from the 2nd Kokutai’s Zero 32s which caused the loss of one Fortress. No Japanese aircraft were destroyed on the ground by Gen George C. Kenney, commander of the Fifth, claimed based on faulty intelligence that his bombers had destroyed 75 planes “parked wingtip to wingtip” at Vunakunau.

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D Plus One

The following day RAdm Yamada was determined to find the enemy carriers and attack them. Five reconnaissance aircraft were launched followed an hour later by 26 torpedo-armed bombers from the 4th and Misawa Kokutai and 15 Zeros. When the search planes failed to report any American carriers in the vicinity, the strike group set course for Tulagi and the transport fleet. Due to communications foul-ups and fuel worries, there were only three F4Fs on station over Savo Sound although 14 more were hurrying north to join them. Task Force 62 would have to rely primarily on its own anti-aircraft guns to repel the attack.

Japanese bombers skimming at low level as they attack Allied shipping off Guadalcanal

The Japanese bombers had flown at low altitude north of the Solomons to shield themselves from American radar. As a result, they were first sighted visually just before midday by lookouts. AA guns quickly swung into action and opened up as the G4Ms descended to low level to begin their torpedo attack, whilst TF62 turned away. Almost immediately bombers began to crash in flames as the American gunners found their targets, some of the wrecks barely missing ships as they splashed. One G4M smashed into the transport George F. Elliot and started a large fire. She was later beached and, beyond saving, was allowed to burn out. Very few torpedoes appear to have been launched and the only ship that was hit by a ‘fish’ was the destroyer Jarvis. She was struck forward near her bow and immediately started to take on water.

The three F4Fs on patrol responded to radio calls for help and dived from high altitude down to the deck. There they came across several bombers making their escape at low level, and quickly shot down four of them as well as one of the escorting Zeros, which was itself distracted by a cruiser based SOC in the area.

The attack was disastrous for the 4th and Misawa Kokutai. Seventeen Type 1 bombers were destroyed in the attack, and another crashed after having aborted early. In return they had managed to damage a transport and a destroyer but had otherwise nothing to show for their efforts despite hysterical claims of dozens of cruisers and transports sunk or damaged. It was the worst single day loss of Japanese bombers during the entire Guadalcanal campaign and highlighted the extreme vulnerability of the G4M to American firepower.

George F. Elliot burns after being hit by a crashing Japanese bomber. Two other plumes are destroyed aircraft burning on the water.

Following the successful defence of TF62, Fletcher reviewed his aircraft situation. During two days of operations his carriers had lost 21 fighters to enemy action and operational accidents, more than 20% of his total strength. Aware that Rabaul-based aircraft posed a serious threat to his carriers and that Japanese submarines were likely hunting for TF61, Fletcher determined that it was too dangerous to remain in the area and requested permission from Ghormley to withdraw early. At the time of making his request he believed that TF62 would shortly make its own withdrawal, but the Japanese attacks had disrupted unloading operations and Turner had elected to keep his ships in the area longer to give the marines more time to unload their supplies and equipment. Overnight Fletcher had TF61 sail southeast, away from Guadalcanal, but still within range to support Turner should the need arise. The Japanese had other plans. Their 8th Fleet, a powerful force of heavy cruisers under the command of VAdm Gunichi Mikawa, was rapidly concentrated at Rabaul and made ready to sail for Guadalcanal. The stage was set for the US Navy’s worst ever disaster.

#guadalcanal #invasion #History #South Pacific

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usafphantom2 · 1 year ago

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Tap pictures to enlarge

👆 two 109s being shot down. At 16:00, 501 Squadron Hurricanes clashed with JG27 in the same area, each side losing an aircraft.

The main action came at 18:00, when Ju87s of StG1, escorted by Bf109s and Bf110s, attacked the convoy off Dover. This time, four RAF squadrons were in position and ready to attack. In the ensuing melee, four Stukas were damaged, with another two crashing in France. Several Luftwaffe and RAF fighters were lost, while the destroyer HMS Brazen and a coaster were sunk.

One feature of the day was the shooting down of two Luftwaffe Seenotflug (air-sea rescue) Heinkel 59 floatplanes near the convoy. Initially painted white with red crosses, the British were convinced that the aircraft were shadowing coastal shipping and sending position reports. In any case, being in active Luftwaffe service, they were regarded as legitimate targets and the Air Ministry had issued instructions on 14th July to attack them on sight.

