Quote:
Originally Posted by lwd
I don't agree with the ranges that are being proposed. Both US and Japanese doctrine was to fight at longer ranges. Yamato will try to fight most probably in the 25,000 to 30,000 yard range. At that range even a single solid hit from her will really hurt Bismark. Bismark on the other hand can't penetrate most of Yamato's armor at that range. I suspect that at those ranges if Yamato's shells don't detonate they have a decent chance of exiting the bottom or lower hull of Bismark.
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The problem is that history shows that this doesn't happen. At just 20,000 yards both ships will be hull down to the horizon to their spotters and rangetakers. It is difficult to hit a ship in this situation which is why most naval actions take place at even shorter ranges. Longer range fire is possible if one is using spotter aircraft but, this actually is extremely rare except in shore bombardment situations. Most of the time, ship's captains tended to just jettison the aircraft over the side to get rid of them because they represent a huge fire hazard on board.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lwd
Also consider that while some have suggested Bismark is more resitant to diving shells Yamato's shells are specificlly designed to function well in this mode. Given their weight I think Yamato is in better shape taking diving shells than Bismark if the two are fighting each other.
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Again, history is against you here. The diving shell while a serious threat is not high on the list of probables in terms of hits. Also, as shown by other actions, whether or not the shell was specifically designed for this purpose has little impact on whether diving hits are scored. If anything, by the Japanese designing their shells with this specific purpose in mind they actually
decreased their overall performance. This is one major reason the Japanese 18" gun is such a poor performer for its size.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lwd
Bismark's only real hope in my opinion is that for some reason the engagement sarts at short range and stays there and that she is lucky enough to get in several telling hits before Yamato.
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It still comes down to who hits first.
Bismarck appears to have had the historical edge here at whatever the range is.