Yea, good point!

I think it's pretty fair to safe that it wasn't a "ship of the line" per se, just a massively powerful commerce raider. She was a pretty impressive design though.


Now, on the subject of big BBs...

I think this page is very relevant:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/baddest.htm

(a detailed comparison of the world's most powerful BBs, which actually puts the Iowas at the top)

No doubt about that! She went toe to toe with some of Britain's best ships and held her own for an astonishing amount of time, all alone with no assistance.

Before we sing the Bismarck's merits too highly let's not forget this mighty mountain of steel was disabled and rendered unsteerable by one torpedo from an obsolete slow-moving biplane. ;) Such vulnerability to aircraft pretty much ended the period of German warships acting as surface raiders

Point well taken! The Axis powers would have been well advised to create better counter-biplane technologies and tactics. Who would've thunk it?:arrgh!:

Yeah well, sing the Bismark's praises, it took out the hood with just 3 shots! And it took over 700 shells before it went down, and, even then there is an historical debate that could go back and forth forever as to was it sunk, or scuttled?

Its funny about the Swordfish plane, but the Germans were not expecting that to be used, the Bismark's AA guns were designed to hit faster moving planes.

Three reasons why H.M.S HOOD went down
1st she was old
2nd The Hood's stern was not refitted with deck armour unlike her bow was, too protect against plunging shells
3rd The Bismark used AP shells

The result of this was one lucky shot by Bismark landed in the stern of the Hood and penetrated her down to her magazines which marked her end.

If Hood had those upgrades, she may have survived but would had been forced to break off her attack.

And now meet the man who changed the battle.

Pilot reunited with old war plane

Yeah the poor ole Hood
Built in the day guns couldnt fire as far so only needed massive belt armour
As gun ranges increased the shells would rain down onto the deck rather than hitting the side armour
God only knows why they didnt increase the stern deck at the same time as the fore decks

From all the stuff I have read and seen the Hood was only minutes away from safety
The point where the shells would have such a trajectory they would hit the sides not the decking
Alas not to be

The Queen Elizabeth class is the most like the Bismarck in layout and appearance, as well gunn and number side. The Bismarck had the advantage in that she was a more modern build so more experience from WW1 went into her construction as well as new advances that had appeared since then.

The Bismarck layout was based on the WW1 Battleship Bayen. The design showed how good it was taking damage through the expereinces of the Bismarck and Tirpitz.