We can only know the probability.
Only a case is a complete master.
Of all the scenarios possible
He presents us with one.
"Legend of the unfulfilled future"
The era of capital ships came to an end with the advent of aviation and "plywood shelves".
On the evening of May 26, 1941, fifteen torpedo bombers from the "Arc Royal" made a second attack on the "Bismarck", having achieved two (according to other sources - three) hits. One of them had decisive consequences. Trying to dodge the torpedo, the Bismarck turned to the left, and instead of an armored belt on the starboard side, the torpedo hit the stern, damaging the steering gear and jamming the rudders in the extreme position. The battleship turned into a sedentary target and was easily finished off by the British ships.
During the battle, Rodney fired 380 406 mm and 716 152 mm shells, King George V - 339 356 mm and 660 133 mm, heavy cruisers Dorsetshire and Norfolk - 254 and 527 203 - respectively. mm shells. The torpedo consumption was: "Rodney" - 2 (one hit), "Dorsetshire" - 3 (two hits).
And “Bismarck” sank under the water like a Mont Blanc of melted steel …
If a “plywood shelf” sinks a floating fortress with one click, then why do we need a fleet? It is enough to have a squadron of "whatnot".
The harsh truth was that the "whatnot" did not always sink battleships. Moreover, she often could not catch up with them!
In March 1942, two squadrons of "Albacore" (817th and 832nd squadrons) from the aircraft carrier "Victories" tried to attack a single "Tirpitz". The attack was carried out at the aft corners, as the least dangerous from the point of view of anti-aircraft fire, as a result, the speed of convergence of the "whatnot" with the battleship was only 30 knots - less than that of torpedo boats! Caught under a hurricane of anti-aircraft fire, the British were unable to attack such a fast maneuvering ship. All 24 torpedoes fired missed the target. Return fire was shot down two "Albacore", and on returning from the mission planes were killed and wounded. The fight is over. “Tirpitz”, going at 29 knots against the wind, dissolved in fog and snow charges.
It must be admitted that the “whatnots” were very lucky. The air defense system of the German battleships was organized as if it were not made by the Aryans, but by the Untermensch. Two ground "Commandogerata", which controlled anti-aircraft fire at the aft corners without any stabilization and anti-splinter armor. As a result, the Nazis paid for their greed in full.
Be in place of "Bismarck" an American battleship (where each "Bofors" had its own gyro-stabilized guidance post with an analog computer, and five-inch anti-aircraft shells were equipped with a built-in mini-radar) … Comments are unnecessary.
A torpedo that jammed the rudders is a rare accident. Here are just a few examples of damage to battleships without any fatal consequences:
"Vittorio Veneto" (March 1941). A torpedo hit in the area of the right propeller, complicated by a series of close explosions of aerial bombs. The battleship received 3,500 tons of water. Two hours later, the emergency parties localized the water inflow, and a slow speed was given. An hour later, it was possible to bring the course to 16 knots. The battleship independently returned to the base, the repair took 4 months.
Torpedoing "Littorio" (June 1942). 1600 tons of water + 350 tons of counterflooding for leveling heel and trim. I returned to the base on my own. After 1, 5 months it was returned to service.
Repeated torpedoing "Vittorio Veneto" (December 1941). Hit of a 533 mm torpedo from the submarine "Urge" in the area of the main turret aft tower. Received 2032 tons of water. The battleship returned to the base under its own power, repairs were 4 months.
Torpedoing North Caroline (August 1942). The Yankees described the events of that day in detail. They say they didn't like it at all. The stroke fell to 18 knots, 5 sailors died, the cellars of the main turret bow towers were flooded, three armor plates were damaged, 528 tons of oil (8%) spilled into the ocean. It is worth noting that the warhead of the torpedo of the Japanese submarine (400 kg) was twice as powerful as the aviation torpedoes of the "whatnot".
The emergency parties corrected the bank in 6 minutes. The battleship left for the Tongatabu atoll (somewhere at the end of the world), where it underwent a two-day ersatz repair. From there it moved across the ocean in the direction of Pearl Harbor, the main repair took 2 months.
Battleship Maryland damaged by an aviation torpedo off Saipan
Next is torpedoing "Yamato" submarine "Skate" (December 1943). Received 3000 tons of water, flooded the artillery cellar of the aft tower of the GK. The battleship returned across the ocean to Japan on its own. Renovation: January - March 1944
Here are some interesting statistics.
Of course, someone with undisguised malice will remember “Barham” and “Royal Oak”, as well as the rapid death of LC “Prince of Wales”. Well, all skeptics should familiarize themselves with the history of these ships, paying special attention to the dates of their laying. The first two are dreadnoughts of the First World War. They were built in an era when the threat from under the water was considered negligible, and no one even thought about PTZ.
