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From: st_nik!nik@swindon.ingr.com
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Bismarck torpedoed?
Message-ID: <1991May23.054927.13887@amd.com>
Date: 20 May 91 15:26:52 GMT
References: <1991May16.052552.17198@amd.com> <1991May18.050659.10224@amd.com>
Sender: military@amd.com
Organization: Intergraph UK Ltd. (swindon)
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From: st_nik!nik@swindon.ingr.com


[17 quoted lines deleted. --CDR]

	I would recommend to alll interested in this subject the book
published recently on the exploration of the Bismark wreck.  This has
a number of computer enhanced colour plates of the wreck as well artist
impressions and discussions of the visible damage.  There are several
important points

	1) Details of damage caused to the stern of the ship by the swordfish
   attack are difficult to ascertain as a portion of the ship from 
   some distance aft of the 'D' turret has sheared off.  Interestingly this
   seems to be a design feature of German WWII warships,  both the Lutzow
   and Prinz Eugen suffered similar damage.

	2) On the basis of the visible hull damage it seems likely that
   the Bismark was scuttled by her crew.  However this point is moot as
   had they not done the RN undoubtedly would have.  In fact it is difficult
   to think of many "Dreadnought" type ships from WWI or WWII  that
   succumbed to shell fire except through catastrophic magazine explosion.

	Unfortunately I don't have the name of the book in question,  I
do recommend it,  although like many other books it regards the BISMARK as
having been the last word in battleship design.
-- 
Nik Simpson	Mail : nik@swindon.ingr.com
Systems Consultant (UNIX).   Intergraph UK Ltd.