Koop Gerhard - Battleships of the Bismarck Class : Bismarck and Tirpitz : culmination and finale of German battleship construction

Tirpitz as completed.

Bismarck and Tirpitz: Culmination and Finale of German Battleship Construction

GERHARD KOOP and KLAUS-PETER SCHMOLKE

Copyright Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz, 1990

This edition first published in Great Britain in 2014 by
Seaforth Publishing,
Pen & Sword Books Ltd,
47 Church Street,
Barnsley S70 2AS

www.seaforthpublishing.com

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84832 197 7

First published in the German language under the title Die Schlachtschiffe der Bismarck-Klasse
by Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz, 1990
First published in the English language by Greenhill Books, Lionel Leventhal Ltd, 1998

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing of both the
copyright owner and the above publisher.

Translated from the German by Geoffrey Brooks
Printed and bound in China through Printworks International Ltd

CONTENTS

Bismarck: Starboard side of forecastle with B turret barbette during the final stages of fitting out in the summer of 1940. The canvas-covered bridge wing can be seen in its extended position (it was used for docking and could be folded back when not needed).

Bismarck: Port side of B turret barbette during the final stages of fitting out in the summer of 1940. Experience showed that when the ship was at speed the ventilation intakes around the barbette would be flooded with seawater coming over the bow, and they were later altered to face aft.

Bismarck: In the later stages of fitting out not all the electronics have yet been installed, but the spherical Type SL8 anti-aircraft director can be seen abreast the bridge.

Bismarck: Rear of one of the ships 15cm (5.9in) twin secondary batteries; it is the forward mounting on the starboard side.

Bismarck: Underside of funnel platform, with two of the ships boats stowed on top of the pitched roof of one of the hangars for the Arado Ar 196 floatplanes.

Bismarck: No 2 starboard 15cm gun mounting, with a 10.5cm (4.1in) twin on the platform in the foreground. The latter formed the ships heavy anti-aircraft battery and eventually comprised eight twin mountings, although the last four were not shipped until November 1940.

Bismarck: The catapult deck amidships, with the cranes that handled both the aircraft and the ships boats. The main hangar, with its doors partly open, can be seen to the right. This housed two aircraft, but there were also narrow hangars either side of the forward superstructure for one aircraft each. The Arado floatplanes had to be stowed in a partly dismantled state in order to fit.

Bismarck: Searchlight platform around the funnel, with the forward light covered by a skullcap weatherproof housing. Beneath the after projector is the short gantry crane, used specifically to hoist the floatplane from its handling trolley to the catapult launching cradle.

Bismarck: Port side bridge platform details, with the rear of the anti-aircraft director prominent in the foreground.

Bismarck: C turret barbette details. On the far right is the breech of a loading trainer for the 10.5cm guns.

Bismarck: The ships main boat stowage was above and abreast the main aircraft hangar.

Bismarck: Port side looking forward at one of the forward hangars. Even with wings folded, an Arado Ar 196 was a tight fit.

Tirpitz: Preparing for preliminary gunnery trials in May 1941. The after fire-control directors have not yet been installed.

Tirpitz: Quarterdeck and after main turrets, June 1941. The after fire-control equipment is still incomplete, not being finally fitted until September.

Tirpitz: A close-up of the superstructure in July 1942 after modifications that included enclosing some of the bridge platform for better protection against the weather.

Tirpitz: The modified bridge photographed in Faettenfjord in July 1942. Both the forward searchlight and main director are trained aft.