Aug 18, 2004 against an iowa class, though, bismarck would eventually go down. The american battleships, especially the iowa class, iowa, missouri, wisconson and new jersey, were technologically superior to the bismark, and its sister ship, tirpitz, but the german kriegsmarine was an intelligent, discipline and dangerous adversary. Between the mid1940s and the early 1990s the iowa class battleships were involved in four major wars fought by the united states. They were initially intended to intercept fast capital ships such as the japanese kongo class while also being capable of serving in a traditional battle line alongside slower battleships and act as its fast wing. Ive read a lot of debates on the topic that places bismarck third with iowa vs yamato coming down to time of day and other factors.
Since at least the 1980s, the books by the late gerhard koop he died in 2005, originally published in germany as hardcovers, were universally respected and considered excellent technical reference books on the kriegsmarine. Iowa class battleship vs the german bismarck stardestroyer. Its scale plans are incomplete, the forward ships crosssection drawings are missing. She was built at the philadelphia naval shipyard in philadelphia, pennsylvania and launched on 7 december 1943 the second anniversary of the pearl harbor raid, sponsored by the. Coverage extends from mackequipped doubleended talos guided missile battleship designs to jupiterirbmcarrying. The navy placed two iowa class battleships wisconsin and new jersey on the register about 2 years after the acts requirement took effect. I think that the battleship bismarck or tirpitz would have gotten trounced by the iowa. Their design was born of an era filled with political and budgetary constraints, where liberals and conservatives argued about the reality of. Bismarck vs iowa class battlership axis history forum. I think the iowa class battleships were the allaround best battleships and the ones that i would put my life in the most.
The battleships of the iowa class, philippe caresse. During his 2015 campaign, candidate donald trump stood on the deck of the uss iowa and proposed recommissioning it into us navy service. May 18, 2012 overall, id give the bismarck a small chance against the iowa, and very little chance against the yamato. Oct 15, 2006 better battleships vanguard class or iowa class better battleships vanguard class or iowa class. The iowaclass battleships were the most powerful battleships built for the u.
Mr burr tells how cost effective,capable and absolutely devastating to any foe within range of her guns these ships could be,not only during world war two but korea,vietnam,the middle east us forces ashore. The american iowaclass battleships were armed with powerful, longranged 16inch guns which fired a heavy 2,700pound armorpiercing shell and benefited from a superior gunfire control system. The us knew nothing of the yamato class when the iowas where laid down, and thought they where 45,000 ton vessels with 16 inch guns though about 1944. The armor systems of the iowa class ships can be divided into two basic sections. Bismarck was laughably overweight for what they got out out the ships, measuring out at around 50, 900 tons compared to north carolinas 34,000 tons. It can be argued that the bayern class design had a strong influence on the basic layout of main armament on the bismarck class. Better battleships vanguard class or iowa class navweaps forums. Even iowa could have defeated yamato, provided she used the right tactics. The iowa class ships had a remarkably long lifespan and saw combat in korea, vietnam, the lebanon in. This is the fifth in a series of six articles on the battleships built under the provision of the washington and london naval treaty limitations in the 1930s. Nov 27, 2017 is this the last battle of the bismarck s lets find out if they lose or win.
Whilst the germans had excellent fire control systems for their warships, it does not excuse the fact that the bismarckclass battleships, tirpitz included, had an outdated armor scheme, which was based on the old dreadnoughts of wwi. Is this the last battle of the bismarcks lets find out if they lose or win. See more ideas about battleship, navy ships and submarines. This book covers 16 conversions, with line drawings and full color original art illustrations for 11 of 16 proposed projects. The bismarck class was a pair of fast battleships built for nazi germanys kriegsmarine shortly before the outbreak of world war ii. The iowa class battleships were the most powerful battleships built for the u. Bismarck also had a 3 knot speed advantage over the north carolina, 30 vs 27 remember the iowa class was the 33 knot class of american battleships. Stories, photographs, technical details, drawings, models, discussion forum, hilfskreuzer and much more. It was published by the naval institute press and authored by robert sumrall.
The iowa class of battleships were the largest and fastest class of american battleships ever completed. Iowa, new jersey, missouri, and wisconsin were built. Library of congress catalog number 8871712, isbn 0870212982. These ships had a great reputation, but the design was conservative, and they were not the equals of the us iowa class, or the south dakotas. The lower belt area is better protected in bismarck and at close range where bismarck can penetrate iowa s belt, bismarck has an advantage. Overall, id give the bismarck a small chance against the iowa, and very little chance against the yamato. Iowaclass battleships united states military factory. I think personally it was vanguard class as it was tried tested guns 15 inch guns and up to date radar for its period. Each was approximately 861 feet long and weighed 52,000 tons.