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war-thunder-pilot-models-xk · 2 years ago

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war thunder pilot models

⭐ ⏩⏩⏩️ DOWNLOAD MOD - LINK 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 No, this is just a special skin for the aircraft and pilot modeled after the skyblazers aerobatic team. I don't believe there are custom models (or if you even. Gerhard Hanf graduated as a civilian glider pilot before volunteering to become produced on the basis of the late-stage model of Japanese Chi To Late. On this day in , the first two pilot models of the U.S. experimental #T32 Heavy Tank were completed and ready for testing. The FIRST and ONLY soviet FLOATPLANE!!@@@!!!! (If you cant tell i love soviet planes and also float planes) :D. Become the new #Thrustmaster Tester Pilot and receive a Thrustmaster Hotas 4 #joystick for #WarThunder! Participation is easy - just sign up on. At approximately p.m. in Dallas, Texas, two planes collided and crashed at an airshow of World War II planes. A P Thunderbolt fighter, with the bubble top canopy, which gave pilots superior visibility degrees. or 45, more than likely flying in Italy. Pilot three fighter planes (Spad 13, Albatros and Nieuport 17 by Dux plant) with all their modifications included against any planes in the game.

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hairclippsy · 2 years ago

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The H8K entered production in 1941 and first saw operational

use on the night of 4 March 1942 in a second raid on Pearl Harbor. Since the target lay out of range for the flying boats, this audacious plan involved a refuelling by submarine at French Frigate Shoals, some 550 miles north-west of Hawaii, en route. Two planes from the Yokohama Kokutai (Naval Air Corps) attempted to bomb Pearl Harbor, but, due baby hair clipper Manufacturers to poor visibility, did not accomplish any significant damage.H8K2s were used on a wide range of patrol, reconnaissance, bombing, and transport missions throughout the Pacific war. The H8K2 was given the Allied code name "Emily".Four aircraft survived until the end of the war. One of these, an H8K2, was captured by U.S. forces at the end of the war and was evaluated before being eventually returned to Japan in 1979. It was on display at Tokyo's Museum of Maritime Science until 2004, when it was moved to Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima.The submerged remains of an H8K can be found off the west coast of Saipan, where it is a popular scuba diving attraction known erroneously as the "B-29", or the "Emily". Another wrecked H8K lies in Chuuk Lagoon, Chuuk, in Micronesia. This aircraft is located off the south-western end of Dublon Island.The Mitsubishi F1M (Allied reporting name "Pete") was a Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. It was the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with 1,118 built between 1936 and 1944. The Navy designation was "Type Zero Observation Seaplane", not to be confused with the Type Zero Carrier Fighter or the Type Zero Reconnaissance Seaplane.

The F1M1 was powered by the Nakajima Hikari MK1 radial engine, delivering 611 kW (820 hp), a maximum speed of 368 km/h (230 mph) and operating range of up to 1,072 km (670 mi) (when overloaded). It provided the Imperial Japanese Navy with a very versatile operations platform.Optionally armed with a maximum of three 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns (two fixed forward-firing and one flexible rear-firing) and two 60 kg (132 lb) bombs.The F1M was originally built as a catapult-launched reconnaissance float plane, specializing in gunnery spotting. However the "Pete" took on a number of local roles including area-defense fighter, convoy escort, bomber, anti-submarine, maritime patrol, rescue and transport. The type fought dogfights in the Aleutians, the Solomons and several other theaters. See also PT 34 sunk 9 April 1942 by "Petes".The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. In the United States Army Air Forces and later in the United States Air Force their designation was the OA-10, while Canadian-built PBYs were known as the Canso.During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most successful aircraft of its kind; no other flying boat was produced in greater numbers. The last active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s.

Even today, over 70 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as an airtanker in aerial firefighting operations all over the world.The initialism of "P.B.Y." was determined in accordance with the U.S. Navy aircraft designation system of 1922; PB representing "Patrol Bomber" and Y being the code used for the aircraft's manufacturer, Consolidated Aircraft.The PBY was originally designed to be a patrol bomber, an aircraft with a long operational range intended to locate and attack enemy transport ships at sea in order to compromise enemy supply lines.

#baby hair clipper Manufacturers

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usafphantom-2 · 2 months ago

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Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu (Rex)

@ron_eisele via X

#n1k1 George #kawanshi aircraft #floatplane fighter #ww2 history #ww2 aircraft #ww2 #pacific theater #imperial japanese navy

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lonestarbattleship · 3 years ago

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USS Texas (BB-35): Vought OS2U Kingfisher

The tenth and final type of observation plane carried by USS Texas.

In the summer of 1941, three Kingfishers were assigned to USS Texas, replacing the Curtiss SOC Seagulls.

Much like air wings on carriers, the floatplanes and their crews were part of Observation Squadron Five (VO-5) of Battleship Division 5 and were technically not a part of the crew.

