Bismarck/Tirpitz
King George V class
Iowa class
Yamato class
Littorio class
Hey guys, don't know if this has been done before......I'd like to try it out to see what everyone thinks. I think it's a hard poll and would like to see everyone's opinion. Thanks, BMF12.
I voted Yamato because of its sheer size, destructive power, armour, and all 'round ability to kick ass. I'd say that in WWII waters, with a one on one battle between any two of these ships, the Yamato and her sisters would come out on top. Love to hear some input......or maybe a different opinion
I picked Iowa class.
They weren't as big as the Yamato, but their 16/50 guns had about the same destructive power as Yamato's 18". Iowas possessed superior radar, speed, and anti-air defense. Armor might be lacking a bit in thickness, but American metallurgy was ahead of Japanese at the time and the steel went into Iowa's hull was better.
I based my answer on this guy's research:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm
He seems to know what he's talking about. Or at least he fooled me if he's just blowing smoke.
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.
Yamato's would have a tough go with the Iowa's which were roughly equalto the Yamato dispite the gun caliber difference. Bigger isn't always better as you also have to consider the rate of fire of the main guns.
Trooth is any one of these ships and the French Richelieu class BB's were tough nuts to crack. The KGV class had the most BB vs. BB experience of the bunch and were 2 for 3 in their battles. The Prince of wales only suffered due to her "working up" condition vs. the Bismarck. KGV had similar problems vs. Bismarck but to a lesser extent due to the adequate training. Duke of York was exceptional vs. Scharnhorst at the battle of North Cape. The air attack that sunk the Prince of Wales would have sunk any BB without a CV escort.
I personally voted for the Littorio as she had great guns, good speed and a looker to boot. Her Torpedo defence system was complicated but her armor was good. Again the Fritz X glider bomb that sank Roma would have sank most BB's, Warspite being the rare exception to this rule, she never was the same since her encounter with a fritz X.
My pick would be Richelieu but shes not on the list! Excellent armor/TDS good speed and potent armament. the only drawback is the all forward layout of her main guns. Her semi sister Gascogne would have been an improvment with turrets fore and aft.
I voted for the Bismarck. It gave nightmares to the brits.
Well his study is for the most part accurate though he fails to account for some of the updates to the Bismarck's sister, Tirpitz, in the AA catigory but it wouldn't change the overall performance of the class itself that much.Originally Posted by gunnut
Most raiders did, not to mention the Bismarck sortied at a time when the Brits were losing on all fronts. The design itself while potently armed had serious flaws.
I picked the Iowas. Although all of the ships listed above we not "perfect". The differences in the building philosophy (armament,displacement,speed,armor,Radar,FCR etc.) gives great insight about how these respective countries believed Naval battles should be fought and dictated how these ships were to be built and refitted later in life if they made it that far.
It is also interesting to read about the flaws in these ships and how these flaws were either corrected or discounted by the "experts".
Last edited by Dreadnought; 18 Dec 06, at 16:14.
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
I naturally picked the Iowas since I have worked on all four of them and had access to all their original plans.
Though "smaller" than the Yamato, that was only in overall weight. The Iowas were actually the longest Battleships ever built.
The lighter weight can be blamed on the London Treaty that restricted some of the design. But that was actually a blessing in disguise as that "forced" us to design the main side armor of the ship as an interior "box". A torpedo would have to penetrate the shell plating and two more torpedo bulkheads before getting to the main armor of 12.1" thick Class A armor bolted to 1.5" thick S.T.S. backing bulkheads.
Though the Iowas were never struck by torpedos or mines to prove or disprove this advantage, it should be noted that all Battleships sunk during WW II had external armor belts vulnerable to being the first hit.
I could go on with many other advantages the Iowas had but I don't want to hog the board.
I can't believe so many people picked the Bismarck. The Yamato and Musahi will beat Bismark and Tirpitz.
Also, Prince of Wales was sunk by around 60 aircraft attacking to large warhips. The Yamato and Musashi needed more aircraft to sink than those that attack Pearl Harbor.
Radar, fire-control, primary and secondary armament, speed...is there any contender to the Iowa's combination of these?
Well, the only thing I can think of is the giant gap between Iowa's 16" main battery and her 5" secondary DP guns. The Yamato and some other battleships have 6" secondary batteries in addition to their AA suite. These could be valuable in dealing with destroyers and light cruisers...if anyone actually drives a solo battleship on the ocean without escorts.
Iowa definitely had room for a few 6" guns in place of some 5" guns. However I believe that would have complicated maintainance and logistics as we need different parts and munition to feed those 6" guns. Massive number of 5" guns made up the throw weight, but still lacking in range a bit.
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.
That was a pretty good site.......thanks. It's interesting how he did his rating....a lot of research.
Also interesting the outcome of the research. Both Yamato(and her sisters) and Bismarck took incredible battle damage before being sunk. That's gotta' say something about the effectivness of these ships in a one-on-one WWII duel. Even though the Brits closed to maniac range in the final engagement with Bismarck, she still took a lot. It would've been interesting to see how it would've been if she wasn't fatally wounded by torpedo. Also, the Yamato itself was pummeled by more bombs and torpedos than the whole italian fleet at Taranto......tough bit**!!
The Iowa's were an excellent and probably best balanced design.........but there's a difference between taking innumeraable bomb and torpedo hits and bombarding shore before an invasion. I think the Bis and Yam deserve more respect as I think they would be tough adversaries in a one-on-one duel.
The Yamato started out with 12 6.1" guns. Later refits removed 6 of the guns in favor of putting in more AAA. The 5" guns were increase from 12 to 24.
5" AA
6.1" originally taken from the Mogami Class Light cruiser and put in the Yamato.
My choice is the Iowa Class. Not because it is American but, rather it had the latest in electronics, gunnery accuracy and, in design. A battleship has to be able to hit its targets at long range and that is where the Iowas were state of the art. This class was designed with some of the shortcomming of previous class of battleships. It also had a highspeed also compared to some of the others.
I wish that TF.34 had been in position to "cap the T" at the end of the San Bernardino Straits. Had Kurita's fleet gone to the beaches at Leyte Gulf, start shelling the beaches, and waited for TF.34 or Adm Olendorf's fleet to appear they could have caused tremendous casualties.
Adm. Kurita just like Adm Nagumo were poor battlefield commanders. At critical times they made etremely poor decisions.
Thank You, for the reference URL.
Adrian
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Share this thread with friends: