bismarck class-card

BISMARCK class battleship

The German battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, comprising the Bismarck class, represented the pinnacle of German naval construction during the Third Reich. These fast battleships were the largest built in Europe until the end of World War II and were surpassed worldwide only by the gigantic Japanese Yamato-class and the American Iowa-class battleships. Despite their impressive appearance, the Bismarck class had a rather unremarkable career, although the Bismarck did manage to sink the British battlecruiser Hood during its sole mission, in which it was itself sunk. The Tirpitz had a negligible career with only two minor missions, after which it remained at anchor in Norway until its destruction by RAF Lancaster bombers in November 1944.

BISMARCK class gallery 1 and more info

BISMARCK class gallery 2 and more info

BISMARCK class gallery 3 and more info

BISMARCK class gallery 4 and more info

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Additional information

Ficha Completa
Country of origin

Germany

Builder

Bismarck: Blohm & Voss shipyard, Hamburg – Tirpitz: Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard, Wilhelmshaven

Type

Battleship

Entered service

Bismarck: 1940 – Tirpitz: 1941

Complement

Bismarck: 2,065 (1941) – Tirpitz: 2,608 (1943)

Displacement, (full load)

Bismarck: 51,700 tonnes – Tirpitz: 53,200 tonnes

Dimensions (length x beam x draught)

Bismarck: 250.50 x 36.00 x 10.20 meters – Tirpitz: 253.60 x 36.00 x 10.61 meters

Armour, (maximum)

Steel: Barbettes: 340mm – Main turrets: 360mm – Conning tower: 350mm
Steel: Belt: 320mm (Bismarck) 315mm (Tirpitz) – Bulkhead: 45mm – Upper deck: 50mm – Armor deck: 95mm (Bismarck) 100mm (Tirpitz)

Machinery

12 x Wagner Höchstdruck watertube type boilers – 3 x lightweight Curtiss type Blohm & Voss (Bismarck) / Brown Boveri (Tirpitz) shaft-geared turbines

Power, (total)

Bismarck: 150,000 shp – Tirpitz: 165,000 shp

Shafts - Screws

3 shafts – 3 screws

Speed

Bismarck: 30.12 knots – Tirpitz: 31 knots

Bunkerage

Bismarck: 8,046 tonnes (7,400 usable) – Tirpitz: 8,297 tonnes (7,780 usable)

Range

Bismarck: 8,525 n. miles (15,770 km) at 19 knots – 6,640 n. miles (12,284 km)) at 24 knots – 4,500 n. miles (8,325 km) at 28 knots
Tirpitz: 8,870 n. miles (16,049 km) at 19 knots – 6,963 n. miles (12,881 km) at 24 knots – 4,728 n. miles (8,746 km) at 28 knots

Aircraft

4 x Arado Ar-196 floatplanes

Ammunition

1,040 x 380mm shells + 1,260 x 150mm shells + 6,400 x 105mm shells + 32,000 x 37mm rounds + 24,000 x 20mm rounds + 24 torpedoes (Tirpitz only)

Main guns

8 x 38cm SKC/34 (380/47mm) naval guns in twin turrets

Secondary guns

12 x 15cm SKC/28 (150/55mm) naval guns in twin turrets

AA guns

As entered service: 16 x 10.5cm SKC/33 (105/65mm) guns in twin mounts + 16 x 3.7cm SKC/30 (37/83mm) guns in twin mounts + 12 x 2cm C/30 (20/65mm) guns in single mounts
Bismarck in 1941: 16 x 10.5cm SKC/33 guns in twin mounts + 16 x 3.7cm SKC/30 guns in twin mounts + 12 x 2cm C/30 guns in single mounts + 8 x 2cm C/38 guns in quadruple mounts
Tirpitz in 1944: 16 x 10.5cm SKC/33 guns in twin mounts + 16 x 3.7cm SKC/30 guns in twin mounts + 78 x 2cm guns in single and quadruple mounts

Torpedoes

8 x 533mm torpedo tubes in quadruple mounts (Tirpitz only)

Production

2 ships: Bismarck – Tirpitz