Some Kingfisher stats:

Crew: 2

Dimensions: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m) x 33 ft 7.2 in (10.241 m)

Wingspan: 35 ft 10.7 in (10.940 m)

Fuel capacity: 144 US gal (120 imp gal; 545 l) in an integral wing tank

Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN2 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 450 hp (340 kW) for take-off

Maximum speed: 171 mph (275 km/h, 149 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,524 m)

Cruise speed: 152 mph (245 km/h, 132 kn) with 75% power at 6,000 ft (1,829 m)

Landing speed: 55 mph (48 kn; 89 km/h)

Range: 908 mi (1,461 km, 789 nmi) with 75% power at 6,000 ft (1,829 m)

Guns: 1 × fixed, forward firing .30 in (7.62 mm)) M1919 Browning machine gun with 500 rounds and 1x .30 in (7.62 mm)) M1919 Browning machine gun with 600 rounds, flexibly mounted for the observer.

Bombs: 650 lb (295 kg) of bombs

The some history of the Kingfishers:

During Operation Torch, one of her Kingfishers dropped modified depth charges on a french tank, destroying it. Another Kingfisher sank during recovery due to damage. After the invasion, Walter Chronkite flew off USS Texas in a Kingfisher when the ship was within range of Norfolk.

For D-Day, the Kingfishers and catapult were removed in Belfast, Ireland in May 1944. The pilots were given Supermarine Spitfires to spot and fight any enemy fighters. On July 7, the Kingfishers and catapult were brought back onboard. The catapult was reinstalled on July 25.

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In April 27, 1945, this Kingfisher strafed small suicide boats attempting to attack near Nakagusuku Wan, eastern Okinawa.

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On April 27, 1945, this Kingfisher made a forced landing near USS Texas after a mission over Okinawa and sank due to AA damage. The pilot and observer were rescued with the observer having a wound in his left from AA shell fragments.

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In January 1943, this Kingfisher was removed, reducing Texas's floatplanes from three to two.

In December 1945, all of the Kingfishers, the catapults and most of the aviation equipment were removed. It is unknown what happened to the Kingfishers, likely scrapped soon after as the Curtiss SC-1 Seahawk was the only type kept after the war. Even then, the Seahawk's days were numbered as the Navy was transitioning to helicopters for spotting and rescue.

source, source

NHHC: 80-G-309140, 80-G-229725

LIFE Magazine Archives: 110638945, 110638936

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lex-for-lexington · 4 years ago

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I've got one for you, why did Lexington and Saratoga have flying boats and Float planes in the 1930's? Were they for rescuing pilots?

In this photo of USS Lexington (CV-2), you can see the 8″ turrets in front of the bridge and also the aircraft catapult at the bow that is offset to the starboard side of the ship. (Image source)

They had those the same reason why they had a short catapult for launching floatplanes, and also heavy cruiser-grade 8″ guns. Because when they were first built, they were among the first aircraft carriers ever. Nobody knew what to do with them, and how they could best be utilized.

During the Fleet Problem XVIII exercises in 1937, the US Navy still attempted to use carriers in a support role for their battle lines, not realizing the fragility of carriers made them almost useless when confronted by surface warships. It took a while before the US Navy developed the “proper” carrier doctrine that was so powerfully used in WWII. Before that, aircraft carriers were more or less just weird cruisers with planes.

Such was the reason why the Lexington and her Japanese counterparts, Akagi and Kaga, were armed with heavy cruiser-grade guns (8″/20cm). It didn’t help that early carrier aircraft were much less reliable and powerful than later inventions, too. The carriers had these big guns just so they wouldn’t be completely defenseless against enemy surface warships, even if just barely. Back then, there wasn’t any existing ships that relied exclusively on naval aircraft for offensive power and protection, and most navies certainly were reluctant to make ships that way.

Now, back to the floatplanes and flying boats. The Grumman JF Duck floatplane was there for the same reason why the carriers had cruiser guns. Nobody knew what an ideal aircraft carrier should have on board, because carriers were still new to every naval power. Since they were built like weird cruisers with a big flight deck, so why not give them the catapults and floatplanes cruisers also had? It was part of the US Navy’s experiment to find out what does and what does not belong on an aircraft carrier. The extremely low utilization rate indicated that it was a mostly useless thing to have, and explained the eventual removal of the floatplanes and also the catapults. That said, you can’t really blame them for not designing a whole new type of warships correctly the second time they build one.

I could not find any evidence the floatplanes were used differently on a carrier than on a cruiser, which means they were most likely used for the same purposes - scouting, search-and-rescue, and for towing gunnery practice targets. In the end they were removed from the carriers and it’s not hard to figure out why - most cruisers could carry floatplanes, but only carriers could carry bombers and fighters. One less floatplane onboard means one more other aircraft could be carried.

References

Keith, P. (2015). Stay the Rising Sun: The True Story of USS Lexington, Her Valiant Crew, and Changing the Course of WWII. Minneapolis, MN: Zenith Press.

