The Wreck of DKM Bismarck − A Marine Forensics Analysis 1 The ...

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The Wreck of DKM Bismarck − A Marine Forensics Analysis The stormy night of 26-27, the battleship was harassed by a series of determined but unsuccessful torpedo attacks by five destroyers. By day break on the following morning, most of the Bismarck’s crew were physically and mentally exhausted. These men were confronted with the likelihood of imminent death. THE FINAL BATTLE ─ 27 May, 1941 Bismarck was making no more than 5 knots when the action started, unable to maneuver or take evasive action. Later, she had no forward speed due to the prevailing sea conditions. For her later salvos, Rodney closed from 18,000 to 3,700 meters, firing at virtually point-blank range by naval gunnery standards. King George V eventually closed to less than 3,700 meters, as well. The heavy sea conditions (20' swells or higher) affected gunnery accuracy, even at close range. The 356-mm and 406-mm guns had malfunctions. King George V was especially plagued by mechanical breakdowns of her heavy guns during the battle. During the morning of 27 May, the battleships Rodney and King George V, accompanied by heavy cruisers Dorsetshire and Norfolk, shelled Bismarck for a period of 92 minutes, firing a total of 2,876 shells. (See Table 3.) The German battleship’s main battery gunfire control system was disabled in the first few minutes of the gunnery engagement. All four 380-mm main battery turrets were silenced in less than 45 minutes. Table 3 British Shells Fired at the Bismarck (27 May 1941) 406-mm 356-mm 203-mm 152-mm 134-mm King George V --- 339 --- --- 660 Rodney 380 --- --- 716 --- Dorsetshire --- --- 254 --- --- Norfolk --- --- 527 --- --- There were hundreds of hits ranging from 134-mm to 406-mm in caliber. The devastation caused by the shellfire combined with the effects of several torpedo hits to overwhelm and defeat the Bismarck, causing the ship to begin sinking due to uncontrollable progressive flooding. The German crew sped the inevitable demise of their ship by initiating scuttling measures. THE GUNNERY ENGAGEMENT ─ A DAMAGE ANALYSIS There are several large shell entry holes that correspond to the 406-mm guns on Rodney and the 356-mm guns on King George V. There are also many shell gouges on the 145-mm and 320-mm armor belts where 203-mm, 152-mm, and 134-mm shells hit and ricocheted off before exploding, detonated without penetrating the armor, or were disarmed by their impact. There are numerous entry holes about the diameters of the penetrating projectiles, varying from circular to elongated ellipses, depending upon the angle of entry. There are approximately twenty holes caused by the larger caliber shells. In a few cases, the explosion was at or just above deck level, producing a large irregular hole and a depressed area in the deck structure. 20
The Wreck of DKM Bismarck − A Marine Forensics Analysis DAMAGE HIGHLIGHTS ○ About 0859, one of Rodney’s 406-mm shells damaged Turret Bruno and blew off pieces of armor from the turret back plate, killing almost all men in exposed portions on the bridge. Another 406-mm projectile holed the fore bulkhead of the lower bridge. ○ At 0859, a 203-mm shell fired by Norfolk hit and disabled the forward fire-control director. This certainly resulted in a disruption of the fire-control function and the deaths of personnel there, including LCDR Adalbert Schneider, the gunnery officer. ○ Around 0900, several 406-mm shells struck in the vicinity of Turret Bruno. One of these shells hit the upper course of 220-mm armor on the port side of this turret’s barbette, creating a significant hole that can be seen on the wreck. The turret was trained to port at the time, engaging Rodney. A chunk of 220-mm armor was thrust into the barbette structure as the shell tore its way through the armor. There was a splinter screen inside the barbette, which appears designed to absorb the fragments from just such impacts. However, heavy shells which penetrated the barbette armor more-or-less intact probably would easily pass through the fragment screen, exploding within the barbette structure. There is every indication that this is what occurred in this instance. Pieces of the shell or debris created a chip about 0.5 meters in length in the upper course of 220mm armor on the far (starboard) side of the barbette. Other fragments probably found their way to the powder magazine, where they caused powder canisters to ignite, along with some charges within the hoists to the turret above. Since both turrets Anton and Bruno were in action with Rodney at the time of this shell hit, the crew in the gun house was busy loading shells and powder and canisters into the breeches of both guns. Pieces from that shell’s detonation could have found their way into the turret’s inner spaces and caused a fire or an explosion to occur there. ○ There is also the possibility that another 406-mm shell penetrated the turret structure itself at the same time. That situation cannot be confirmed until a thorough examination of Turret Bruno is made from its location on the side of the seamount, a challenging task which may never be possible. It is known that the turret’s back plate was blown off with pieces of that wreckage projected aft, killing all personnel in exposed positions on the bridge. The pressure of burning powder and cartridges devastated Turret Bruno, as the rear of the turret was uplifted and thrust forward. That massive pivoting motion created a divot some one-meter in circumference in the inner forward portion of the 220-mm armor plate. The turret magazines were flooded shortly thereafter to prevent a catastrophic explosion. Turret Anton was also silenced around this time. The turret’s guns ran down to maximum depression, probably due to the loss of hydraulic power. ○ Sometime during 0900-0915, a 203-mm shell from Norfolk struck the S61 turret (forward starboard secondary turret) jamming its access hatch. The turret crew was trapped and doomed. ○ About the same time, another 406-mm shell from Rodney hit the forward conning tower. A series of 356-mm and 406-mm hits occurred in rapid sequence, killing many of the men inside and chipping or holing the 350-mm armor 25 . The port door to the conning tower is open on the seabed, with some apparent damage to its hinges. 25 Frequently, even non-penetrating hits can cause damage and casualties on the interior due to spalling, with fragments of armor ricocheting around the interior. Another devastating phenomenon is the noise caused as supersonic projectiles impact on the armor, much like being inside a huge bell as it is rung. 21
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