KMS Bismarck

[David]

Following the First World War, in which the nation of Germany was held completely responsible for, the Treaty of Versailles was put in place to limit an near-future war-making capabilities of the country. Similarly, global treaties were installed throughout to limit the sizes and power of various types of sea-borne ships, mainly in the form of battleships.
With Adolph Hitler's rise to power as German Chancellor, the German military powers began assembling a new war machine - in essence dismissing any military limitations set forth by previous post-World War One treaties. The newly-formed Kriegsmarine would be the recipient of two 35,000 ton battleships - the more well known becoming the KMS Bismarck.
Following the standard designs of the First World War, the Bismarck was a most fundamental battleship that relied on uprated powerplants and pure firepower. The massive ship went over the international naval weight treaty by as much as 6,000 tons, facilitating the need for the system to take on extra fuel for the more powerful engines and supplies.
Commissioned in August of 1940, the Bismarck underwent trials in the Baltic for up to eight months before being deemed operational. The system gleamed with 8 x 15 inch main guns and 12 x 150mm guns, complimented by an array of various-caliber anti-aircraft (AA) armament. Two Arado Floatplanes could be stowed and launched for reconnaissance purposes and armor at the midsection of the ship reached upwards of 12.6 inches. A compliment of nearly 2,200 officers and crewmen made up the operators onboard.
By May of 1941, the Bismarck was deemed ready and launched off for Bergen with a heavy cruiser known as the Prinz Eugen. Detected by ships of the British fleet, action ensued the following morning with the Prize Eugen scoring a direct hit on the HMS Hood, leading to an onboard explosion. The KMS Bismarck, not to be outdone, scored its own direct hit on the bridge of the HMS Prince of Wales, clearing the way for the two German vessels to continue their journey towards the Atlantic.
An evaluation soon revealed that the fuel of the Bismarck had become contaminated by undersea damage, leading the admiral to reroute a course to Brest. This correct decision would unknowingly become the downfall for the greatest battleship of the Second World War as several British Fairey Swordfish flight groups would harass her through repeated torpedo attacks. The initial strike (only a single torpedo strike was recorded) yielded only minor damage. THusly, the Bismarck would be able to go on and continually avoid detection by the more formidable British cruisers and destroyers. This was to be short-lived however, as a long-ranged communication sent from the Bismarck was detected and intercepted. Thusly, the ship's location was once again centered by the nearby aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. As a result, British aerial Swordfish attacks from this carrier resumed, scoring two direct hits by torpedo on the Bismarck, effectively disabling her steering components.
Unable to steer and yielding a less-than-stellar 5 knots in open water, the Bismarck was doomed. On the morning of May 27, the HMS King George V and the HMS Rodney opened fire on the ailing Bismarck - this attack beginning promptly at a recorded 08:47. The Bismarck crew tried valiantly in return fire, scoring just one nearby - but not direct - hit on the Rodney, but the British ships soon silenced the Bismarck guns by 09:20. With ranges closing as near as 4,000 yards, the Bismarck continued to yield direct hit after direct, eventually succumbing to damage and becoming nothing more than a stationary target drone. A final torpedo by the British cruiser HMS Dorsetshire did the ship in and sunk the Bismarck, ending her short reign of the seas by 10:40.
The story of the Bismarck has long been one of the greatest naval battles of the Second World War. A ship so seemingly indestructible and elusive that it's destruction would yield a fatal blow to the morale and symbol of the German cause. In the end, the legend of the Bismarck would live on in its wreckage and through various documentaries and Hollywood motion pictures.
Specifications for the KMS Bismarck:

Designation: KMS Bismarck
Displacement: 41,676 tons (standard); 50,153 tons (full load)
Length: 823 feet, 6 inches (251 meters)
Beam: 118 feet (36 meters)
Draught: 30 feet, 7 inches (9.3 meters)
Powerplant: 3 x 3-shaft geared steam-powered turbines generating 138,000 shp (102,907 kW)
Maximum Speed: 29 knots
Armor: Belt - 12.6 inches (320mm); Decks - 2-4.7 inches (50-120mm); Barbettes & Turrets - 9-14 inches (230-355mm)
Armament: 8 x 15in main guns; 12 x 5.9in guns; 16 x 105mm AA guns; 16 x 37mm AA guns; 12 x 20mm AA guns.
Aircraft: 2 x Arado Floatplanes
Crew: 2,192
More Pictures of the KMS Bismarck