Ewing, S. (1983). The Lady Lex and the Blue Ghost: A Pictorial History of the USS Lexingtons CV-2 and CV-16. Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Publishing.

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greatworldwar2 · 4 years ago

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• KMS Bismarck

Bismarck was the first of two Bismarck-class battleships built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched in February 1939.

The two Bismarck-class battleships were designed in the mid-1930s by the German Kriegsmarine as a counter to French naval expansion, specifically the two Richelieu-class battleships France had started in 1935. Laid down after the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, Bismarck and her sister Tirpitz were nominally within the 35,000-long-ton (36,000 t) limit imposed by the Washington regime that governed battleship construction in the interwar period. The ships secretly exceeded the figure by a wide margin, though before either vessel was completed, the international treaty system had fallen apart following Japan's withdrawal in 1937, allowing signatories to invoke an "escalator clause" that permitted displacements.

Bismarck displaced 41,700 t (41,000 long tons) as built and 50,300 t (49,500 long tons) fully loaded, with an overall length of 251 m (823 ft 6 in), a beam of 36 m (118 ft 1 in) and a maximum draft of 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in). The battleship was Germany's largest warship, and displaced more than any other European battleship, with the exception of HMS Vanguard, commissioned after the end of the war. Bismarck was powered by three Blohm & Voss geared steam turbines and twelve oil-fired Wagner superheated boilers, which developed a total of 148,116 shp (110,450 kW) and yielded a maximum speed of 30.01 knots (55.58 km/h; 34.53 mph) on speed trials. Bismarck was equipped with three FuMO 23 search radar sets, mounted on the forward and stern rangefinders and foretop. The standard crew numbered 103 officers and 1,962 enlisted men.[7] The crew was divided into twelve divisions of between 180 and 220 men. The first six divisions were assigned to the ship's armament, divisions one to four for the main and secondary batteries and five and six manning anti-aircraft guns. The seventh division consisted of specialists, including cooks and carpenters, and the eighth division consisted of ammunition handlers. The radio operators, signalmen, and quartermasters were assigned to the ninth division. The last three divisions were the engine room personnel. When Bismarck left port, fleet staff, prize crews, and war correspondents increased the crew complement to over 2,200 men.

Bismarck was armed with eight 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 guns arranged in four twin gun turrets: two super-firing turrets forward "Anton" and "Bruno" and two aft "Caesar" and "Dora". Secondary armament consisted of twelve 15 cm (5.9 in) L/55 guns, sixteen 10.5 cm (4.1 in) L/65 and sixteen 3.7 cm (1.5 in) L/83, and twelve 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft guns. Bismarck also carried four Arado Ar 196 reconnaissance floatplanes in a double hangar amidships and two single hangars abreast the funnel, with a double-ended thwartship catapult. The ship's main belt was 320 mm (12.6 in) thick and was covered by a pair of upper and main armoured decks that were 50 mm (2 in) and 100 to 120 mm (3.9 to 4.7 in) thick, respectively. The 38 cm (15 in) turrets were protected by 360 mm (14.2 in) thick faces and 220 mm (8.7 in) thick sides.

Bismarck was ordered under the name Ersatz Hannover ("Hannover replacement"), a replacement for the old pre-dreadnought SMS Hannover. The contract was awarded to the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, where the keel was laid on July 1st, 1936 at Helgen IX. The ship was launched on February 14th, 1939 and during the elaborate ceremonies was christened by Dorothee von Löwenfeld, granddaughter of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the ship's namesake. Adolf Hitler made the christening speech. Bismarck was commissioned into the fleet on August 24th, 1940 for sea trials, which were conducted in the Baltic. Kapitän zur See Ernst Lindemann took command of the ship at the time of commissioning. On September 15th, 1940, three weeks after commissioning, Bismarck left Hamburg to begin sea trials in Kiel Bay. Sperrbrecher 13 escorted the ship to Arcona on September 28th, and then on to Gotenhafen for trials in the Gulf of Danzig. The ship's power-plant was given a thorough workout; Bismarck made measured-mile and high speed runs. As the ship's stability and manoeuvrability were being tested, a flaw in her design was discovered. When attempting to steer the ship solely through altering propeller revolutions, the crew learned that Bismarck could be kept on course only with great difficulty. Even with the outboard screws running at full power in opposite directions, they generated only a slight turning ability. Bismarck's main battery guns were first test-fired in late November. The tests proved she was a very stable gun platform. Trials lasted until December; Bismarck returned to Hamburg, arriving on the 9th, for minor alterations and the completion of the fitting-out process.