The Prince of Wales (like all King George V-class LCs) is a temporary solution for the Royal Navy. Discounted economy-class battleships, objectively considered the worst among all capital ships of the late period. They had many shortcomings, one of which was a weak PTZ. On average, the width of their anti-torpedo protection was 2 meters less than that of the German Bismarck.
And, of course, a fatal accident. One of six hits occurred in the area of the propeller shaft on the left side. Continuing to rotate, the deformed shaft “broke” the entire underwater part of the hull, which led to fatal consequences.
A controversial example is the sinking of the supercarrier Shinano (a Yamato-class aircraft with a rebuilt upper deck). The ship died, demonstrating amazing survivability. He, as if nothing had happened, went on its own for seven hours, having received four torpedoes, and all in one side! Then he stopped and sank. Why did the Shinano sink? Because it was unfinished and its watertight bulkheads were not pressurized. The actions of the Shinano team contributed a lot to the rapid death. However, there is nothing to blame the sailors for. They stepped on the deck of the secret aircraft carrier just a couple of days before going to sea and simply did not even know the layout of the compartments!
Amazing unsinkability and combat resilience were demonstrated by the Yamato and Musashi. According to the chronicle of their last battles, the testimony of American pilots and surviving crew members, the battleships withstood six torpedo hits, maintaining their speed, power supply and partial combat capability. The exact limit of their durability has not been established: up to 20 torpedoes hit the Musashi. In "Yamato" - 11, not counting the numerous explosions of aerial bombs.
She drowned
Statistics show the following.
Single torpedo hits could not pose a mortal threat to the cruisers and battleships of World War II. There are known cases of ships returning with a broken side and a completely detached bow end (“New Orleans”). As for fatal coincidences and damaged steering, the likelihood of such an event was an order of magnitude lower than is commonly believed among modern fans of military history.
Cruiser New Orleans is not going to give up
Chapter number two. Bombs
Experienced experts know the real state of affairs. Entering into the discussion, they say meaningfully: "September 9, 1943".
On that day, German bombers put an end to the eternal confrontation between shell and armor. Seemingly unsinkable, the newest Italian aircraft Roma was destroyed with guided bombs.
The first "Fritz-X" hit the forecastle deck between 100 and 108 frames, went through the compartments of the structural underwater protection and exploded in the water under the hull of the ship. The explosion led to huge destruction of the underwater part of the battleship, and outboard water began to flow there. In a matter of minutes, she flooded the aft engine room, the third power plant, the seventh and eighth boiler rooms. Damage to the cables caused numerous short circuits and electrical fires in the stern. The ship left the formation of the formation, sharply slowing down.
At 16:02 the second "Fritz" finished off the battleship: a bomb hit it in the forecastle deck on the starboard side between frames 123 and 136, went through all decks and exploded in the forward engine room. A fire broke out, which led to the detonation of the bow group of the artillery cellars.
This is where the story of “Roma” ended.
And another story began.
Simultaneously with the "Roma" two guided bombs hit the same type of aircraft "Littorio". The first blow fell on the forecastle deck in the area of frame 162. The bomb pierced the ship and went through the side, detonating in the water. 190 sq. meters of plating in the underwater part of the hull. The water inflow was 830 tons (another 400 were taken to equalize the roll and trim). The next bomb hit the water next to the battleship, causing a partial depressurization of the skin on the port side.
“Littorio” came under its own power to Malta, from where it went to the area of the Suez Canal, where it was interned (1943-18-09).
The Germans were fiercely fierce. In the same month, the British “Worspite” was hit by guided bombs. The veteran of both world wars clearly did not expect such a gift from fate. The bomb pierced the battleship through and through, making a 6-meter hole in its bottom, through which 5,000 tons of sea water entered. A close rupture of another Fritz damaged the battleship's anti-torpedo defenses, and a third bomb exploded at a distance without causing any harm to Worspite. Despite the heavy damage, the losses among the crew of the "Worspite" were small: only 9 dead and 14 wounded.
The battleship lost its speed was evacuated to Malta, from where it was transferred to England. Six months later, "Worspite" was returned to combat effectiveness. On June 6, 1944, the ship first opened fire on German fortifications in Normandy.
The conclusion is obvious: even the use of guided bombs did not guarantee victory in a naval battle. Why managed? This made it possible to drop bombs from great heights (up to 6000 m), so that their speed at the time of meeting with a target would reach the speed of sound. Super-ammunition of a special design (hardened steel array) weighing 1380 kg. Not every bomber could lift and drop the Fritz-X!
