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

The Wreck of DKM Bismarck − A Marine Forensics Analysis
guns by more than 5,000 meters.) Painfully aware of the vulnerability of the Hood, the British
were attempting to close the range and lessen the risk of destruction resulting from plunging fire.
Less than ten minutes after opening fire, Hood blew up and sank, destroyed by 381-mm shellfire
which penetrated to and detonated her magazines.
The ammunition on Hood was destroyed by deflagration − intense burning (of some 112
tons of cordite) with no means to dissipate its energy vertically or horizontally − which wrecked
the Hood’s hull structure, causing the ship to break apart into two sections before beginning its
plunge to the sea bed.
A KEY HIT ON THE BISMARCK’s BOW
Abeam of the capstans on the forecastle of Bismarck is a large oblique-shaped hole in the
starboard side, above the water line and Batteriedeck 6 and forward of the 60-mm splinter belt. It
occurs just above the forward edge of a faded painted fake bow wave. The hole is clearly bent
outward, apparently from the effects of a shell passing through the ship from the port side 7 . An
elongated hole in the deck above was first thought to be the entry hole for this round, but careful
measurement indicates the two holes are unrelated.
The entry hole on the port side was not imaged, as there were a number of shell holes
noted in the area where the shell was believed to have entered. The exit hole is consistent with a
trajectory through the bow with an angle of fall of about 15 degrees and a shell path from astern.
This is consistent with the expected angle of fall for a shell fired by Prince of Wales at a range of
about 16,000 meters − refer to Table 2.
Table 2
Range Table Data for the 356-mm Gun 8
Range Angle of Fall Striking Velocity
13,720 meters 11.5 degrees 526 meters per second
18,290 meters 18.2 degrees 476 meters per second
The shell’s path was an oblique one from port to starboard across Compartments XX and
XXI; the second, third, and fourth watertight compartments aft of the forward perpendicular
(XX, XXI, and XXII) were damaged by fragments caused by the passage of this heavy projectile
through the ship. The entry hole is above the Batteriedeck, while the exit hole, above that deck
or near that deck’s intersection with the side shell. The plating around the exit hole is bent
outward. The condition of the exit hole in the Bismarck’s starboard bow supports the judgment
that the shell passed through the ship without exploding 9 .
Compartments XX and XXI are roughly centered on the fore capstans, which correspond
perfectly to the exit hole. Since the exit hole was slightly above the waterline but was within the
bow wave, water flowed in and eventually flooded compartments on the Upper, Middle and
Lower Platform Decks. The ship’s trim down by the bow aggravated this problem. The reserve
oil tanks were located in way of the shell trajectory, but below the Middle Platform Deck. Hence
we believe that none of the reserve tanks were affected by this shell’s trajectory. If there was a
6 This is the Second Deck in the US Navy.
7 LT Gerhard Junack mentioned in correspondence with William Garzke that the shell passed through the
ship without exploding. We believe it may have detonated in the water adjacent to the ship.
8 John Campbell. Naval Weapons of World War Two. London: Conway Maritime Press, Ltd., 1985.
9 Admiral Lütjens reported this in a message after the battle was over.
6