The ship was scheduled to return to Kiel on January 24th, 1941, but a merchant vessel had been sunk in the Kiel Canal and prevented use of the waterway. Severe weather hampered efforts to remove the wreck, and Bismarck was not able to reach Kiel until March. While waiting to reach Kiel, Bismarck hosted Captain Anders Forshell, the Swedish naval attaché to Berlin. He returned to Sweden with a detailed description of the ship, which was subsequently leaked to Britain by pro-British elements in the Swedish Navy. The information provided the Royal Navy with its first full description of the vessel, although it lacked important facts, including top speed, radius of action, and displacement. At 08:45 on March 8th, Bismarck briefly ran aground on the southern shore of the Kiel Canal; she was freed within an hour. The ship reached Kiel the following day, where her crew stocked ammunition, fuel, and other supplies and applied a coat of dazzle paint to camouflage her. British bombers attacked the harbour without success on the 12th.

The Naval High Command (Oberkommando der Marine or OKM), commanded by Admiral Erich Raeder, intended to continue the practice of using heavy ships as surface raiders against Allied merchant traffic in the Atlantic Ocean. The two Scharnhorst-class battleships were based in Brest, France, at the time, having just completed Operation Berlin, a major raid into the Atlantic. Bismarck's sister ship Tirpitz rapidly approached completion. Bismarck and Tirpitz were to sortie from the Baltic and rendezvous with the two Scharnhorst-class ships in the Atlantic; the operation was initially scheduled for around April 25th, 1941. Admiral Günther Lütjens, Flottenchef (Fleet Chief) of the Kriegsmarine, chosen to lead the operation, wished to delay the operation at least until either Scharnhorst or Tirpitz became available, but the OKM decided to proceed with the operation, codenamed Operation Rheinübung, with a force consisting of only Bismarck and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. At a final meeting with Raeder in Paris on April 26th, Lütjens was encouraged by his commander-in-chief to proceed and he eventually decided that an operation should begin as soon as possible.

On May 5th, 1941, Hitler and Wilhelm Keitel, with a large entourage, arrived to view Bismarck and Tirpitz in Gotenhafen. The men were given an extensive tour of the ships, after which Hitler met with Lütjens to discuss the upcoming mission. On May 16th, Lütjens reported that Bismarck and Prinz Eugen were fully prepared for Operation Rheinübung; he was therefore ordered to proceed with the mission on the evening of the 19th. As part of the operational plans, a group of eighteen supply ships would be positioned to support Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. Four U-boats would be placed along the convoy routes between Halifax and Britain to scout for the raiders. By the start of the operation, Bismarck's crew had increased to 2,221 officers and enlisted men. This included an admiral's staff of nearly 65 and a prize crew of 80 sailors, who could be used to crew transports captured during the mission. At 02:00 on May 19th, Bismarck departed Gotenhafen and made for the Danish straits. The Luftwaffe provided air cover during the voyage out of German waters. At around noon on May 20th, Lindemann informed the ship's crew via loudspeaker of the ship's mission. At approximately the same time, a group of ten or twelve Swedish aircraft flying reconnaissance encountered the German force and reported its composition and heading, though the Germans did not see the Swedes. Code-breakers at Bletchley Park had confirmed that an Atlantic raid was imminent, as they had decrypted reports that Bismarck and Prinz Eugen had taken on prize crews and requested additional navigational charts from headquarters. A pair of Supermarine Spitfires was ordered to search the Norwegian coast for the flotilla.

German aerial reconnaissance confirmed that one aircraft carrier, three battleships, and four cruisers remained at anchor in the main British naval base at Scapa Flow, which confirmed to Lütjens that the British were unaware of his operation. On the evening of May 20th, Bismarck and the rest of the flotilla reached the Norwegian coast. The following morning, radio-intercept officers on board Prinz Eugen picked up a signal ordering British reconnaissance aircraft to search for two battleships and three destroyers northbound off the Norwegian coast. At 7:00 on the 21st, the Germans spotted four unidentified aircraft, which quickly departed. When Bismarck was in Norway, a pair of Bf 109 fighters circled overhead to protect her from British air attacks, but a Spitfire was able to fly directly over the German flotilla at a height of 8,000 m (26,000 ft) and take photos of Bismarck and her escorts. Upon receipt of the information, Admiral John Tovey ordered the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the newly commissioned battleship HMS Prince of Wales, and six destroyers to reinforce the pair of cruisers patrolling the Denmark Strait. The rest of the Home Fleet was placed on high alert in Scapa Flow. Bismarck did not replenish her fuel stores in Norway, as her operational orders did not require her to do so. She had left port 200 t (200 long tons) short of a full load, and had since expended another 1,000 t (980 long tons) on the voyage. At midnight, when the force was in the open sea, heading towards the Arctic Ocean, Raeder disclosed the operation to Hitler, who reluctantly consented to the raid. The three escorting destroyers were detached at 04:14 on May 22nd, while the force steamed off Trondheim. At around 12:00, Lütjens ordered his two ships to turn toward the Denmark Strait to attempt the break-out into the open Atlantic. Upon entering the Strait, both ships activated their FuMO radar detection equipment sets. Around 12:00, the pair had reached a point north of Iceland. Prinz Eugen's radio-intercept team decrypted the radio signals being sent by Suffolk and learned that their location had been reported.