And what?
The larger and more modern Littorio escaped with moderate damage, without loss of progress and combat effectiveness. The honored old man “Worspeight” suffered more, but even he remained afloat, and his crew did not suffer any noticeable losses.
The story of the damage to the Vittorio Veneto will be played in unison.
On June 5, 1943, during a heavy bombing raid on La Spezia, the moored battleship was hit by two 908 kg armor-piercing bombs dropped by an American B-24. The first blow fell in the area of the first 381-mm turret (159th frame). The bomb pierced all decks, underwater protection cylinders and, without exploding, sank to the bottom. The second hit had serious consequences: the blow fell on the left side near the spiers, in the area of the 197 frame. The bomb went through all the ship structures and exploded under the bottom.
The Vittorio Veneto immediately exploded and sank.
Hell no! “Vittorio Veneto” went under its own power to Genoa. The repair took one month.
Based on the above facts, strict statistics are born:
As a result of four attacks and nine dropped bombs (seven "Fritz" and a pair of armor-piercing 2000-pounds), only one battleship ("Roma").
And this is the result of the impact of powerful ammunition dropped from high altitudes and intended directly to combat highly protected objects!
Critical damage was achieved only in the event of a direct hit in the area of ammunition storage (the most dangerous part of a warship). However, in practice, the probability of a Fritz hitting a battleship did not exceed 0. 5. For unguided bombs, this value was two orders of magnitude lower: high-altitude bombing of moving ships was a waste of ammunition.
What can we say about the usual "mines" and attempts to bomb battleships from low altitudes! Highly defended WWII ships sneezed at such threats.
In April 1944, during a raid by British aircraft carriers to the Kaa Fjord, nine bombs hit the battleship Tirpitz. The British used the entire spectrum of aviation weapons: 500-pound "fugasks", semi-armor-piercing bombs, mighty 726-kg "penetrators" and even 600-lb. depth charges.
The bombardment did not add beauty, but the battleship was not going to sink, did not explode, did not burn down, and even retained some of its combat capability. None of the bombs were able to penetrate the main armor deck. The main problems were caused not so much by the bombs as by the old wounds that opened from the concussions - the consequences of the previous attack of mini-submarines. A servant of anti-aircraft guns on the upper deck was severely beaten by shrapnel.
The next raid 42 "Barracuda", accompanied by 40 fighters (Operation Talisman) ended in vain. Aces of the RAF achieved 0% hits on a stationary battleship. The August raid of four aircraft carriers to the Tirpitz parking lot (Operation Goodwood) ended with a similar result.
Surely someone will ask the obvious question: if a battleship is hardly vulnerable to attacks on the surface of the hull, why did the British not use torpedoes?
Because the Germans, unlike the "macaroni" (Taranto) and American yachtsmen and golf enthusiasts (Pearl Harbor), did not forget to install an anti-torpedo net.
Since we have already mentioned Pearl Harbor, we can recall the old “Arizona”. Rusty bucket built in 1915 with horizontal protection according to the standards of Perova world (main armored deck 76 mm). The unfortunate ship was hit by an 800-kilogram bomb converted from a 356-mm armor-piercing projectile.
From the same series, the story of the Soviet "Marat". In the context of the current conversation, this example does not make sense.
Battleships of the later period were not “ultimate weapons”. Moreover, in a certain period (before the appearance of anti-aircraft missiles), the likelihood of their death from the impact of high-tech aviation ammunition increased. But it was just a PROBABILITY. All the legends about the “Fritz” and “plywood shelves” who allegedly changed the balance of power at sea and devalued capital ships are the slogans of “couch experts” who are too lazy to open the book and get acquainted with the statistics of combat damage of WWII ships.
In fact, even the use of the most powerful super ammunition did not guarantee victory over the floating fortresses. Moreover, the theory of probability has always been on the side of battleships. Given their considerable size and continuous evolution, the chance of their survival in battle was constantly increasing. A brilliant example is the British LK Vanguard (1940-46), which absorbed the experience of both world wars. To hit does not mean to break through. And if you pierce it, it is not a fact that you will incapacitate. 3,000 tons of splinterproof bulkheads. Eight power generators dispersed in isolated compartments along the entire length of the ship. The alternation of boiler rooms and turbine rooms in a “checkerboard pattern”. Separation of propeller shaft lines by 15 meters. Developed pumping and counter-flooding system, six independent damage control posts. Remote control of steam line valves - Vanguard's turbines could operate in completely flooded compartments! And all this splendor was reinforced by the maximum possible constructive protection with a 350 mm belt and a 150 mm citadel deck.
You will be tormented by such drowning.
Launching "Vanguard" on the water