Some of the facts which make me feel that way include. Furthermore, the iowas were capable of 3335 knots maximum speed. I am not including the ships which were completed in the immediate aftermath of the washington treaty limitations. In any late war engagement with modern us battleships, the americans would have scored many more hits on yamato than yamato scored on them in return, although yamatos bigger shells would have done more damage when they did hit. Bismarck was the first of two bismarckclass battleships built for the german kriegsmarine during world war ii. Iowa class battleships, their design, weapons and equipment. Would like people opinions on what was the better battleship. The general board argued for two more north carolinas, but admiral william h. Tirpitz was the second of the bismarck class battleships 8 x 38 cm 15 inch guns, 42,900 tons, top speed 30 kts. Better battleships vanguard class or iowa class better battleships vanguard class or iowa class. Better battleships vanguard class or iowa class navweaps. Bb64 uss wisconsin uss wisconsin bb64, is an iowaclass battleship, the second ship of the united states navy to be named in honor of the u. Silent hunter 3 26 iowa class battleships vs 24 bismarck. And that overall, when one adds armor to the hull, the iowa is 10% greater.
Celebrants of the bismarck class also raise an excellent point about relative armor percentages favoring the bismarck, yet the bismarck classes the hull is only onehalf the weight of the iowas. The lower belt area is better protected in bismarck and at close range where bismarck can penetrate iowas belt, bismarck has an advantage. First is the above water armor, which is designed to protect the ship against gun fire and aerial bombing. The south dakota class would have given the bismarck a better run with the winner getting an early. Four of the six planned ships were completed, and all four saw some service in the second world war although only the iowa and the new jersey saw extensive use. Incidentally, the us navy had a montana class on the drawing boards. As early as 1937 the us navy began studies on the design. The preceding two north carolinaclass battleships had been assigned to the fy1937 building program, and in 1936, the general board met to discuss the two battleships to be allocated to fy1938. How true is it that the bismarck class battleships were just.
The american iowa class battleships were armed with powerful, longranged 16inch guns which fired a heavy 2,700pound armorpiercing shell and benefited from a superior gunfire control system. Overall, the bismarck class was an impressive combination of firepower, speed, and protection. See more ideas about battleship, uss iowa, us battleships. However, in 2010, that requirement was lifted and all four iowa class battleships are now completely private property. Six were ordered during the course of world war ii, but only four were completed in time to see service in the pacific theater. There are a total of 4 iowaclass battleships united states entries in the military factory. Considering the short but spectaular career of this ship, there are relatively few paint schemes to choose from, so i decided to go for the full baltic stripes and the dark turret tops but i failed miserably masking. The iowaclass battleships were a class of fast battleships ordered by the united states navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the fast carrier task forces that would operate in the pacific theater of world war ii. A much fairer fight would be north carolina vs bismarck and even in that situation, north carolina is a better ship.
How true is it that the bismarck class battleships were. This allowed the organizations that ran them to open additional spaces to the public. They were basically enlarged bismarcks with heavier guns, extended compartmentation, and increased radius of action. This should be a better matchup than the bismarck iowa matchup. However bb55 has bigger and more heavy guns, and iirc better fire control radar. C hull you have the same amount of hitpoints and the better aa despite the fact, that the rating is lower, the aasetup is way better without any modules and commander skills bhull has. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. The south dakota class was a group of four fast battleships built by the united states navy. The iowa class was a class of six fast battleships ordered by the united states navy in 1939 and 1940. H class battleships schlachtschiffe h klasse the z plan contemplated the construction of six large battleships of over 52,000 metric tons each armed with eight 40.
Iowa class battleships are an excellent example of superior armor protection and high top speed. An impressive history of the iowa class battleships, translated flawlessly from french, and with the space within its 500 pages to contain a detailed technical history of the ships, accounts of each of their long service careers and to have more photographs than most pictorial guides could ever hope to have. The iowa class ships were also the longest examples of their type ever built, although other battleships were built with wider beams and higher displacements. Battleships seem to hold a fascination for naval enthusiasts, and debates about bringing them back seem to come up periodically.