Lütjens gave permission for Prinz Eugen to engage Suffolk, but the captain of the German cruiser could not clearly make out his target and so held fire. Suffolk quickly retreated to a safe distance and shadowed the German ships. At 20:30, the heavy cruiser HMS Norfolk joined Suffolk, but approached the German raiders too closely. Lütjens ordered his ships to engage the British cruiser; Bismarck fired five salvoes, three of which straddled Norfolk and rained shell splinters on her decks. The cruiser laid a smoke screen and fled into a fog bank, ending the brief engagement. At 05:07, hydrophone operators aboard Prinz Eugen detected a pair of unidentified vessels approaching the German formation at a range of 20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi). At 05:45 on May 24th, German lookouts spotted smoke on the horizon; this turned out to be from Hood and Prince of Wales, under the command of Vice Admiral Lancelot Holland. Lütjens ordered his ships' crews to battle stations. By 05:52, the range had fallen to 26,000 m (28,000 yd) and Hood opened fire, followed by Prince of Wales a minute later. Hood engaged Prinz Eugen, which the British thought to be Bismarck, while Prince of Wales fired on Bismarck.

The British ships approached the German ships head on, which permitted them to use only their forward guns; Bismarck and Prinz Eugen could fire full broadsides. Several minutes after opening fire, Holland ordered a 20° turn to port, which would allow his ships to engage with their rear gun turrets. Both German ships concentrated their fire on Hood. Prinz Eugen scored a hit with a high-explosive 20.3 cm (8.0 in) shell; the explosion detonated unrotated projectile ammunition and started a large fire, which was quickly extinguished. Lütjens ordered Prinz Eugen to shift fire and target Prince of Wales, to keep both of his opponents under fire. Within a few minutes, Prinz Eugen scored a pair of hits on the battleship that started a small fire. Lütjens then ordered Prinz Eugen to drop behind Bismarck, so she could continue to monitor the location of Norfolk and Suffolk, which were still 10 to 12 nmi (19 to 22 km; 12 to 14 mi) to the east. At 06:00, Hood was completing the second turn to port when Bismarck's fifth salvo hit. Two of the shells landed short, striking the water close to the ship, but at least one of the 38 cm armour-piercing shells struck Hood and penetrated her thin deck armour. The shell reached Hood's rear ammunition magazine and detonated 112 t (110 long tons) of cordite propellant. The massive explosion broke the back of the ship between the main mast and the rear funnel; the forward section continued to move forward briefly before the in-rushing water caused the bow to rise into the air at a steep angle. The stern also rose as water rushed into the ripped-open compartments. In only eight minutes of firing, Hood had disappeared, taking all but three of her crew of 1,419 men with her. Bismarck then shifted fire to Prince of Wales. The British battleship scored a hit on Bismarck with her sixth salvo, but the German ship found her mark with her first salvo. One of the shells struck the bridge on Prince of Wales, though it did not explode and instead exited the other side, killing everyone in the ship's command centre, save Captain John Leach, the ship's commanding officer, and one other. The two German ships continued to fire upon Prince of Wales, causing serious damage. Guns malfunctioned on the recently commissioned British ship, which still had civilian technicians aboard. Prince of Wales scored three hits on Bismarck in the engagement. The first struck her in the forecastle above the waterline but low enough to allow the crashing waves to enter the hull. The second shell struck below the armoured belt and exploded on contact with the torpedo bulkhead, completely flooding a turbo-generator room and partially flooding an adjacent boiler room. The third shell passed through one of the boats carried aboard the ship and then went through the floatplane catapult without exploding.

