The fact is that there is not enough left of the magazine area to ascertain exactly what happened, so everything is guesswork. The "black powder" theory was proposed in a 1944 BuShips report. The explosion of the shell itself (it wasn't a 'bomb' in the proper sense) could just as easily have ignited the powder in the main magazine.

I only questioned your summation this way because you stated it so emphatically, as though it were a proven fact, when in fact it's not a fact at all.

True, but there is so much more to it than that, going back a year to Dogger Bank and forward to 1918. It's a wonderful story and a game designers nightmare.

I agree with you. So I'm amazed at the google sites stating the matter with emphasis myself. I merely reiterate what they say. May even call guide at monument to check reference...:arrgh!:

AYE! but Hipper lived up to his 'VON' that day. Polished off 'Dreadnought' and 'Castles of Steel' this year to acquaint myself more with the sordid details: I mean Winston and Jackie Fisher, buggery and the lash, and bigger Elizabeth class battleships just so the poor Huns couldn't use the Kiel canal to keep up( the ships wouldn't fit) and the greatest naval victory of all, the mine at Scapa that polished off Winnie's first employer (Omdurman), Lord Kitchner. Juicy!!!:arrgh!:

I've read several books on Jutland and the only one I actually own is Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting, by the great John Campbell. It goes through every phase of the battle, tracking ship movements and gunnery, and describes the path of every shell fired and what damage it did. Of course that doesn't work for the ships that sank, but it's of inestimable value to the fan who likes to count rivets.

It starts with a quick analysis of Dogger Bank and delves into why the British cruiser guys started locking the flash doors open. It also goes into why the Germans started putting flash doors on their ships and why they made sure they were closing properly. It's a reference book, not a reader, but if naval battles interest you it's also a very good read.
http://www.amazon.com/Jutland-Analys...f+the+fighting

I'll get on that asap! THNX:arrgh!:PSS after an exhausting night examining every aspect of the black powder theory vs the type B armor of the gun deck as opposed to another (8) bomb setting off the small fire in the admirals aft galley etc, etc.I was shocked to note that one admiral avatar for subsim admiral is, in fact, Admiral Kidd's formal portrait. He was of course the Admiral killed on the Arizona that day. Its seems there is also some conjecture as to whether the catapults use a black powder charge, if there was any black powder that day, if the black powder door was left open, and if the converted shell, with its seven second delay FUSE could have penetrated deep causing an oil fire-setting off the black powder...It is generally conceded in both theorys that the shell cannot have penetrated the turret and that the main gun 14 inch bagged ammo is VERY stable requiring a detonator which in normal practice was a black powder pad! Right up there with Richthoffen's autopsy!