David rogers introduction the iowa class battleship represented the zenith in classic warship development on the eve of the second world war. They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th state. Thus, barring some true crisis and the us reclaiming the iowa class in some form of eminent domain, the door seems closed to reactivating them. Bismarck has 6,500 tons more weight, thicker armour, is nearly 90 ft longer, 10ft wider and 1 knot faster than bb55. Aug 02, 2010 the iowa class battleships were a planned class of six fast battleships ordered by the united states navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the fast carrier task forces that would operate in the pacific.
There are reasons for this, the guns for one, the iowa 16 had 42,000 yard range compared to the bismarck 15 of 38,880 yards, the iowa projectile from the main guns was astounding lbs heavier then the bismarcks, iowa 2700 lbs and the bismarck 1764 lbs. The iowa class was designed to meet the second london naval. Bb64 uss wisconsin uss wisconsin bb64, is an iowa class battleship, the second ship of the united states navy to be named in honor of the u. Standley, the chief of naval operations, wanted the ships to be of a new. The bismarck s upper belt area wouldnt keep out battleship size shells.
The four iowaclass battleshipsuss iowa, uss new jersey, uss wisconsin, and uss missouriwere built early in the second world war to be fast fleet battleships, capable of keeping up with. This book presents an overview of proposed conversions of the iowa class battleships and alaska class large cruisers from 1942 to 1964. The yamato is a beast, and was designed to resist her own shells, while the americans, despite innovating the allornothing armour scheme, dropped behind in armour technology in the leadup to wwii. A more interesting discussion would be a oneonone between the iowa class battleships and the japanese yamato class. If you really want to know everything about iowa class bbs i would highly recommend you obtain a copy of. The bismarcks upper belt area wouldnt keep out battleship size shells. Jan 12, 2017 whilst the germans had excellent fire control systems for their warships, it does not excuse the fact that the bismarck class battleships, tirpitz included, had an outdated armor scheme, which was based on the old dreadnoughts of wwi. Here is my drawing of the battleship bismarck, sunk on may by the british home fleet some 600 miles west of. Iowa class battleships united states the iowa class of battleships of the united states navy served healthily long lives from world war 2 until after the end of the cold war, such was their value. While the north carolina does get the nod in firepower its not enough to win this battle.
The iowaclass battleships were a planned class of six fast battleships ordered by the united states navy in 1939 and 1940 to escort the fast carrier task forces that would operate in the pacific. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily the primary operator. Mar 17, 2007 bismarck also had a 3 knot speed advantage over the north carolina, 30 vs 27 remember the iowa class was the 33 knot class of american battleships. So that implies that the iowa class is still stronger.
Feb 19, 2018 overall, the bismarck class was an impressive combination of firepower, speed, and protection. Against an iowaclass, though, bismarck would eventually go down. May 18, 2017 the four iowaclass battleshipsuss iowa, uss new jersey, uss wisconsin, and uss missouriwere built early in the second world war to be fast fleet battleships, capable of keeping up with. But, ultimately, it will come down to the men fighting the battle. May 23, 2017 theres not really a wholly right or wrong answer to this question, but basically it can be stated as not very true. The iowa class battleships are the subject of this book,48 packed pages cover the the story of these ships from inception through to today.
Iowa class battleships and alaska class large cruisers. Bismarck s lower citadel probably cant be penetrated at any range by iowa because of the way it was designed with the turtleback. The iowa was designed to kill japanese yamatoclass battleships which carried 19 in guns. By staying at extreme range over 40,000 yds, iowa could use her radar fire control to score fairly regular hits on yamato, while simultaneously making constant evasive maneuvers. However, its not so good especially comparing to the scharnhorst class book in the same series i will state then below. Theres not really a wholly right or wrong answer to this question, but basically it can be stated as not very true. Bismarcks lower citadel probably cant be penetrated at any range by iowa because of the way it was designed with the turtleback. Since then, various social media and news outlets explored what this would mean. The ijn was very good at engaging at night, so if iowa vs yamato were a night battle, all yamato really needs is a good hit or two and iowa would be crippled or destroyed.
Uss south dakota class line drawing this is the fifth in a series of six articles on the battleships built under the provision of the washington and london naval treaty limitations in the 1930s. This is a good, concise history of the ships of the bismarck class bismarck and tirpitz. In a oneonone battle between the battleships tirpitz and. The book has its advantage, it gives a good translation of basic information about bismarck class battleships. The ships were the largest and most powerful warships built for the kriegsmarine.
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