At 06:13, Prince of Wales made a 160° turn and laid a smoke screen to cover her withdrawal. The Germans ceased fire as the range widened. Lütjens obeyed operational orders to shun any avoidable engagement with enemy forces that were not protecting a convoy, and the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen headed for the North Atlantic. In the engagement, Bismarck had fired 93 armour-piercing shells and had been hit by three shells in return. After the engagement, Lütjens reported, "Battlecruiser, probably Hood, sunk. Another battleship, King George V or Renown, turned away damaged. Two heavy cruisers maintain contact." At 08:01, he transmitted a damage report and his intentions to OKM, which were to detach Prinz Eugen for commerce raiding and to make for Saint-Nazaire for repairs. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered all warships in the area to join the pursuit of Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. Tovey's Home Fleet was steaming to intercept the German raiders, but on the morning of May 24th was still over 350 nmi (650 km; 400 mi) away. The Admiralty ordered the light cruisers Manchester, Birmingham, and Arethusa to patrol the Denmark Strait in the event that Lütjens attempted to retrace his route. In all, six battleships and battlecruisers, two aircraft carriers, thirteen cruisers, and twenty-one destroyers were committed to the chase. With the weather worsening, Lütjens attempted to detach Prinz Eugen at 16:40. The cruiser was successfully detached at 18:14. Seeing Bismarck, Prince of Wales fired twelve salvos at Bismarck, which responded with nine salvos, none of which hit. The action diverted British attention and permitted Prinz Eugen to slip away. Although Bismarck had been damaged in the engagement and forced to reduce speed, she was still capable of reaching 27 to 28 knots (50 to 52 km/h; 31 to 32 mph), the maximum speed of Tovey's King George V. Unless Bismarck could be slowed, the British would be unable to prevent her from reaching Saint-Nazaire. Shortly before 16:00 on May 25th, Tovey detached the aircraft carrier Victorious and four light cruisers to shape a course. At 22:00, Victorious launched the strike, which comprised six Fairey Fulmar fighters and nine Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers. Bismarck also used her main and secondary batteries to fire at maximum depression to create giant splashes in the paths of the incoming torpedo bombers. None of the attacking aircraft were shot down. Bismarck evaded eight of the torpedoes launched at her, but the ninth struck amidships on the main armoured belt, throwing one man into a bulkhead and killing him and injuring five others. The explosion also caused minor damage to electrical equipment. The ship suffered more serious damage from manoeuvres to evade the torpedoes: rapid shifts in speed and course loosened collision mats, which increased the flooding from the forward shell hole and eventually forced abandonment of the port number 2 boiler room. This loss of a second boiler, combined with fuel losses and increasing bow trim, forced the ship to slow to 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).

Shortly after the Swordfish departed from the scene, Bismarck and Prince of Wales engaged in a brief artillery duel. Neither scored a hit. Bismarck's damage control teams resumed work after the short engagement. The sea water that had flooded the number 2 port side boiler threatened to enter the number 4 turbo-generator feedwater system, which would have permitted saltwater to reach the turbines. The saltwater would have damaged the turbine blades and thus greatly reduced the ship's speed. By morning, the danger had passed. As the chase entered open waters, British ships were compelled to zig-zag to avoid German U-boats that might be in the area. At 03:00 on May 25th, Lütjens ordered an increase to maximum speed, which at this point was 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). He then ordered the ship to circle away to the west and then north. This manoeuvre coincided with the period during which his ship was out of radar range; Bismarck successfully broke radar contact and circled back behind her pursuers. The Royal Navy search became frantic, as many of the British ships were low on fuel. Victorious and her escorting cruisers were sent west, other British ships continued to the south and west, and Tovey continued to steam toward the mid-Atlantic. British code-breakers were able to decrypt some of the German signals, including an order to the Luftwaffe to provide support for Bismarck making for Brest. Tovey could now turn his forces toward France to converge in areas through which Bismarck would have to pass. Victorious, Prince of Wales, Suffolk and Repulse were forced to break off the search due to fuel shortage; the only heavy ships remaining apart from Force H were King George V and Rodney, but they were too distant.

HMS Ark Royal's Swordfish were already searching nearby when the Bismarck was found. Several torpedo bombers also located the battleship, about 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) away from Ark Royal. Somerville ordered an attack as soon as the Swordfish returned and were rearmed with torpedoes. As a result, the Swordfish, which were armed with torpedoes equipped with new magnetic detonators. Upon returning to Ark Royal, the Swordfish loaded torpedoes equipped with contact detonators. The attack comprised fifteen aircraft and was launched at 19:10. At 20:47, the torpedo bombers began their attack descent through the clouds. The Swordfish then attacked; Bismarck began to turn violently as her anti-aircraft batteries engaged the bombers. One torpedo hit amidships on the port side, just below the bottom edge of the main armour belt. The force of the explosion was largely contained by the underwater protection system and the belt armour but some structural damage caused minor flooding. The second torpedo struck Bismarck in her stern on the port side, near the port rudder shaft. The coupling on the port rudder assembly was badly damaged and the rudder became locked in a 12° turn to port. The explosion also caused much shock damage. The crew eventually managed to repair the starboard rudder but the port rudder remained jammed. With the port rudder jammed, Bismarck was now steaming in a large circle, unable to escape from Tovey's forces. Though fuel shortages had reduced the number of ships available to the British, the battleships King George V and Rodney were still available, along with the heavy cruisers Dorsetshire and Norfolk. Lütjens signalled headquarters at 21:40 on the 26th: "Ship unmanoeuvrable. We will fight to the last shell. Long live the Führer." As darkness fell, Bismarck briefly fired on Sheffield, though the cruiser quickly fled. Sheffield lost contact in the low visibility and Captain Philip Vian's group of five destroyers was ordered to keep contact with Bismarck through the night. The ships encountered Bismarck at 22:38; the battleship quickly engaged them with her main battery. After firing three salvos, she straddled the Polish destroyer ORP Piorun. The destroyer continued to close the range until a near miss at around 12,000 m (39,000 ft) forced her to turn away. Between 05:00 and 06:00, Bismarck's crew attempted to launch one of the Arado 196 float planes to carry away the ship's war diary, footage of the engagement with Hood, and other important documents. As it was not possible to launch the aircraft, it had become a fire hazard, and was pushed overboard.

After daybreak on May 27th, King George V led the attack. Rodney followed off her port quarter; Tovey intended to steam directly at Bismarck until he was about 8 nmi (15 km; 9.2 mi) away. At 08:43, lookouts on King George V spotted her, some 23,000 m (25,000 yd) away. Four minutes later, Rodney's two forward turrets, comprising six 16 in (406 mm) guns, opened fire, then King George V's 14 in (356 mm) guns began firing. Bismarck returned fire at 08:50 with her forward guns; with her second salvo, she straddled Rodney. Thereafter, Bismarck's ability to aim her guns deteriorated as the ship, unable to steer, moved erratically in the heavy seas. As the range fell, the ships' secondary batteries joined the battle. Norfolk and Dorsetshire closed and began firing with their 8 in (203 mm) guns. At 09:02, a 16-inch shell from Rodney struck Bismarck's forward superstructure, killing hundreds of men and severely damaging the two forward turrets. According to survivors, this salvo probably killed Lütjens and the rest of the bridge staff. A second shell from this salvo struck the forward main battery, which was disabled, though it would manage to fire one last salvo at 09:27. Lieutenant von Müllenheim-Rechberg, in the rear control station, took over firing control for the rear turrets. He managed to fire three salvos before a shell destroyed the gun director, disabling his equipment. He gave the order for the guns to fire independently, but by 09:31, all four main battery turrets had been put out of action. One of Bismarck's shells exploded 20 feet off Rodney's bow and damaged her starboard torpedo tube—the closest Bismarck came to a direct hit on her opponents. With the bridge personnel no longer responding, the executive officer CDR Hans Oels took command of the ship from his station at the Damage Control Central. He decided at around 09:30 to abandon and scuttle the ship to prevent Bismarck being boarded by the British, and to allow the crew to abandon ship so as to reduce casualties. Gerhard Junack, the chief engineering officer, ordered his men to set the demolition charges with a 9-minute fuse but the intercom system broke down and he sent a messenger to confirm the order to scuttle the ship. The messenger never returned, so Junack primed the charges and ordered his men to abandon ship. By 10:00, Tovey's two battleships had fired over 700 main battery shells, many at very close range. Overall the four British ships fired more than 2,800 shells at Bismarck, and scored more than 400 hits, but were unable to sink Bismarck by gunfire. The heavy gunfire at virtually point-blank range devastated the superstructure and the sections of the hull that were above the waterline, causing very heavy casualties, but it contributed little to the eventual sinking of the ship.

The scuttling charges detonated around 10:20. By 10:35, the ship had assumed a heavy port list, capsizing slowly and sinking by the stern. At around 10:20, running low on fuel, Tovey ordered the cruiser Dorsetshire to sink Bismarck with torpedoes and ordered his battleships back to port. Dorsetshire fired a pair of torpedoes into Bismarck's starboard side, one of which hit. Dorsetshire then moved around to her port side and fired another torpedo, which also hit. By the time these torpedo attacks took place, the ship was already listing so badly that the deck was partly awash. Bismarck had been reduced to a shambles, aflame from stem to stern. She was slowly settling by the stern from uncontrolled flooding with a 20 degree list to port. Bismarck disappeared beneath the surface at 10:40. Around 400 men were now in the water; Dorsetshire and the destroyer Maori moved in and lowered ropes to pull the survivors aboard. At 11:40, Dorsetshire's captain ordered the rescue effort abandoned after lookouts spotted what they thought was a U-boat. Dorsetshire had rescued 85 men and Maori had picked up 25 by the time they left the scene. A U-boat later reached the survivors and found three men, and a German trawler rescued another two. One of the men picked up by the British died of his wounds the following day. Out of a crew of over 2,200 men, only 114 survived. The wreck of Bismarck was discovered on June 8th, 1989 by Dr. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer responsible for finding RMS Titanic. Bismarck was found to be resting on its keel at a depth of approximately 4,791 m (15,719 ft), about 650 km (400 mi) west of Brest.

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